1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up discussion

Hello everyone! Again, sorry for the delay in getting the group read set up for the month.

This month, we'll be reading The Sword in the Stone as our chapter book group read. Please consider joining in the discussion! As always, you don't need to read the exact edition shown.

This post will be a placeholder until I get our discussion leader in place. In the meantime, feel free to start reading.

Heather has agreed to lead the discussion for this read, but she won't be able to get her book until later in the month.

In the meantime, please feel free to begin discussing the book, but please no spoilers until Heather has set up a reading/discussion schedule, or gives the all-clear.

Thanks! Happy reading :)

I just found this. The pages are kind of brittle. I don't recall that last time I read it... This printing is almost as old as I am.

Hi everyone,
It looks like I won't be getting the book until the end of next week so I don't want to hold anyone back from starting to discuss it.
Please do start discussing but use the spoiler function if revealing any key plot points. Happy reading!

My book has arrived! Has anyone else got a copy ready to go?

Since there are 24 chapters in the book, and just under three weeks left in January, we will read 8 chapters a week. I'll post some discussion questions on the Monday after each week (if I think of any) but as always feel free to leave your thoughts at anytime. Just to be sure to use the spoiler html if ahead of the reading schedule.

Now to 17th January - Chapters 1-8
18th to 24th January - Chapters 9-16
25th to 31st January - Chapters 17-24

I look forward to the discussions :)

I'm pretty sure my hold has arrived, I'll double check at work tomorrow.

I can probably start reading now...

I can start this one this week, too. Helps me fulfill a goal: to read the first in the series. I wonder if your plan is to read the whole series?

Has anyone started? I've read 7 chapters so far.

I just barely started yesterday. Though I have read it before. For whatever reason I'm (so far) having issues with the writing. Not sure why. I'm also not sure if the two editions I have Sword in the Stone (not sure that's quite the right edition) and The Once and Future King might be different. They shouldn't really be, but...

I'm struggling a bit with the book too, not entirely sure why.
The structure of the story - being more like a collection of short stories rather than one larger narrative - I find is not to my taste. Although there are some parts I have enjoyed - such as the duel between Merlyn and the witch.

I enjoyed this but it was different that I expected. Stodgier, somehow.

Renee wrote: "I enjoyed this but it was different that I expected. Stodgier, somehow."

I'm still having difficulty with it. What I'm reading now is really "odd" in that all of a sudden there is an unexpected shift in perspective (time in this case) that is making it difficult. I'm not sure, as I'm not "getting into it" I'm not sure if some of that is simply that I'm being really critical of it.

Jigme wrote: "Renee wrote: "I enjoyed this but it was different that I expected. Stodgier, somehow."

I'm still having difficulty with it. What I'm reading now is really "odd" in that all of a sudden there is an..."

I'm having trouble with it too. At the moment I am up to Chapter 16 as I just haven't been engaged in the story.

I wonder if it's the structure of the book? Perhaps there is a too much information and description which is out of balance with actual plot to drive the story forward. I've noticed in other children's books written around the same time they can have an episodic feel to it as opposed to an overarching problem/resolution through the whole book.

Heather wrote: "Jigme wrote: "Renee wrote: "I enjoyed this but it was different that I expected. Stodgier, somehow."

I'm still having difficulty with it. What I'm reading now is really "odd" in that all of a sudd..."

I am finding that each chapter "kind of" stands on its own. It is feeling like each bit is a "whole story which is part of the bigger story".

With A.A. Milne even though it really was written as pretty much individual stories, there was still some overarching storyline which goes through each of the books (which I've read).

This is (it seems) going a little closer to the overarching storyline being more prominent, but each chapter is also standing nicely by itself, with very poor linking of each one.