Reading Raiders

Welcome to the Reading Raiders Blog

We meet every Wed. Mornings in the media center for light refreshments and GREAT READS.
Come and join us @ 8:15:~)
Mrs. Cable, Mrs. Cox, Mrs. Larkin and Mrs. Inman

Peak by Roland Smith

Peak by Roland Smith is the first book the Reading Raiders picked to read this year. It is nominated for the Georgia Book Award 08-09.

I was pleasantly surprised when I read this fast past adventure of a 14 year-old boy named Peak Marcello, who is arrested for climbing a sky scraper in New York City.

His parents make deal with the judges to send him to live with his dad, who runs expeditions up Mount. Everest. His dad wants to prepare him to be the youngest climber in history to climb the highest mountain in the world. This book opened up a whole world of adventure and dangers that I did not really know much about. The twists and turns in the plot and the exotic setting made the book made this book hard to put down.

Questions to think about while reading:

Author Information

Vocabulary words:

Tibetan Sherpas

Garish

Moleskin?

Tagging

Unwavering

Begrudgingly

Denouement

Concurred

Undisclosed

Auspicious

Disheveled

Surly

Tell us what you think of Peak and his story.

Character Descriptions:

Peak Marcello

Dad

Mom

Sun-Jo

Zopa

Joshua Wood

Holly Angelo

How does Peak feel about his father’s motives of getting him up the mountain?

Why did Peak get into such trouble for climbing?

When if ever does Peak feel regret and shame for having tagged the buildings?

How did Peak begin climbing?

Why was there a film crew on Everest?

Why does the Judge agree to allow Peak to go and stay with his dad?

What types of things do you regret?

How do you avoid regret?

Who and what affects your decisions?

Dickerson Book Award Winners

Students at Dickerson picked their favorite books.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows won 1st place!

      

2nd Place went to James Patterson's Maximum Ride: Angel Experiment!

Third Place - Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen 

James Howe's The Misfits

We will be meeting this Wed. morning Oct. 24th at 8:15 in the media center.

We are reading on of the GA Book Award nominee, The Misfits by James Howe. 
Four 7th grade students come together to put a stop to name calling at their middle school by creating a third party in order to run for student council.  This book ties in very well to character ed. and diversity.

Questions to think about:

Why do you think the author chose to write about these 4 diverse characters?

What age group do you think this book is best suited for?

Why was it nominated for a GA book award?

What do you think the best way is to help middle schoolers accept one another's differences?

Name 5 things you have in common with the other people in the club.

Share 5 things that make you unique.

Did any one find they shared unique traits given by another student.

Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Reading Raiders will be Wed. Sept. 26th at 8:15am in the media center. All students are welcome.

We will be handing out our first book up for discussion. 
Crossing the Wire, by Will Hobbs. This book is nominated for this year's GA Book Award and will be included in the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl.

Tell us what you think about immigration.

Gospel According to Larry

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Mrs. Inman

The Gospel According to Larry

The Reading Raiders just started a new book this week.  We are all reading The Gospel According to Larry, by Janet Tashjian.  All Dickerson Students are welcome to join in on the discussion. Tell us what you thought of the very first section "A Note to the Reader." What does the "note" make you think about the book.

Welcome to the Reading Raiders

We have discussed the following books this year.

The Giver by Lois Lowry
Mr. Monday by Garth Nix
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
and
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin