WHO: 6th grade readers, writers, and lovers of realistic and historical fiction! St. Anne’s-Belfield School 6th graders will be reading along with 5th grade students from Woodbrook Elementary School in Albemarle County, guided by Woodbrook’s amazing Mindfulness Instructor, Mr. Mack. As always, this book club is completely optional – and Same Sun Here is a great book to share.

WHAT: A book club celebrating the power of words to bring us together, no matter what. Here’s a summary of this creative historical fiction, written by co-authors Neela Vaswani and Silas House: “Meena and River have a lot in common: fathers forced to work away from home to make ends meet, grandmothers who mean the world to them, and faithful dogs. But Meena is an Indian immigrant girl living in New York City’s Chinatown, while River is a Kentucky coal miner’s son. As Meena’s family studies for citizenship exams and River’s town faces devastating mountaintop removal, this unlikely pair become pen pals, sharing thoughts and, as their camaraderie deepens, discovering common ground in their disparate experiences.” (Source)

Told completely in letters, this unique novel celebrates friendship, the power of words, and all of the wonderful differences and similarities that make us human. Same Sun Here is a Parents Choice Gold Award and Nautilus Book Award winner. The audiobook recording also won the American Library Association Notable Children’s Recording award – I’ve heard it, and it’s excellent! After reading the book, students that choose to participate will meet in the library for a lunch time celebration of the book. Readers will also have the opportunity to participate in a pen-pal project of their own – more details coming soon!

WHEN & WHERE: Our book club celebration will take place in the library during 6th grade lunch on Tuesday, March 26.

Enjoy curling up with this book during these last few weeks of winter – I can’t wait to celebrate the sunshine with you in March!