Summer Read-Along

[Prof. Sky Alton]

Welcome to the Book Club’s Summer read-along!

We’ll be reading two books together, one in July and one in August. We’ve opted for short ones that should be easy to slot into your summer schedule. You can respond whenever you like during the summer, so it doesn’t matter if it takes a while to find a copy of the book or you find you don’t have a lot of time for reading - just join in when you can.

Books
July: The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy (first published in 1974)
August: Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (first published in 1997)

For each book, we’ll post discussion threads where you can discuss each chapter once you finish it. These will include some fun suggestions to help you structure your thoughts (including some creative prompts if you’re in more of an inventive mood) - you can do as many or as few of these as you like. If you’d rather talk about something else that occurred to you while reading though, you can ignore these suggestions entirely.

You can write as much ore as little as you want (this is meant to be a bit of easy fun) but please do try to write at least a few lines for each topic to avoid spam. For every discussion thread you respond to, you’ll earn 15 beans.

The deadline for earning beans is 11:59 PM HOL-time on 31st August 2022. Happy reading!

[Prof. Sky Alton]

Long before there was Hogwarts, there was Miss Cackles Academy for young witches. Join us as we read the enduring children’s classic, The Worst Witch by Jill Murphey, first published way back in 1974.

Synopsis from Goodreads

Mildred Hubble is a trainee witch at Miss Cackle's Academy, and she's making an awful mess of it. She's always getting her spells wrong and she can't even ride a broomstick without crashing it. Will she ever make a real witch?

This is a very short and easy read, so even if you only have a few hours to spare in your busy summer schedule, we hope you’ll give it a go and join us for some spellbinding discussion. The book is suitable for younger readers, so if you have any small witches and wizards around, it would be a great one to share with them.

Links to Discussion Threads
Chapters 1 and 2
Chapters 3 and 4
Chapters 5 and 6
Chapters 7 and 8
Chapters 9 and 10

Bonus: If you’re interested in Mildred’s world, there are sequel books, several TV series and even a movie to get stuck into once you finish reading this one.

[Harry Walles]

Oh that's wonderful! Louis and I will read chapter each to our 5 year old!

[Emily Spencer]

Oh that's wonderful! Louis and I will read chapter each to our 5 year old!

I wish my daughter was still that age! *sniffles*

[Harry Walles]

Oh that's wonderful! Louis and I will read chapter each to our 5 year old!

I wish my daughter was still that age! *sniffles*

Oh I know how you feel! Our older son is almost 16 and daughter is almost 20

[Emerald Wolvenhowl]

Can't wait:)

[Prof. Sky Alton]

Due to a strange mishap involving a stoat sandwich, a butternut squash, a fwooper and a pair of antique silver sugar tongs (which I won't bore you with), I'm afraid our second discussion is launching a little late.

Welcome back to the Book Club’s Summer Read-Along with our second book for the event, Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine! Classified as an adventure and fantasy, Ella Enchanted is a rather wonderful retelling of the story of Cinderella -- with a twist. Again, as with our other Summer Read-Along book, The Worst Witch, Ella Enchanted is a quick and oddly funny story to read.

Partial Synopsis from Goodreads:

At birth, Ella is inadvertently cursed by an imprudent young fairy named Lucinda, who bestows on her the "gift" of obedience. Anything anyone tells her to do, Ella must obey. Another girl might have been cowed by this affliction, but not feisty Ella: "Instead of making me docile, Lucinda's curse made a rebel of me. Or perhaps I was that way naturally." When her beloved mother dies, leaving her in the care of a mostly absent and avaricious father, and later, a loathsome stepmother and two treacherous stepsisters, Ella's life and well-being seem to be in grave peril. But her intelligence and saucy nature keep her in good stead as she sets out on a quest for freedom and self-discovery as she tries to track down Lucinda to undo the curse, fending off ogres, befriending elves, and falling in love with a prince along the way. Yes, there is a pumpkin coach, a glass slipper, and a happily ever after, but this is the most remarkable, delightful, and profound version of Cinderella you'll ever read.

Our suggestions for discussions or creative activities are options only. If you want to discuss something else which occurs to you as you are reading the book, go for it. For instance, did you want to draw or design a pumpkin coach of a totally different type as you read of Ella? Please do so and post it in the place for that chapter. Remember to write at least a few lines when you post so that we don't end up with a spam sandwich. Also remember, if you create graphics, to keep the size of them to 600x600 or less.

Please enjoy Ella Enchanted! It's a wonderful, and yes, an enchanting, read.

Links to Discussion Threads
Chapters 1-6
Chapters 7-12
Chapters 13-18
Chapters 19-24
Chapters 25 – Epilogue

Remember that the deadline for earning beans is 11:59 PM HOL-time on 31st August 2022. Happy reading!

Post (mostly) written by Prof. Tarma Amelia Black.

[Prof. Sky Alton]

Remember you have until 11:59 PM HOL-time tomorrow (the 31st) to respond to any of the prompts/discussion topics for our summer books! Still time to snag yourself a few final beans.

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

Thank you all so much for participating in our Summer Read-Along!

We've really enjoyed reading your posts .... and your various takes on the books and the questions we posted.



Beans have been handed out to those who responded. Yes, I know you might have received a few bonus Beans, but, like I wrote, we really enjoyed having you with us.