Book Discussion Kits

Youth services librarians in the South Central Library System have created extremely successful book discussion programs for the youth of their communities. It can be difficult to place holds on multiple copies of books, so to make things easier SCLS has created book group discussion kits for youth services librarians. Funding for the initial collection of book group kits came from a Wisconsin State Journal/Empty Stocking Club grant in 2002. (Committee members who chose the books for this initial collection were: Linda Colby, Mount Horeb Public Library; Karen Kjensrud, Baraboo Public Library; Maureen Palmer, Reedsburg Public Library; Sue Marie Rendall, Portage County Public Library; and Shawn Brommer, South Central Library System.)

Who can borrow these kits?
Youth services librarians/member library staff from the South Central Library System

How do we borrow the kits?
Contact Brinnan Shaffer at SCLS deliver at: storykits@scls.lib.wi.us or 608/261-9140 to schedule a time to borrow any of the kits.

How long can we keep the kits?
Libraries have 6 weeks to distribute, discuss and retrieve books from readers. The loan period for the books is 4 weeks. We suggest that you check books out to your readers as soon as you receive them and collect them as soon as you are finished with your discussion. The two weeks beyond the 4-week loan period should be sufficient time to collect any straggling titles.

What is in the kits?
There are multiple copies of books and discussion ideas and activities in each book group discussion kit.

Please contact Shawn Brommer if you have any questions, comments or to make suggestions for future book kit titles.

Kit titles:

Title	Author	Publisher
Amber Brown is not a Crayon	Paula Danziger	Scholastic
Arthur Locked in the Library	Marc Brown	Little Brown & Co
The Big Balloon Race	Eleanor Coerr	Harpercollins
Bud, Not Buddy	Christopher Paul Curtis	Yearling
Bug Boy	Carol Sonenklar	Yearling
Catcher in the Rye	J.D. Salinger	Lb Books
The Giver	Lois Lowry	Laureleaf
Golden Compass	Philip Pullman	Del Rey
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets	J.K. Rowling	Scholastic
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire	J.K. Rowling	Scholastic
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	J.K. Rowling	Scholastic
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone	J.K. Rowling	Scholastic
Hatchet	Gary Paulsen	Pocket
The Hobbit	J.R.R. Tolkien	Houghton Mifflin
Holes	Louis Sachar	Yearling
Hope was Here	Joan Bauer	Puffin
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key	Jack Gantos	HarperTrophy
Landry News	Andrew Clements	Aladdin
A Long Way from Chicago	Richard Peck	Puffin
Marvin Redpost: Kidnapped at Birth?	Louis Sachar	Random House
Monster	Walter Dean Myers	Harpercollins
A Mouse Called Wolf	Dick King-Smith	Random House
Nothing but the Truth	Avi	Flare
The Outsiders	S.E. Hinton	Prentice Hall
Project Mulberry	Linda Sue Park	Random House
Rewind	William Sleator	Puffin
Soldier’s Heart	Gary Paulsen	Laureleaf
S.O.R. Losers	Avi	Harcourt
Soup	Richard Newton Peck	Random House
Stage Fright on a Summer Night (15 books)	Mary Pope Osborne	Random House
Stargirl	Jerry Spinelli	Knopf
Summer Reading is Killing Me	John Sciezka	Puffin
To Kill a Mockingbird	Harper Lee	Little Brown & Co
Walk Two Moons	Sharon Creech	HarperTrophy
Watsons go to Birmingham, 1963	Christopher Paul Curtis	Bantam Books
Westing game	Ellen Raskin	Scott Foresman
Whirligig	Paul Fleischman	Laureleaf