notes from our meeting 2.28.2011

This week, we had a big catch-up meeting, since we had a lot of confusion among the group members about when we were meeting and what page we were going to read to in our current book.  We decided today that we are going to get all caught up on Anything But Typical, since we want to all be on the same page.  When we took a poll today, some group members had finished the book, some had read to around page 150, and some had not yet reached page 100. 

Next Monday we'll have an extra meeting - on March 7th - and we will ALL bring our current books to discuss and trade out for our newest choice, The Thing About Georgie.

See you next Monday!

notes from our meeting 2.14.2011

This week, we discussed the first section of our book, Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin (through page 64).  Here are some of the thoughts from our discussion today:

How do we know, right from the beginning of the book, that Jason is not a typical twelve-year-old? Name some of the characteristics he exhibits. Are these behaviors things you have seen before?

• He flaps his hands, and yes, I have seen that before
• Jason can't sit still, even if he tries really hard
• It's hard for him to communicate
• He can't look straight into a person's eyes
• When people touch him, he feels weird (we know someone who has similar behaviors; when I touch her she starts yelling at me unless I tell her beforehand that I am going to touch her)
• He is not very flexible; he wants things a certain way and if things don't go his way, he has trouble handling the situation
• He remembers appearances but can't process them really well; he has trouble remembering names or exactly who people are if they don't have a feature that stands out (for example: glasses, long hair, etc)

What are some of the techniques his therapist suggests he use in order to communicate with NT (neurotypical) people? Do you think these are easy or hard for Jason to do?

• He needs to work on making eye contact with people when he is talking to them
• Writing is a good way to communicate

Does it seem that Jason has a hard time understanding what other people are doing or asking of him? Give an example of a communication from Jason's point of view. What things does he notice? What things are hard for him to tolerate? What things doesn't he notice or respond to?

• In the library, he didn't understand that the librarian said that all of the computers are really the same - he was distracted by looking into her face details (wrinkles on her face, etc)
• Whenever people touch him, like the librarian, he feels like his body is going to explode or like he feels trapped.  He is wishing that she would stop touching him, but he struggles to put that idea into words and communicate with her.
• He thinks that his mom is sad all the time, because she feels bad for him
• He has a way of knowing people's feelings; his mom is sad, people are angry, without people telling him
• In art class, his ears were really bothered when the teacher's voice was kind-of scratchy.  He couldn't handle the noise, so he just hid under the table.

*Discussion questions from the Reading Group Guide from Simon & Schuster

Other things we discussed, or want to look for next time:

• We want to learn more about PhoenixBird and we hope that he finds out what she is like.
• On the back it seems like Jason will meet his new friend, so we are wondering how that will go; maybe she is like him?

For our next meeting on February 28th, wewill be reading to chapter 18 (page 103).

Notes from our meeting 1/24/2011

This week, we discussed the end of the book, Runaway Twin.  We talked about several things that happened at the end, and why the author chose to create the characters with those issues.  I think we all enjoyed the book, and might try to look for other books by that author in the future!

At this meeting, we also selected our new book, Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin.  After looking at several options, our members chose to read this book about a twelve-year-old boy with autism.  We are planning to read this book in three meetings this time, so by our next meeting (February 7th) we will read to page 64 (the end of chapter 10).

Notes from our meeting 1/10/2011

We are enjoying reading Runaway Twin!  Here are a few things we discussed at our meeting today:

• It might not have been a smart decision for Sunny to leave Rita and go to Enumclaw.  She doesn't know if her sister is even there anymore.
• Sunny might have a hard time getting to Starr, and we don't know what is going to happen when or if she finds Starr.
• What if Starr doesn't want to come with Sunny?
• Sunny has done a lot of hard work to be able to find Starr.
• Sunny has found a dog and she is thinking about how hard it might be to take the dog with her to find Starr.
• What if Starr doesn't remember Sunny?
• We can't decide if Sunny was being brave or not making a good choice by leaving Rita and going out on her own to find Starr.
• What if Starr is mean to Sunny?
• If I was Sunny, I would have asked Rita if she would help me get an airplane ticket and help me find Starr instead of going alone.

We can't wait to read the end of the book!

Runaway Twin: p. 1-104

Girls:  I sat down the other day to start reading Runaway Twin, and my intention was to read to page 95(where we had decided to stop for our next meeting).  I really got drawn in to the book and read the entire book in one sitting!  When I realized I should probably stop at page 104, I was already way past it (oops)!

Ch. 5, p. 38
How did you feel when Sunny first met the dog outside of the restaurant?  I wanted to yell at her through the book, "Leave him there - don't bring him with you" or "Help him find someone to care for him - he will keep you from accomplishing your mission" ... although over the next few pages, I began to realize that since Sunny herself had been abandoned, she just couldn't abandon this sweet dog.  As it turns out, Snickers turned out to be a great travel companion and best pal.

How far have you gotten in the story?  Please remember, if you want to comment, use your blog name and only post comments through page 104.

Enjoy!
Mrs. K

Runaway Twin by Peg Kehret

Today, our club decided to read Runaway Twin by Peg Kehret as our next Book Club Book.  We read the first chapter together and elected to read until page 104 (the end of Chapter 11) before our next meeting, on Monday, January 10th.


What are your thoughts as you begin this book?

Our First Book!

We have just finished reading our first book together, Oggie Cooder by Sarah Weeks!  What did you think about our first book?  Did you enjoy reading and discussing together?  What suggestions do you have for our next book?  Do you have any ideas for our next meeting?
Leave your suggestions as comments on this post!