Book Discussion Kits for Children and Teens

Want to form a book discussion group for kids or teens?  Check out Madison Public Library's new Book Discussion Kits for Children and Teens.  Each kit contains 5-10 copies of the book, summary and discussion questions and a brief author biography. 

To reserve a kit call 266-6300 and arrange to pick up the kit at any Madison Public Library or South Central Library location. The kits will be checked out on the library card of the person picking them up. The person checking out the kit may choose a due date for the kit, up to 3 months from the day they pick it up.

Grades 4-5 | Grades 6-9

Grades 4-5

Avi. Crispin: The Cross of Lead.
The boy has always been called "Asta's son." After his mother's death, he learns from the local priest that his real name is Crispin. Then the priest is murdered and Crispin is blamed. On the run, Crispin searches through 14-century England to find out who he is. Book Discussion Questions from MPL.

Balliett, Blue. Chasing Vermeer.
When sixth graders Petra and Calder hear about a stolen Vermeer painting, their love of art spurs them to solve the mystery as they follow the clues left by the thief and make connections to strange events around them. Book Discussion Questions from MPL.

Bauer, Joan. Stand Tall.
Twelve-year-old Tree deals with his parents’ divorce, his non-athletic ability, and the fact that he’s 6 foot 3, with the help of his Vietnam vet grandfather and a new friend named Sophie. Book Discussion Questions from MPL.

Choldenko, Gennifer. Al Capone Does My Shirts.
When Moose Flanagan’s father gets a job in the prison on Alcatraz Island, he and his family move there. Moose learns to come to terms with his new, unusual surroundings while living with his autistic sister. Book Discussion Questions from MPL.

Cleary, Beverly. Ramona the Pest.
Hilarity and trouble follow Ramona as she experiences her first days of kindergarten where she meets new people and becomes a memorable new student for her teacher. Book Discussion Questions from MPL.

Creech, Sharon. Love That Dog.
Jack doesn't want to write poetry. Then his teacher shares famous poems by William Carlos Williams, Robert Frost and Walter Dean Myers, and Jack discovers his own writing voice. Book Discussion Questions from MPL.

Curtis, Christopher. Bud, Not Buddy.
Living in Flint, Michigan during the Great Depression, ten-year-old Bud leaves his foster home to find who he thinks is his father in Grand Rapids, finding a lot adventure along the way. Book Discussion Questions from MPL.

Divakaruni, Chitra Banerjee. The Conch Bearer.
In this fantasy full of mysticism and moral dilemmas, set in modern-day India, Anand meets Abadhyatta, a member of the Brotherhood of Healers, who asks Anand to return a magicial conch shell to its rightful home hundreds of miles away. Book Discussion Guide from Simon & Schuster.

DuPrau, Jeanne. The City of Ember.
Twelve-year-olds Lina and Doon use their new job assignments to puzzle out the truth of the underground world in which they live, and discover the possibility of another world on the outside. Book Discussion Questions from MPL.

Gaiman, Neil. Coraline.
When Coraline explores her new apartment, she unlocks a door that leads to a different world. At first familiar, Coraline quickly learns that evil lurks there. Book Discussion Questions from Multinomah Co. OR.

Hesse, Karen. The Music of Dolphins.
A "wild child," Mila has been raised by dolphins since the age of four. Now a teenager, she is rescued and turned over to scientists determined to teach her how to speak. Book Discussion Questions from Multinomah Co. OR.

Lawson, Robert. Rabbit Hill.
When new Folks move into the Big House, the surrounding animals wonder who they are and hope for a new garden.

Morris, Gerald. The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf.
Lady Lynet, boldly setting out for King Arthur’s court with the intention of finding a suitor for her sister, meets some humorous characters and many unexpected turns throughout her quest.

Reiche, Dietlof. I, Freddy.
Smarter than your average hamster, Freddy not only engineers his adoption in hopes of having a more civilized life outside the pet store, but he also teaches himself to read, write, and use a computer.

Rowling, J.K.. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
The Harry Potter saga continues with Harry delving deeper into the childhood of Voldemort with the help of Dumbledore and the appearance of a mysterious Potions textbook with all the right answers.

