Book+Club+Ideas


 * Book Club Ideas**

At R.H. King, we have a Girls' Novel Club and we are reading //Midnight at the Dragon Cafe.// Interest in the novel is ramping up, as students are finishing the book and passing along to others. Here are some ideas for your book club:


 * In addition to using discussion questions on the novel from various sites, include a couple of creative writing ideas based on the book. Have students write a letter "in role" as Annie to Elder Brother. These can be shared. You might begin by modelling with a letter you have written.
 * Students are also fascinated by the role of the mother, and the choices she makes as her life unfolds. Ask students to write a dialogue they imagine might happen between Annie and her mother dealing with "secrets" and the unspoken. Students can explore Annie's feelings in words.
 * We have a book display of the novel featuring a rice bowl, chopsticks, a Chinese doll playing music, and a restaurant menu that would appeal to the "Lo Fon" depicted in the novel. Also feature Chinese cookbooks featuring authentic Chinese Cuisine to contrast with the featured menu. You might even find a recipe for steamed white fish with scallions and ginger !
 * Follow up on the food idea by bringing in a special Chinese lunch from a local restaurant, checking of course for allergies etc. Also, any students of Chinese heritage might be invited to prepare and share some traditional family dishes with a lunchtime novel club.
 * Involve your Food and Nutrition teacher in looking at fresh, traditional groceries available in our city to make a meal together.
 * Students look at cultural practices around grieving in various cultures, based on the drowning deaths of the young brother, and Annie's friend.

For more ideas, please see my blog: [|Lamp in the Library]