Great Middle Grade Reads discussion

This thread is for members to SHARE YOUR IDEAS on things that we could set up for the GMGR group.

I'm sure there are some great original ideas out there that could be a hit with other members.

Please leave your suggestions on this thread and I'll let it run for a while, until we have a nice list. Then I thought I could set up a poll of the ideas to see which ones are the most popular.

Thanks for your support everyone.
Cheers

Ok..... to get the ball rolling, here is my suggestion.

What if a teacher asked all of the kids in their class to do a book review? (on either a class favorite or maybe one of our donated books)

We could publish all of the reviews on GMGR and then get members to vote on which review they like the best. Perhaps a prize could be on offer for the winner!

I like that idea. 'Course, I'm not a teacher and my youngest kid is 16, so I couldn't help.

Not sure if this is the kind of thing you're thinking about, but what about a 'pick for me' challenge? Each person who wants to join names one of their 'to-read' shelves from My Books. A moderator puts all the names in a hat to randomly draw a participant's name for the picker, and another for a pickee.

Hard to explain. For example, the results if 6 people, A, B, C, D, E, and F participated might look like this -

A chooses a book for C to read from C's 'read for Mt. TBR challenge shelf'
B chooses a book for D to read from D's 'MG reads' shelf
C chooses a book for B
D chooses for F
E chooses for A
F chooses for E

Hi all ..... just thought I'd bump this thread to generate some ideas.
Suggestions are very welcome.

I think there could be a discussion along the lines of, 'If you had to BE a middle-grade character, which one would you be?'. And maybe a MG VS. YA topic?

Well, we do have a topic for the second, something like, is YA hipper than MG. Unless you mean something more competitive like "join team MG."

But I like the first idea you mention, Raevyn.

I still like the challenge I suggested above, too. It'd be books we planned to read anyway, so no real burden to participate....

What if we choose a "book of the month" to read and discuss?

BTW, I'm back after camping with the bears for two weeks : ). It's great to be able to get online again and catch up on the GMGR conversations!

Welcome back!

The thing with book-of-the-month is that we have to come to agreement. I'm sure most of us are too busy to read something we're not already interested in. But, I'm game to try.

I like the BOTM idea since most of what I read is MG. Please keep me updated if you go this route.

M.G. wrote: "What if we choose a "book of the month" to read and discuss?

BTW, I'm back after camping with the bears for two weeks : ). It's great to be able to get online again and catch up on the GMGR conve..."

Glad to see you made it back from your mountain adventure. BOTM could be good.

I'm not a teacher and am also new to the group so I don't know how practical my suggestion is.
I understand there are many teachers in this group.
We could pick up a book (like for BOTM ) and some members could design a simple quiz based on the book.
Teachers could run the quiz in their class and give simple prizes or stars.

I love that idea!!! Even if someone isn't a teacher, I think they could use the quiz on siblings, classmates, etc...

I'm not currently a teacher, but I love the idea of coming up with the questions. I can vicariously imagine having a class...

Who will set the ball rolling?

My suggestions:
Step 1: Book selection
Step 2: Decide a date by which quiz questions should be in.
Step 3: Teachers could suggest what type of tests / questions get more involvement from children.
step 4: Question preparation.
Step 5: Let the fun begun!

Gita wrote: "Who will set the ball rolling?

My suggestions:
Step 1: Book selection
Step 2: Decide a date by which quiz questions should be in.
Step 3: Teachers could suggest what type of tests / questions get ..."

Hi Gita,
I'm keeping an eye on the thread to gauge reactions to suggestions as they are posted. M.G. and I have been discussing the BOTM idea and are thinking through some ideas - we'll post something soon for member feedback.
Please keep ideas flowing and any comments by others on those ideas would be useful. Also, if anyone has a strong interest in a particular idea, then please message either myself or M.G. and we can keep you in mind if the idea ramps up into reality.

There's a lot to be said for a group read, even if only a couple of people participate (I am in so many groups with group reads that there is no way I will be doing them all--but I do sometimes get good ideas from them!). Might be especially good if we took a look at and discussed some of the more controversial MG books.

I agree! Stay tuned, we have some plans in the works!

I would like to make a few suggestions, if I may.

1. It would be awesome if we could display the book that we are currently reading on the main page of the group, in the "Currently Reading" section.

2. It would also be nice if we could see all previous BOTM reads on the group bookshelf with the "start" and "end" dates, so that the members know what was read when.

3. Please set the "Group Rules" pop up to expire after a member's first post. It is quite distracting and honestly irritating to see everytime we go to write a post.

I like the one mentioned above. Though I read some pretty unusual obscure books at times. (I love love some out of print books.)

Nyssa wrote: "I would like to make a few suggestions, if I may.

1. It would be awesome if we could display the book that we are currently reading on the main page of the group, in the "Currently Reading" sectio..."