Ryan, Pam Munoz. Becoming Naomi Leon.
After Naomi’s unstable mother arrives back in her life after seven years, her grandmother takes Naomi and her brother to Mexico to search for their father, which leads Naomi to find out who she really is.

Swanson, Diane. Tunnels!
This collection of ten true stories about tunnels, including bank robberies, hostage rescues, and King Tut’s tomb, offers history, excitement, and suspense.

Yee, Lisa. Millicent Min, Girl Genius.
Eleven-year-old genius, Millicent Min, shares her troubles and successes through her journal entries as she joins the volleyball team, tutors her rival, and becomes friends with Emily. Book Discussion Questions from Multinomah Co. OR.

Grades 6-9

Bauer, Joan. Rules of the Road.
Through her job as a driver for an elderly shoe store president, sixteen-year-old Jenna discovers new skills as a salesperson and faces her family issues, such as an alcoholic father.

Bruchac, Joseph. Skeleton Man.
Molly comes home from school one day to find that her parents have disappeared without a trace. Molly must rely on herself and the wisdom of her Mohawk ancestors to save herself and her parents. Book Discussion Questions from MPL.

Crutcher, Chris. Ironman.
After teenage triathlete Bo insults a teacher, he is forced to take anger-management classes where he meets interesting characters and addresses his relationship with his father.

Farmer, Nancy. The House of the Scorpion.
When Matteo Alacran learns that he is the clone of El Patron, the lord of a country called Opium, he is sure El Patron is educating him to take his place as leader, but El Patron has other, more sinister plans for Matt. Book Discussion Questions from Multinomah Co. OR.

Fleischman, John. Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science.
Using the premise of railroad worker Phineas Gage’s amazing head injury, history, science, and the brain are all informatively discussed. Book Discussion Questions from William Allen White.

Hoobler, Dorothy & Thomas. The Demon in the Teahouse.
In 18th-century Japan, fourteen-year-old Seikei’s adoptive father places him in a teahouse to investigate the connection between murder, arson, and a geisha.

Jimenez, Francisco. Breaking Through.
Continuing his story from The Circuit, fourteen-year-old Jiménez attempts to further his education while facing poverty and prejudice, and working to help his family in the 1950’s.

Jimenez, Francisco. The Circuit.
Francisco Jimenez uses stories from his own childhood to portray the life of a migrant child who must alternately hide from truant officers and immigration officials.Book Discussion Guide from Scholastic.

Johnson, Angela. The First Part Last.
Sixteen year old Bobby's carefree teenage life changes forever when he discovers his girlfriend, Nia, is pregnant and he is going to be a father. An unusually realistic look at teen fatherhood.

Johnson, Scott. Safe at Second.
Best friends, Paulie and Todd must come to terms with a new future when an eye injury ends Todd’s hopeful career as a major league baseball pitcher.

Kindl, Patrice. Owl in Love.
Fourteen-year-old Owl is a shape-shifting “wereowl” whose life becomes more complex when she develops a crush on her science teacher.

Konigsburg, E.L. The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place.
After being rescued from summer camp by her favorite uncles, Margaret Rose learns that the town plans to tear down the towers they've been creating for over 40 years. Book Discussion Questions from Mutlinomah Co. OR.

Konigsburg, E.L. Silent to the Bone.
When Branwell finds his baby sister, Nikki, unconscious and calls 911, he is unable to speak. Bran is unustly accused of injuring Nikki, and Connor, Bran's best friend, must find a way to communicate with him to discover what really happened the day Nikki was hurt.

Lawrence, Iain. The Wreckers.
Shipwrecked on the coast of a town full of looters and murderers, fourteen-year-old John tries to save himself and his father from the evil around them.

Mazer, Norma. Girlhearts.
When Sarabeth’s mother dies suddenly, she is left lost, orphaned, and facing an enormous number of unknowns such as where to live and whether to contact family she’s never met.

McKinley, Robin. Spindle's End.
To save the infant princess Briar Rose from the curse of a fairy, another fairy takes her away to a distant village where she lives without knowledge of her real identity.

Na, An. A Step From Heaven.
When she is four, Young Ju's family leaves their small fishing village in Korea for a new life in America. Once in America, Young Ju's family battles economic hardships and worse. Finally, Young Ju, aided by the strength of her mother, heads for college.

