Middle Grade Madness! discussion
August MG Reading Challenge 2022
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Team Mary Poppins
I'm having the hardest time finding a book for task #93, a book with a barbecue scene. Reminder that I'm filling in placeholders on our doc and requesting library books, but please feel free to delete and replace with books you are reading or want to read!!!
My kids are still on summer break, so we've been having a lot of downtime lately. I work part-time and also fill in at other branches of our library system, but have been taking less slots lately because of summer. So my reading has kicked up a notch lately! I know our team is behind, but I really feel we can still catch up and win!!!
I'll see if I can find anything for 93.I'm prioritizing category 10, so if there's another spot you want, it's fine to erase what I put in there. I'm attending a writing conference all weekend, which is going to cut into my reading time, but I should be going faster after that.
Audrey wrote: "I'll see if I can find anything for 93.I'm prioritizing category 10, so if there's another spot you want, it's fine to erase what I put in there. I'm attending a writing conference all weekend, w..."
Have a great conference!
Audrey wrote: "I'll see if I can find anything for 93.I'm prioritizing category 10, so if there's another spot you want, it's fine to erase what I put in there. I'm attending a writing conference all weekend, w..."
which writing conference. I'm at debbyputman@msn.com
for #93 -Zetta Elliott wrote the Dragons in a Bag series and the second book has the building that 'Blue' is in burns down. The Dragon Thief. Note: It's a fun series to read. 170 pages
Checking in with everyone, I saw on the spreadsheet so many more books started! I'm currently trying to finish one here soon and start on a couple more! We currently droped down to fourth but we can catch up!
Have fun reading ya'll!
Aeriell wrote: "Checking in with everyone, I saw on the spreadsheet so many more books started! I'm currently trying to finish one here soon and start on a couple more! We currently droped down to fourth but we c..."
Almost done with #27 Secrets of Winterhouse at 370 pages, the next two are shorter so should go quickly. 'Find the fun and 'Snap'
Doing well here!! I'm almost done with Aru Shah and the Song of Death. It is SO good. It makes me want to read all of Rick Riordan's imprint books. (I'm going to read The Storm Runner for the firepower task!) Aru Shah is for task #4, a group member's book recommendation. It's Jos's book rec; speaking of, any word from Jos? I'm also reading Dragon Ops for task #1. I'm so glad you read a Mari Mancusi book, Aeriell, because I'm enjoying this one a lot!!
I also have the e-book going for We Dream of Space. I'm sneaking it in at work when I have the time ;)
I think once we start finishing a lot of these books, we're going to catch up. I'm madly reading!!! And also loving all the books I'm reading. Hope the same for you guys!
Debby wrote: "Aeriell wrote: "Checking in with everyone, I saw on the spreadsheet so many more books started! I'm currently trying to finish one here soon and start on a couple more! We currently droped down to..."
I loved the first Winterhouse book. Such a great setting!
Hey Kelly, for task number 10 you have a book there, are you planning on starting that book soon? If not I am about to start a book that fits another readathon and it has a MC who is blind.I think I found a book where a charater dies but it's like they die in one world and reborn in another...you think that would work?
Aeriell wrote: "Hey Kelly, for task number 10 you have a book there, are you planning on starting that book soon? If not I am about to start a book that fits another readathon and it has a MC who is blind.I thi..."
I wasn't starting it soon, so go for it!! Next I'm going to finish up category 4.
I think that would work. The task only says the character has to die but doesn't say they have to stay dead lol.
Finished Dragon Ops just now. Grateful to have been introduced to an author I'll definitely read more of!
Mod
The bonus tasks have now been added to your spreadsheet!🎉
How the points work:
- The first 5 bonus tasks are worth 3 points each. If all 5 are completed there’s an extra 10 points.
- The second 7 bonus tasks are worth 5 points each. If all 7 are completed there’s an extra 15 points.
- Page points apply.
- There are no extra points if one or two people complete the first 5 or second 7 tasks alone (like there is for other categories).
Remember: only books started on or after 15th August (your time) can be counted towards the bonus tasks!
I was at #Quills2022. Back to reading!
Audrey wrote: "I was at #Quills2022. Back to reading!"How was it?
Alright guys, now that the bonus tasks are up, I'm going to try to tackle some of them with audiobooks on my work commute and daily walks. I started Walk Two Moons today, and it's only a 3 hour read so I should get that done quickly. I'm going to look into which other books I have already listed as well that I can get on Libby to listen to and get a lot of them checked off!
Kelly wrote: "Audrey wrote: "I was at #Quills2022. Back to reading!"How was it?"
Very nice, though exhausting.
