Blue Food at Book Group?

You betcha!

Because a book group discussion can only stand to be enhanced when one is sufficiently (albeit artificially) sugared up. ;)

Seriously though, the food did tie-in to the book of the month: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.* And in my defense, the pumpkin cakes were made from scratch and the blue corn chips were organic. Now - the aquamarine frosting, teal sprinkles and electric blue Gatorade -well, I can't vouch for any of that ...

But I can tell you, it all tasted good. :)

So! It was my turn to lead the discussion at this month's book group - Bookworm's group this time. (I led Crackerjack's back in November.) Such a fun group of kids they are, too. They all LOVE to read and they all have read a LOT and they all enjoy pretty much the same kinds of books. And boy, can these kids talk. I could have just sat back and let them do all the talking, lol. (They're always this talkative, mind you - it wasn't just the sugar.)

Right, so the book we read for the January meeting, as I mentioned above, is called The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson and The Olympiads Series #1. There are three books in the series so far, with a fourth set to be published in May. (I hear-tell the movie rights have been sold, too.) And since I've already used up most of my blogging time tonight telling you about the food, I'll just copy the summary from the back of the book:

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school ... again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

I have to say I really liked this book. The story was fast-paced and I enjoyed the Greek mythology immersed throughout. (Informative and entertaining, with neat twists on long-standing traditions.) This book came highly recommended by good friends, but I was also intrigued by the subject matter - it's excellent timing for us to read this book now - we're starting Ancient Greek history next week! This book definitely made me want to learn more about Greek mythology, all the while hitting on things I already knew, but in a new and modern way. (For instance, Ares, the god of war, rides a Harley.) :)

The other neat thing about leading this month, was the author's fantastic website with lots of mythology links and a teacher's guide. A few clicks of the print button and half my work was done for me! Which explains why I had so much time to bake. ;)

We covered many discussion questions during the hour-long meeting, and we also worked together on a "Gods of Olympus" worksheet, brainstorming together the characteristics of all the Olympiads - as well as Hades, and several other mythological creatures. I brought out our copy of the D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths which supplied even more tidbits and background, as well as, of course, lots of great pictures. Some of the kids knew a lot about Greek mythology and were eager to share additional information and help make connections.

The last activity we did was to work on a "demigod generator," a worksheet that allowed the kids to imagine their own half-god status. They had to choose one of the Olympiads to be their "god" parent and then dream up the powers they would have, the way they'd be dressed, their friends and enemies, etc. This was a lot of fun, but only a few kids were courageous enough to share their thoughts with the group. ;) We had a son of Pan, a son and a daughter of Ares, a son of Hermes (that would be my son, btw) and a son of Artemis. The kids were very creative! If you are interested in doing this activity with your own children, here is the link: Demigod Generator.

And by the way, Crackerjack had a wonderful time with the younger group; this month's selection was The Trumpet of the Swan (though he, ahem, didn't actually finish the book quite in time). My friend Cherice led the lively discussion, had the kids make paper swans and served watercress sandwiches for snack! 

*Oh, and about that blue food ...here's my connection:

"See, Gabe had once told my mom there was no such thing. They had this fight, which seemed like a really small thing at the time. But ever since, my mom went out of her way to eat blue. She baked blue birthday cakes. She mixed blueberry smoothies. She bought blue-corn tortilla chips and brought home blue candy from the shop. This - along with keeping her maiden name, Jackson, rather then calling herself Ugliano - was proof that she wasn't totally suckered by Gabe. She did have a rebellious streak, like me."

(Gabe was the mean, ugly, smelly and abusive stepfather whom Percy loathed. Percy's mom has good reasons for marrying him, which we (and Percy) come to understand in the end.)

Well, that's the book club report for this month! Having volunteered for both the younger and older groups I am now done leading for the year. Which means next month you'll find me at the moms table, sipping coffee and chatting away. :) Next month's book group selections are Lion Boy (Bookworm), which I've never heard of but looks really good, and The Penderwicks (Crackerjack), which I have heard of and which has been on my to-read list for some time!

I hope you all have a terrific weekend! We have no major plans, just a few errands and lots to do around the house. The tree is down, so now I can get the learning room all back in place - because Monday finds us back at work! I'll be posting our second semester plans very soon ~ and I'll catch up with all the questions left for me here as soon as I can, too!

Thanks, as always, for your comments and questions and just for stopping by to check in. See you all soon! :)