Naidoo, Beverly. The Other Side of Truth.
When their mother is murdered, their father decides to smuggle twelve year old Sade and her brother Femi out of Nigeria to London. When they get to the city, they are abandoned with no one to trust and no idea when-or if-they will ever see their father again.

Namioka, Lensey. Ties that Bind, Ties that Break.
Born into the Tao family at a time of great change in China, the rebelious Ailin refuses to have her feet bound. She seems doomed to a life of servitude and "low standing" until at fourteen she becomes a governess and embarks on a new life.

Oppel, Kenneth. Airborne.
Matt, a cabin boy aboard an airship, and Kate, a wealthy girl traveling with her chaperone, team up to prove the existence of fantastic winged creatures sited by Katie's late Grandfather. A fast-paced fantasy adventure.

Paolini, Christopher. Eragon.
The day Eragon discovers the saphire-blue dragon's egg, he takes his first unwitting steps towards becoming a dragon rider and changing the course of history in his embattled land, Alagaesia.

Park, Linda Sue. When My Name Was Keoko.
Ten year old Sun-hee and her brother Tae-yul tell a story of life in Korea during the Japanese occupation of the 1940's when Koreans were forced to give up their customs. Difficult conditions worsen with the impact of World War II.

Paulsen, Gary. My Life in Dog Years.
Paulsen tells the stories of the many dogs that have touched his life and even saved his life, while revealing tidbits from his own childhood and past. Book Discussion Questions from Enotes.

Pfeffer, Susan. The Year Without Michael.
When sixteen-year-old Jody’s younger brother disappears, she and the rest of her family struggle with the emotional upheaval and frustration of not having answers.

Pratchett, Terry. The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents.
Maurice, the cat, is ringleader for a gang of talking rats and a kid who work together to pull off a Pied Piper scam, until they try to con the wrong town.

Pratchett, Terry. A Hat Full of Sky.
When Tiffany begins her apprenticeship in magic she is pursued, then taken over by a soul-stealing hiver, an entity which has killed each of it's hosts up to now. And so the Nac MacFeegle, A.K.A. the Wee Free Men, set out to save her.

Pullman, Philip. Ruby in the Smoke.
In this Victorian mystery, sixteen year old Sally Lockhart's father has been murdered, leaving her in imminent danger until she can solve the mystery of his death.

Reeve, Philip. Mortal Engines.
In a future where cities roll on wheels looking for other cities to “consume” in order to survive, Tom is pushed out of the City of London and must learn to survive in the out-country.

Rowling, J.K.. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
The Harry Potter saga continues with Harry delving deeper into the childhood of Voldemort with the help of Dumbledore and the appearance of a mysterious Potions textbook with all the right answers.

Skurzynski, Gloria. Virtual War.
Along with two other genetically engineered teenagers, Corgan must fight a virtual war to save the Western Hemisphere, but he’s beginning to question that which he’s always been taught.

Sleator, William. Interstellar Pig.
Barney’s vacation at his family’s summer home gets a little too exciting when his three neighbors introduce him to a new addictive game called Interstellar Pig.

Velde, Vivian Vande. Heir Apparent.
While playing a total immersion virtual reality game of kings and intrigue, Giannine learns that protesters have damaged the equipment to which she is connected, and she must win the game quickly or else.

Westerfeld, Scott. Uglies.
Tally should be getting the mandatory operation that will turn her Pretty, then her best friend, Shay, runs away and Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world -- and it isn't very pretty.

Whelan, Gloria. Homeless Bird.
Thirteen year old Koly must leave her struggling family to marry a man she has never met. Once married, she learns that her husband, Hari, is terminally ill. With Hari's doomed fate, Koly has to learn how to survive on her own within the limits of India's society. Book Discussion Guide from Harper Children.

Wolff, Virginia Euwer. Make Lemonade.
Fourteen year old LaVaughn takes the babysitting job to earn money for college. The problem is that Jolly, a seventeen year old single mom who has trouble keeping a job herself, is LaVaughn's boss.

Wolff, Virginia. True Believer.
LaVaughn learns to navigate through changing friendships, first love, and school challenges and triumphs in this sequel to Make Lemonade.

Book Discussion kits are also available for adult titles.