book club

Another awesome read from this book club! Our final book for Page turners was George
by Alex Gino. Although George isn’t a true story, I know it’s true to many children and adults in this world. George is a great children’s book to teach acceptance in others and I’m so thankful more books like this are being published. Did you get a chance to read it? I gave it a 5/5 stars. I’ve got 3 questions below, and Lisa’s got 3 as well over on her blog. Feel free to discuss any or all of the questions in the comment section or link-up your post at the bottom. Lisa and I are sharing the same link-up, so you don’t have to enter on both blogs. The linky will close in a week. Alright, let’s get started!

George is a very fast read as it is meant for children but it has a big story. It was definitely written for kids but I loved the detail to the book’s environment. I hope this book or a similar story is made into a movie. The struggle of gender equality, gender awareness and gender acceptance is much better now than it has been in the past but it is still a problem throughout the world.

And now, for the discussion. Before I begin, I’ll remind you that there may be spoilers ahead. Also, feel free to use my questions as jumping points. Ask your own questions and start your own discussions.

George: Discussion

2. What did you think about the teacher’s reactions in this book? I was frustrated but not surprised by Mrs. Udell’s reaction when George tried out for the part of Charlotte. She had a right to be confused and caught off guard but not to completely discount her as someone trying out for the role. In my opinion, she should have let George try out for the part and if she had issues with him playing a ‘girls’ role, she should have kept that to herself. I loved that the principal stood up for George and having an open door for her to feel welcome. 

Now, it’s your turn! Answer any or all of the questions in the comment section below. Ask questions of your own. Or, link-up a blog post with your review and/or the answers to these questions. Also be sure to check out Lisa’s discussion questions on her blog. We’re sharing the same linky, so no need to link-up on both blogs.

Lisa and I are so happy to announce our book for October! It’s special because it’s the first new release we’ve selected (published August 25th) and it’s going to be our last book club selection. We’ve loved hosting our Page Turners book club but we’re both having a hard time keeping up with the books right now. With so many projects with the new house, spending more time with family and vacations I’m finding it hard to read even one book per month. So, we hope you’ll join us  for our final book this October:

George by Alex Gino

Lisa first heard about George (Goodreads) on the Book Riot Podcast. It’s a book written for kids, and it’s about a boy named George who knows he’s really a girl. George wants to be Charlotte in his (her) school’s production of Charlotte’s Web but her teacher says no because she’s a boy. Well, shenanigans probably ensue so that she can let everyone who she is.

I think I’m going to love this book because it reminds me so much of Wonder, another children’s book also about acceptance. Hope you’ll join us! We’ll be discussing it on October 29th.

We’ve had a great run with our book club and may start it up again if things slow down in our lives. This will be our 10th book and we think it will be an awesome final book. Thanks for joining us!

And don’t forget, next week we’ll be discussing The Silver Linings Playbook on September 24th.

I’m so excited to discuss The Princess Bride with you today. I can recite the entire movie and have listened to the book several times but had never read the book. Lisa and I wanted to choose a fun read for August since everyone is so busy with back to school (and in my case, moving) so I loved having this mandatory fun reading time to unwind.  If I could give the book a 6/5 I would. I loved the story tellers voice as well as the playful characters throughout the story.

I have 3 questions below, and Lisa’s got 3 over on her blog. Feel free to discuss any or all of the questions in the comment section or link-up your post at the bottom. Lisa and I are sharing the same link-up, so you don’t have to enter on both blogs. The linky will close in a week. Alright, let’s get started!

And now, for the discussion. Before I begin, I’ll remind you that there will be spoilers ahead.

1. Who is your favorite character? This is a tough question that I thought about for days because I knew I wanted to only choose one (unlike my fav Harry Potter characters of which I have two for each gender). For The Princess Bride, I chose Fezzik as my favorite character. I love his big kind heart and how excited he gets at simple pleasures (like the rhyming game or when Wesley shakes his head at the castle wall). He seems like such a great companion on an adventure like this. Just so you know, my runners up were Wesley and then Miracle Max.

2. Have you seen the movie? Do you think the movie lives up to the book? I have seen the movie at least 20 times. I had a poster of Wesley and Buttercup kissing (the best kiss in history) in my college room as well as a tshirt that I wore out. I attempted to be Buttercup for Halloween one year but fell quite short of her beauty. I think the movie is a perfect adaptation of the book. They chose just the right parts to cut and the right parts to embellish. They emphasized the character’s quick wits which is my favorite part of the book. It’s the perfect action/adventure/love story and will be my favorite movie for years to come.

3. When we first meet Inigo and Fezzik, they are working with Vizzini to kidnap Buttercup. Later, they become allies of Westley in his efforts to rescue her. What causes Inigo and Fezzik to change . . . or do they really change at all over the course of the novel? I don’t believe they changed. I think their hearts were always in the right place (Inigo doing anything he could to revenge his father and Fezzik being taken in by people who cares about him). Although they started out as thieves and kidnappers, I don’t think they were every ‘bad guys’.

Now, it’s your turn! Answer my questions, ask your own, or start your own discussions. I’ll be responding to comments in the comment section, and you’ll get an email when I (or anyone else) does so. Or, link-up a blog post with your review and/or the answers to these questions. Also be sure to check out Lisa’s discussion questions on her blog. We’re sharing the same linky, so no need to link-up on both blogs.

Remember our September selection is The Silver Linings Playbook. We’ll be discussing it on September 24th.

If you’d like to see some of our favorite books, head over to our Page Turners Pinterest board!

Follow Shelly @ DIY Mama’s board Book Club on Pinterest.