We Would NOT Like to Live in 1870

Old Yeller was definitely written for boys. It was published in 1956, when girls pretended to be mommies and boys dreamed of being cowboys. So what did the very modern Reading Divas think of the book? The Divas gave it 5 stars *****-- the highest rating they've given any book so far! And everyone nearly cried at the ending.

For the June meeting, the Reading Divas met at Taltree Arboretum in Valparaiso. They enjoyed the new Railway Garden, a walk through prairie and woods to get the setting of the book, a picnic lunch complete with insistent mosquitoes and book talk.

























We'll read about Alice's Adventures in Wonderland for July.


For the August meeting:
What do you read before visiting the World of Fairies Festival? Why, a book about fairies of course! Don't forget to vote!

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Cathrynne Valente

The story of September, a girl who flies from her dreary and sad life in Nebraska to Fairyland on the Green Wind. In Fairyland, she meets every sort of wonderful mythical beast (including a wyvern that's half library), eats the most wonderful and strange things, and has the most wonderful and extraordinary adventures and quests.

OR

Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Fifteen-year-old Laurel has led a sheltered, home-schooled life in a very small town, so when her parents decide to move and enroll her in high school, she has trouble getting used to her new life. A life, as it turns out, that’s not at all like those of other kids. One clear sign is a winglike blossom that blooms on her back. Oh, and her new best friend, the scientifically minded David, reveals under a microscope that her cells are more plant than animal. But it takes an encounter at her old home with the handsome but decidedly different Tamani to convince her that she is a faerie.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS!

******THE JUNE 11TH MEETING IS
BEING MOVED TO 1:00 P.M.******

The votes are in! For the July 9th meeting,
the Reading Divas will explore:

Did the Divas Love Ya Bunches?

Well, Not So Much...

Love Ya Bunches was NOT a great favorite with the Reading Divas--the rating was **. Liv "just couldn't get into it," Kaylah thought it was "OK," but had some inappropriate language. Jazzmune thought it was "OK." Mari liked the diversity, but not the writing.

The book did spark some lively discussion about "mean girls" and how to deal with them (or NOT to deal with them).

The May meeting was held at Gino's East in Highland. The Divas enjoyed pizza and Mari loved the minestrone! Here's a shaky picture taken with Tom, our attentive server.

The June meeting will be held at noon on Saturday, June 11, 2011.

Vote for the July Book!!

You've probably seen the movie, but do you really know the story of the Wizard of Oz? What about Alice in Wonderland or the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?

This month's choices are all books from which movies were made. Let's learn the real story. How much did the movies leave out? Would the missing pieces have made a better movie or just a LONGER one?

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Follow the adventures of young Dorothy Gale and her dog, Toto, as their Kansas house is swept away by a cyclone and they find themselves in a strange land called Oz. Here she meets the Munchkins and joins the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion on an unforgettable journey to the Emerald City, where lives the all-powerful Wizard of Oz.









Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
What happens when the five luckiest children in the entire world walk through the doors of Willy Wonka's famous, mysterious chocolate factory? What happens when, one by one, the children disobey Mr. Wonka's orders? In Dahl's most popular story, the nasty are punished and the good are deliciously rewarded.


Alice in Wonderland
The strange adventures of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world full of peculiar, yet engaging, creatures. Many of these characters, including the White Rabbit, Cheshire Cat, Mad Hatter and March Hare, are known to almost all of us. But, do you know the Jabberwocky?

The Divas Spring into Reading!

The Reading Divas held their first meeting on April 9th at the Panera Bread restaurant in Schererville, Indiana. They enjoyed delicious salads before getting down to business--discussing Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit.

They gave the book * * *!


After the meeting (and the purchase of desserts from Panera), the Reading Divas moved to Borders in Highland, to select the next book. They'll read Luv Ya Bunches by Lauren Myracle for the May 7th meeting.