Teen Book Club November: Code Talker

This month the TBC read Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac.

Here are the discussion questions we used:

1.  What did you think of the book?  General impressions?
2.  Did you have a favorite character?  A favorite scene or part?
3.  What was Ned's life like at the boarding school?  How was it different from his home life?  How did he cope?
4.  Why does Ned want to join up?
5.  What is the warfare method the Americans call "banzai" that the Japanese use?  Why do they use it?
6.  What does the pouch of corn pollen mean to Ned?
7.  Why were the Code Talkers important?  Had you heard of them before reading this book?
8.  The story is told as if Ned is telling the story to his grandchildren.  How do you think they feel about their grandfather's time as a Code Talker?  What do you think are the most important lessons they learn?
9.  How was this book similar to or different from the book we read in September, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian?  Which did you prefer?
10.  Ratings and final thoughts!

Melanie gave the book a perfect 10!  She said she loved how the author put the history in a book that made her want to learn more about the Code Talkers and World War II.

Miss Gardiner gives this book a 9/10.  She thought this was a page turner that showcased a little known part of history.


For December we are reading...

  Stardust by Neil Gaiman

In the sleepy English countryside at the dawn of the Victorian Era, life moves at a leisurely pace in the tiny town of Wall--a secluded hamlet so named for an imposing stone barrier that surrounds a fertile grassland. Armed sentries guard the sole gap in the bulwark to keep the inquisitive from wandering through, relaxing their vigil only once every nine years, when a market fair unlike any other in the world of men comes to the meadow. Here in Wall, young Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to beautiful Victoria Forester. But Victoria is cold and distant--as distant, in fact, as the star she and Tristran see fall from the sky on a crisp October evening. For the coveted prize of Victoria's hand, Tristran vows to retrieve the fallen star and deliver it to his beloved. It is an oath that sends the lovelorn swain over the ancient wall, and propels him into a world that is strange beyond imagining. But Tristran is not the only one seeking the heavenly jewel. There are those for whom it promises youth and beauty, the key to a kingdom, and the rejuvenation of dark, dormant magics. And a lad compelled by love will have to keep his wits about him to succeed and survive in this secret place where fallen stars come in many guises--and where quests have a way of branching off in unexpected directions, even turning back upon themselves in space and in time. 

 At our meeting on Friday, Dec. 27th we will not only be discussing the book, but we will be watching the movie too!  And ordering pizza!  So read the book and join us from 2 to 4:30 on the 27th.

At our meeting this month we also decided the books we would be reading for the next several months...

January - Steampunk - Steampunk! by various authors (short stories)

February - Biography/Memoir - Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah

March - Manga (Japanese graphic novels) - Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki

April - Fairies - Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

May - Roadtrip - An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

See you next time!