I typed a few suggestions in the spreadsheet, but that's all they are at this point.
Is the B&N Exclusive books the same as Collectible?
Audrey wrote: "Is the B&N Exclusive books the same as Collectible?"Collectible as like the classics in the fancy bound up? I wouldn't call that Barnes and Noble Exclusives, since Barnes and Noble ones are specifically labeled. You can genrally look up a book title and special editions it has come in.
Hi guys! I put in a lot of entries for the bonus tasks. Unless I've put that I've started it, please feel free to delete and put your own! That still goes for the other categories as well.
Kelly wrote: "Hi guys! I put in a lot of entries for the bonus tasks. Unless I've put that I've started it, please feel free to delete and put your own! That still goes for the other categories as well."Same here. Good ideas there!
What was the difference between main character and protagonist again?
Audrey wrote: "What was the difference between main character and protagonist again?"From Master Class.com:
"The main character (sometimes called “principal character”) and the protagonist are both two central characters, but the protagonist drives the plot forward while the main character is impacted by the plot.
3 Ways a Separate Main Character and Protagonist Move Your Plot
There are several reasons to separate the main character and protagonist in your story.
1. Unrelatable Protagonist: If the audience is not able to relate to the protagonist, the main character can be a more relatable entry-point to the story. In Tim Burton’s adaption of Charlie and the Chocolate factory, Willy Wonka is the protagonist and drives the plot, but he is also misanthropic and too kooky to be relatable for the audience. Charlie, the main character, acts as the audience surrogate.
2. Point of View. A main character can act as a plot device to reveal greater truths about your protagonist. In The Great Gatsby, for example, we are able to see the protagonist, Jay Gatsby, as a flawed and dishonest man more clearly through the eyes of the main character, Nick Carraway.
3. Added irony. A separate main character creates irony or a juxtaposition. Atticus—an adult lawyer—is the protagonist of To Kill a Mockingbird, a story about a rape trial with grown-up themes. The story, however, is told through the eyes of the main character, Scout, Atticus’s young daughter. Scout’s innocence reveals the flawed moral values of society and the adults around her.
Is the Narrator the Main Character or the Protagonist?
A narrator is a character who tells the story, in their own voice. The narrator does not have to meet any of the qualifications to be either a protagonist or the main character, and a film does not have to include a narrator. In The Princess Bride, the grandfather mainly acts as the narrator and is used as a framing device to tell the story of a poor farmhand to his reluctant grandson.
But the narrator can be the main character, as in the Great Gatsby example. Nick Carraway is the main character and the narrator, but he is not the protagonist."
Audrey wrote: "What was the difference between main character and protagonist again?"But then most other places I research, it says that the protagonist is "the main character that..." so it's not always quite clear!!
According to Scribophile.com, the protagonist is the main character of the story... ???
Audrey wrote: "Kelly wrote: "Hi guys! I put in a lot of entries for the bonus tasks. Unless I've put that I've started it, please feel free to delete and put your own! That still goes for the other categories as ..."Finished book 5 in my catergory #21-26! another 10 pts. (I went back and checked AR for page count and corrected each of them to be accurate. ) On to what's next.
What would help us the most for me to read now?
I think protagonist is the one driving the story. I'm trying to see if one of my ghost stories will fit that one category. So the ghost could be the protagonist even if they're not the main character. I think?
Debby wrote: "Audrey wrote: "Kelly wrote: "Hi guys! I put in a lot of entries for the bonus tasks. Unless I've put that I've started it, please feel free to delete and put your own! That still goes for the other..."Maybe assist with categories 5 and 13? I can get these started.
Should we go off the AR list for the official page count? Different editions may have different page counts.
For #23, I have a book where they start in one country and visit two others for the first time. The starting country is one they arrived in in a previous book, also for the first time. Would that count?
Audrey wrote: "For #23, I have a book where they start in one country and visit two others for the first time. The starting country is one they arrived in in a previous book, also for the first time. Would that c..."That I'll ask Kadi about and see what she says as that would make sense but don't know if it has to be in the same book like that. I'll let you know with an update!
Audrey wrote: "I think protagonist is the one driving the story. I'm trying to see if one of my ghost stories will fit that one category. So the ghost could be the protagonist even if they're not the main charact..."I think that makes sense, Audrey!
Looks like we're battling it out with two other teams right now for third place!! I think we can even pull off second place, beating Team Wolf who has 192 points. Depends on what the other teams pull off between now and the 31st! Let's keep plugging away ladies!
Debby wrote: "Audrey wrote: "Kelly wrote: "Hi guys! I put in a lot of entries for the bonus tasks. Unless I've put that I've started it, please feel free to delete and put your own! That still goes for the other..."Awesome, Debby!!!