Thanks so much for your suggestions! Great, all. Being the highly techie (NOT) person, it took me a few minutes to figure out how to use the bookshelf -- yes, yes, I should know these things with my moderator superpowers. . . still learning : )

I thought I would keep the BOTM simple. All discussions are active until archived and can easily found in the BOTM folder.

Will be putting some thought into the "Group Rules" comment. . . as moderators one of the hardest things we have to do is to remind people to follow the rules, especially the one requesting that authors not use the threads for self-promotion. It is SO. VERY. AWKWARD. EVERY. TIME. (We're not confrontational people, we like to keep things happy). And although most people "get it" (who wants their discussion group to read like a series of highway billboard advertisements?) there are a few who still don't. So that's the reason for the reminder.

M.G. wrote: "Will be putting some thought into the "Group Rules" comment. . . as moderators one of the hardest things we have to do is to remind people to follow the rules, especially the one requesting that authors not use the threads for self-promotion. It is SO. VERY. AWKWARD. EVERY. TIME. (We're not confrontational people, we like to keep things happy). And although most people "get it" (who wants their discussion group to read like a series of highway billboard advertisements?) there are a few who still don't. So that's the reason for the reminder. "

Ah. Thats understandable....

I'd love to have a section for promotions in general, not just authors. I own a bookstore, and I'm always posting events on Goodreads, so it would be nice if I could post some of the ones for kids in here- I have a writing group for kids coming up in two days that I'm looking to promote.

Hi Melissa,

It's always been my dream to own a bookstore! Yours sounds like a whole lot of fun.

I think GoodReads might have a great way for you to promote your bookstore, but I'm not sure that promoting your local store here on the GMGR discussion threads will help you much.

My own town has a local book club that gets together in a physical location occasionally, and then meets up in their dedicated GoodReads group between times. I think it works great for them, and that kind of model might help promote your bookstore. Why don't you start your own group and invite your customers to join?

GMGR was started by Australians and has a membership that spans the globe, so I doubt that advertising your store here would be an effective use of your time.

Our core purpose is to provide a place for parents, librarians, teachers, students and readers to find and discuss middle grade children's books. Thanks for understanding.

Good luck with your bookstore, and if I ever find myself traveling through your town, I'd love to come visit!

Okay, thanks.

Would we want to have a thread that lists book-related events, such as Children's Book Week, Multicultural Children's Literature Day, etc? It would be nice to have a "tickler" about upcoming events.

J.J. wrote: "Would we want to have a thread that lists book-related events, such as Children's Book Week, Multicultural Children's Literature Day, etc? It would be nice to have a "tickler" about upcoming events."

Love this idea!

J.J. wrote: "Would we want to have a thread that lists book-related events, such as Children's Book Week, Multicultural Children's Literature Day, etc? It would be nice to have a "tickler" about upcoming events."

This would be a great help! These affairs always creep up on me unawares!

Idk if you still look at this but I was thinking you could have a genre board. Then put topics that are different genres (historical, fantasy, biography, etc.) that we can comment middle grade books in. Like recommendations but sorted by genre so if we're looking for a certain genre, we can easily find it.

Ellie wrote: "Idk if you still look at this but I was thinking you could have a genre board. Then put topics that are different genres (historical, fantasy, biography, etc.) that we can comment middle grade book..."

Thanks, Ellie,
We have had genre lists in the past, but subject areas do evolve over time. I'm more than happy to keep this in mind for next time I sift through our threads to archive the ones that are inactive, and perhaps create some gemre areas. Thanks for putting your suggestion forward.

I have a vague memory of a list of indie books that we were looking at for book of the month a while back but I can't seem to find it. Does this group have a list? I apologize if this is the wrong place to ask this question--I'm still really bad at Goodreads.
Thanks very much!
Laurel

Laurel wrote: "I have a vague memory of a list of indie books that we were looking at for book of the month a while back but I can't seem to find it. Does this group have a list? I apologize if this is the wrong ..."

I don't think you're bad at Goodreads :) Sometimes there are just too many possibilities and most of us are amateurs at filing ;)

We listed some indie books in the What Shall We Read For April (2016) list, which should still be under the BOTM heading. I don't think I've archived it yet, but there is an Archive-BOTM thread (which seems to list them in the order I archived them, which means it's kinda upside down at present) https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... (there's a single list near the end, or you could look in the Poll for April i.e. which closed March 31st 2016)

There was also once a list we made of books authors would offer in our original read for review idea. That is definitely in the archive for reviews. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Would this group be the right place for a thread about books written for an adult audience but told (either entirely or substantially) from the perspective of middle-grade aged kids? As an example, I'm currently reading New Boy by Tracy Chevalier which is a 'modern' (1970s) re-telling of the Othello story, transported to a fifth-grade classroom and playground. Here's a bit of the blurb:

'Watching over the shoulders of four 11-year olds - Osei, Dee, Ian and his reluctant girlfriend Mimi - Tracy Chevalier's powerful drama of friends torn apart by jealousy, bullying, and betrayal will leave you reeling'

Of course, there are also books like Stephen King's It of which half (give or take) is told from the point of view of MG age kids, and his utterly wonderful The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon about a 9 year old girl lost in the woods and told almost exclusively from her POV (we get a very small insight into what's going on with her parents and older brother, but the story is otherwise all the girl's).

