BOTM for FEBRUARY is The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

[Jennifer]

After a very close vote in which 3 books tied for 2nd place, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind won by one vote! Please note that there are two versions of this book; we will be reading the one for younger readers.

Please leave your comments and discussions here, and remember the code: respect, tolerance, and good vibes. :) Also, if you are going to reveal a plot point, include the information in spoiler tags so as not to spoil it for people who may not have read that far! For those who aren't familiar with them, spoiler tags, instructions on how to include them (among other things) can be found by clicking on the link "(some html is ok)" at the top right of the text box when you are creating a message.

As an additional note, if you enjoy listening to audiobooks and want to add this book to your library permanently, this book is also on sale this month (January) at Audible for only $6.99.

[Shelly]

Good reads comment to post

My book arrived so I started reading. I’m not even a quarter into it and so far, there are two things that I really like about this book, especially for a middle school audience. First, that William’s descriptions of village life compared to life in ‘America’ (like a fast food restaurant) and everywhere (makeshift soccer ball) are brought in a nonjudgmental way that creates space for connection (ie, anyone who read the book would have something to ask or say to a person from Malawi!).
Secondly, I love the gentle introduction of basic STEM terms and questions. I am not going to read a book on how transistor radios work but I’ve already learned a little from
This book about transistors and dead batteries😉 that I didn’t know before. Kids who have looked inside radios can feel this book ‘sees’ them and the tinkerers of the kid world😉. I’d like to hear what middle schoolers think about the book. (Or if it’s only interesting to boomers like me).

[Justine]

This gives a good feel for what life is like. I am blown away by his motivation. Physics concepts are hard to begin with, let alone the language barriers! I found it hard to visualise what he had done and really wanted to get a good picture in my mind. From this point of view, yes, I think middle-schoolers might not appreciate the complexities of the science and construction.

I know it's been made into a movie, and hoped that someone had come up with activity sheets for schools to reproduce what he did. I couldn't find any.

[Beyond the Pages with Eva K]

I read this book alongside my students. We all loved it! We had such rich discussions on ingenuity, determination, and resourcefulness. We even watched the TED talk on William. It's an inspiring story, to be sure.

[Leone]

I think it conveys such a "you can do it" message. I was so impressed I recommended the adult version to my Readers Group. We all need this kind of inspiration.