Status
Available
Call number
Call number
FIC CLE
Collection
Description
Alec, a sixth-grade bookworm always in trouble for reading instead of listening and participating in class, starts a book club, solely to have a place to read, and discovers that real life, although messy, can be as exciting as the stories in his favorite books.
Genres
Publication
Yearling (2018), Edition: Illustrated, 256 pages
Original language
English
Language
User reviews
LibraryThing member JCLHeatherM
A fun, memorable book that redefines the word Bookworm and Nerd for future generations. The best part about Clements' new book - the excellent Reader's Advisory section in the back, filled with titles that the characters read.
A great book for reluctant readers!
A great book for reluctant readers!
LibraryThing member agrudzien
Alec absolutey loves to read - in fact he loves to read so much that he gets in trouble for reading at school. This year has to be different and Alec is going to make sure he uses the time at the extended day program to his best advantage. Except no one will let him read there either - he has to
There were a couple things about this book that bugged me, especially the fact that kids had to do the same thing for three hours every afternoon?! That is bogus. Those poor chess club kids -- that's a lot of chess. And the origami kids - think of the paper cuts you can get folding paper for 15 hours a week!! Regardless, it was a good story about accepting and promoting who you are though I could have done without the sixth grade love triangle.
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join a club, go to the homework room, or play active games. The only other choice is to start a new club - and he does - the Loser's club (mostly so no one else will join) but soon the club has more members than he ever planned and Alec is growing in ways he never expected. There were a couple things about this book that bugged me, especially the fact that kids had to do the same thing for three hours every afternoon?! That is bogus. Those poor chess club kids -- that's a lot of chess. And the origami kids - think of the paper cuts you can get folding paper for 15 hours a week!! Regardless, it was a good story about accepting and promoting who you are though I could have done without the sixth grade love triangle.
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LibraryThing member sweetiegherkin
Alec LOVES reading, so much so that it affects his schoolwork. When threatened to pay attention in class or face summer school, Alec decides to buckle down. As a result, he turns to his aftercare program to be his reading time, forming a group he dubs "The Losers Club," thinking the name will turn
There's a lot going on in this book but it all feels very organic and quite familiar to anyone who's been through middle school. (Technically the book places Alec in elementary school, but he is a sixth grader, which is considered as intermediate or middle school in most districts that I know). Clements handles everything quite smoothly, managing to portray Alec as a positive role model without ever sounding didactic or preachy. I was particularly proud of how he made note that while Alec and Kent are both romantically interested in Nina, she is not a prize to be fought over and will make her own decisions regarding who to date and when. Clements also makes sure to remind kids that not all bullying is physical -- Kent primarily uses words to put down others.
With reading being a central theme and plot point, the text is scattered with references to popular books for middle schoolers. Clements's one misstep is here when he uses the word "Eskimo" (not politically correct) when talking about the book Julie of the Wolves. (To be fair though, that is the terminology used in that book.) The Losers Club concludes with a checklist of all the books mentioned in the text, which is great for kids finishing this book and looking for a new book to read next.
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off anyone else from joining and allow him hours of uninterrupted reading time. But as time goes on, more and more kids show up at Alec's table wanting to read, including a girl named Nina who Alec thinks he might like as more than a friend. Meanwhile, Alec's former playmate Kent has been teasing him about his bookish ways -- and also seems to be flirting Nina.There's a lot going on in this book but it all feels very organic and quite familiar to anyone who's been through middle school. (Technically the book places Alec in elementary school, but he is a sixth grader, which is considered as intermediate or middle school in most districts that I know). Clements handles everything quite smoothly, managing to portray Alec as a positive role model without ever sounding didactic or preachy. I was particularly proud of how he made note that while Alec and Kent are both romantically interested in Nina, she is not a prize to be fought over and will make her own decisions regarding who to date and when. Clements also makes sure to remind kids that not all bullying is physical -- Kent primarily uses words to put down others.
With reading being a central theme and plot point, the text is scattered with references to popular books for middle schoolers. Clements's one misstep is here when he uses the word "Eskimo" (not politically correct) when talking about the book Julie of the Wolves. (To be fair though, that is the terminology used in that book.) The Losers Club concludes with a checklist of all the books mentioned in the text, which is great for kids finishing this book and looking for a new book to read next.
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LibraryThing member GRgenius
I'm absolutely in love with this book! Call me a "loser" any day!
It truly is a celebration of reading... all the feels, the adventures, the lessons, the characters, the EVERYTHING... but also, so much more. It reminds us that there's a reader in all of us, if only we find the right selection... but
In closing, I only have one thing to add... Bookhawks FTW! 😀
It truly is a celebration of reading... all the feels, the adventures, the lessons, the characters, the EVERYTHING... but also, so much more. It reminds us that there's a reader in all of us, if only we find the right selection... but
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also that life was meant for living, so excluding those experiences entirely for the stacks, though heavenly, won't serve us as well as finding our balance.In closing, I only have one thing to add... Bookhawks FTW! 😀
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ISBN
039955758X / 9780399557583