I'd be interested to learn what others here think about adult books with MG age protagonists. Do they get into kids heads as accurately as MG books? Could an MG age kid read them?
and so on.

Well, no, this group is for Middle Grade reads, not books about middle graders for adults. I’m sure you’ll find a group on Goodreads for adult books with child protagonists. If not you could start a new group.

PeekingLlama - Laura wrote: "I feel that we are choosing our monthly read a month to late. As it is now i will not find out what book to read for November until the 31st of October, which gives me no time to get the book. As i..."

Hmm. This may have some validity. I know I can usually get the books in under a week (because we try to avoid new books, which often have waiting lists), but not everyone has access to as large a library collection.

As a compromise, we could try to do it a couple of weeks sooner, so that we vote in the first half of October for the November read, etc.

And finally, if you do get the book late, remember that the discussion stays live for 6 months, and comments can be added even after it is archived (thus reviving the discussion).

I'd like to suggest a new reading challenge for next year. While I am already setting up piles for the 2018 A-Z Challenge, I notice several MG series on my shelf awaiting my attention. Why not do a series challenge? It could be as simple as inviting people to claim a series ("I want to read all seven books in the Septimus Heap series this year" or "I will finish the Jinx trilogy!") then update their comment to add book covers as they complete each story in the set. Like so...

Finished 3 of 7


The added incentive may help me conquer a few sets in 2018!

CJ

I’m in!

This is a great idea! For anyone looking for a series to read, I highly recommend The Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan . I flew throught the whole series; I couldn't put them down!
I think I will try The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart , or Warriors by Erin Hunter in 2018. Does anyone know, is one better than the other?

Okay, don't start a thread on series here, please - this one is for ideas!

It's a great idea, C.J. I have some series awaiting attention. I know that someone in the blogging world also has this as a challenge, but we can do it here too, no problem.

This is the link to the bloggers 2018 Finishing the Series Challenge: http://celebrityreaders.com/2018-fini...

One of the ways they suggest taking part is to make a 'series' shelf in your reading lists, and that would obviously work here too.

I'll set up a Reading Challenge thread topic for you to sign in and commit to one of more MG series.

Again - please don't add your series here (I'll delete it).

I've been ranging around various Goodreads groups, choosing reading challenges for 2018. (While I do most of my reading in the MG section, I occasionally ease up into YA territory.) One challenge that crops up regularly would be a really good fit here. How about introducing a rainbow challenge? Instead of sorting by title, author, series, or topic, we would choose a book based almost entirely on the cover art. Seven in all—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. (Or more should we throw in pink, black, white, etc.) If we use the cover art in our comments on the challenge, the resulting thread would be quite pretty!

I like this idea!

There are a huge number of reading challenges on the internet - I did one called the colour coded challenge last year. You can find long lists at them at places like the Reading Challenge Addict. http://readingchallengeaddict.blogspo...

I think this year we should stick to just one new one (the series challenge), and see how that goes.

A number of challenges use Goodreads Groups to keep everyone informed of their progress.

S.W. wrote: "This thread is for members to SHARE YOUR IDEAS on things that we could set up for the GMGR group.

I'm sure there are some great original ideas out there that could be a hit with other members.

Pl..."

I think I have an idea. What about once a month we all join up and try to create a character together. We all try to find a name, an origin, and maybe abilities, and just have fun making a character. Just an idea.

MartinInAMask wrote: I think I have an idea. What about once a month we all join up and try to create a character together. We all try to find a name, an origin, and maybe abilities, and just have fun making a character. Just an idea..."

That sounds like fun!

I like the giveaway/promotion folder idea that we have going on already.

MartinInAMask wrote: "S.W. wrote: "This thread is for members to SHARE YOUR IDEAS on things that we could set up for the GMGR group.

I'm sure there are some great original ideas out there that could be a hit with other..."

I love it! follow up idea: we split into two teams. One(the protagonist team?) creates a character, just as you described. The other(antagonist or anti-hero team?) creates a nemesis or monster(not necessarily a villain) for the character. Maybe we could do it in two discussions, blindly, so each team has no idea what their character/creature has to combat?

Maybe we have readathons:D

Patricia wrote: "Maybe we have readathons:D"

👍🏻

Patricia wrote: "Maybe we have readathons:D"

A read-a-thon might be a bit much to coordinate (I don't know if any of the other moderators have time available to organize one). But if it's a reading challenge you're interested in, may I recommend a bingo? Among other activities, Middle Grade Carousel has a book bingo (https://elymnifoquent.com). During the summer, there is usually a new card each month, while during the other months, there is a new card every two months.
As an example, the card I'm currently working on for January and February is: