Literature Awards and School Book Clubs, Grades 1–8

Recently some of the mothers at the preschool where my own children attend started a book club. Our first book was Pulitzer Prize winner, The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. If you are thinking about starting or joining a book club, I do not recommend starting off with an 800 page book (only three of us finished the book). Even with everyone not having read the book in its entirety, the book still elicited a rich discussion amongst the group and inspired me as a literacy teacher. Here's how my book club's discussion of The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt influenced my reading instruction...

1. It reminded me how it is important for kids to see the adults in their life reading. My own children and my students know that I am an avid reader. I make sure they see me reading and I talk about what book I am reading or have read. Even though I knew none of my students would be reading The Goldfinch anytime soon, I showed them the book because it is important that they know I read for pleasure. By sharing whatever book I am currently reading at the time with my students, they learn that reading is a lifelong skill.

2. Having book club or small group discussions about books is really important. Sometimes I get caught up in my teaching and forget to give my students time to have their own discussions about their novels. Listening to the other women's thoughts about The Goldfinch changed my perspective of the book. I looked at it through a new lens as the women shared insights and passages that resonated with the

3. Don't judge a book by the award on its cover. The Goldfinch got me thinking about, 'What makes a book an award winner?' After doing a little research, I now know that an author actually applies for a Pulitzer Prize. I also learned from the official Pulitzer Prize website that,  "Pulitzer Prizes and Fellowships, established in Columbia University by the will of the first Joseph Pulitzer, are awarded by the University on the recommendation of The Pulitzer Prize Board. The Board meets twice annually. There are 21 categories across journalism, books, drama and music. The prizes are announced during the Spring." It was after reading about this prestigious award that I thought of two different activities to use with my students based on literature awards. The first activity encourages students to create their own award for a book they have read. The second activity has students analyzing if an award winning book really deserved that award or not. I promise both activities will get your students thinking and talking about books.

In case I piqued your interest about The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, I will tell you I had mixed feelings about the book. I thought it had an interesting storyline, but the author's very descriptive writing style made the book quite lengthy. While reading it I felt as though I was completing a homework assignment rather than reading for enjoyment. However, it did get me thinking about; our fate (predetermined or determined by our actions); good verse bad (what motivates our actions); and what we value as a society (material objects verse intangible things). I will admit that I appreciated the book more after discussing it with my book club.

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