Next Pick: Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

The bookworms have been all kinds of busy this last month, so this post is a bit late. But our next pick is Stargirl! We are meeting one week from today to discuss it (Saturday 11/18). Read it with us! It's a very quick and enjoyable read. And check back for our review. We are expecting a guest-worm this month.

Here's the Amazon review for interested parties: 


Stargirl. From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a burst of color and sound, the hallways hum with the murmur of “Stargirl, Stargirl.” She captures Leo Borlock’s heart with just one smile. She sparks a school-spirit revolution with just one cheer. The students of Mica High are enchanted. At first. 

Then they turn on her. Stargirl is suddenly shunned for everything that makes her different, and Leo, panicked and desperate with love, urges her to become the very thing that can destroy her: normal. In this celebration of nonconformity, Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli weaves a tense, emotional tale about the perils of popularity and the thrill and inspiration of first love.

October's Pick

Want to know what we'll be reading next? Watch Bess's video announcement to find out.

Okay, fine. I'll just tell you in case you're too lazy to watch a 1-minute Youtube video. It's called Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys. Our next meeting is scheduled for October 15th, so go grab your books and get started.  I should also tell you about our exciting news. Joshua Mohr, author of Termite Parade, found our blog and Tweeted us! It pretty much made our nerdy little days. We're Facebook friends with him now...  He's got another book coming out next month that we're likely to add to our list, so check that out too.

And finally, the bookworms have a Facebook page now, so things are getting legit.  "Like" us or "fan" us or whatever. Happy reading.

Before I Fall: Video Discussion

We've videotaped small segments of our book club discussion of Before I Fall. We're still trying to get the hang of doing this on camera, but this is only our second try. Hopefully, we'll improve with time.
**Spoiler Alert!!! We explicitly discuss the ending of the book in the video segments below. Please stop viewing if you haven't finished the novel.
Here's the first segment, our introduction and ratings, on a scale of 1-5 stars:

Second discussion question (Thanks, Tammy).

One word!

Thanks for viewing! And check back soon for Melisa's announcement of the next book.

Next Pick: Before I Fall

Our next book is Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall, due August 13th.  Read along with us! We'd love to have you.

Here's a brief synopsis from Amazon:

In this Groundhog Day meets Mean Girls teen hybrid, Sam Kingston is pretty, popular, and has a seemingly perfect boyfriend. But after a late-night party everything goes terribly wrong, and the life that she lived is gone forever. Or is it?
At the start of Before I Fall, Sam is self-consumed and oblivious about the impact of her actions on others. But as she repeatedly experiences slightly altered versions of the hours leading up to her death—and her relationships with friends, family, and formerly overlooked classmates bloom, end, or shift—it’s impossible not to feel for the girl whose life ends too soon. Oliver’s adept teen dialogue and lively prose make for a fast, page-turning story in which the reader is every bit as emotionally invested as Sam. --Jessica Schein