I have all the books I need for categories 12 and 19. My kids go back to school next Monday and I purposely didn't take many shifts at work so I could soak up some quiet time at home. I feel very blessed to be able to do that (my base hours at my branch are 16 a week, anything beyond that is up to me). So I hope to use much of that time to read and finish those categories as well as the bonus task books I've entered in. In September though, I'll be working a lot more. :-)
Kelly wrote: "Looks like we're battling it out with two other teams right now for third place!! I think we can even pull off second place, beating Team Wolf who has 192 points. Depends on what the other teams pu..."Can Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett
count for BT4 It is about Letters, receiving and writing and about codes like pentominos ?
Debby wrote: "Kelly wrote: "Looks like we're battling it out with two other teams right now for third place!! I think we can even pull off second place, beating Team Wolf who has 192 points. Depends on what the ..."If it's told entirely through letters I think it would count?
I have Wonderstruck down for that, but definitely don't mind if you want the task.
Chasing Vermeer :it is letters, paintings, codes so maybe not exactly... but it will fit in #69 or #11
Dear Mr. Henshaw would count as both told in letters and having no friends. I read it as a young teen.My kids started school yesterday (Thursday). This means more audiobook time.
Audrey wrote: "Dear Mr. Henshaw would count as both told in letters and having no friends. I read it as a young teen.My kids started school yesterday (Thursday). This means more audiobook time."
Aeriell, and Kelly, If I read King of the Wind, It's opening takes place in Canada for BT1 that would free you and Kelly up to finish the 2nd block of BTs with two people. King of the Wind also fits #69, 85. or 89
The Runaway King would also fit for unreliable narrator.
Hey Audrey your book for #23 counts! I’m not at my laptop so can’t make a reply and currently can’t see the sheet(out of town till Sunday) I hope this helps!
I’m currently making my way through Randoms by David Liss so should have that one done soon!
Aeriell wrote: "Hey Audrey your book for #23 counts! I’m not at my laptop so can’t make a reply and currently can’t see the sheet(out of town till Sunday) I hope this helps!
I’m currently making my way through R..."
Okay! I've read this series several times and can get through one of the books in two days.
I might be able to move my #58 book to #65, if it would mean extra points for Kelly to fill the whole category. I have to read more of it to know for sure.
I also started re-reading The False Prince series this year and #3 is up next, which should fit a couple categories, but I don't know if I'll have time for that.
I finished the book I started for a horror novel, but it wasn't that horror-y despite the haunted house, so I moved it to another category.
Audrey wrote: "I finished the book I started for a horror novel, but it wasn't that horror-y despite the haunted house, so I moved it to another category."I'll find a horror book! Thanks, Audrey.
Debby wrote: "Audrey wrote: "Dear Mr. Henshaw would count as both told in letters and having no friends. I read it as a young teen.My kids started school yesterday (Thursday). This means more aud..."
I thought we didn't get bonus points if one or two people finish the BT categories? I could be wrong!!
I'm currently madly reading Magnus Chase for BT #11. It's a chunker, but I have the audio going whenever I'm in my car too, lol. Finishing it tomorrow is the goal.@Debby, I can take my book for BT #2 off. Did you want to tackle BT #4 then as well?
I have quite a few listed on the spreadsheet and I hope to finish as many of them as possible, especially the ones that finish categories. Category #9 and #12 I totally got them, but #19 is more of a long shot. I'll try to get to them!!
The bonus categories have no extra points if just one or two finish them, so we don't have to try to have just one person do a whole category there.
I'm kind of bouncing between category 5 and category 13. Any opinions on what to prioritize?
Audrey wrote: "I'm kind of bouncing between category 5 and category 13. Any opinions on what to prioritize?"Audrey, I would probably say category 13, since it's only you there so far. That way we get the bonus points?
Middle Grade Madness!
Books mentioned in this topic
Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer (other topics)The Forgotten Girl (other topics)
Dear Mr. Henshaw (other topics)
Dear Mr. Henshaw (other topics)
Dear Mr. Henshaw (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Eoin Colfer (other topics)Elizabeth C. Bunce (other topics)
E.B. White (other topics)
Tyler Whitesides (other topics)
Roshani Chokshi (other topics)
The Mister Monday (etc.) books have a protagonist named Arthur. Can that tie in to King Arthur?
Do you know what counts as how many pages ..."
That's what I ws thinking/ what I was going to do with a book I have where the guy named Arthur. You can take it if read that book before me.
I've been going on off for pages where the numbering ends of the book, since normally the numbering tops before the afterwords, acknowldegements and author's notes.