The 9th annual Bell Top Book Club began on Thursday afternoon with a school-wide assembly in the cafeteria. Following an introduction about the book program and a fun book guessing game, teachers Sarah Lussier and Tracy Cornell announced that the school would be reading “Breadcrumbs” by Anne Ursu.
Every student in grades K-5 will be receiving their very own copy of the book courtesy of the Bell Top PTO. Over the next four weeks, classes will read the book together, engage in class discussions, and answer daily trivia questions to try and win prizes.
“It’s the perfect time of year to get cozy in our classrooms with a wintery, fairy-tale read-aloud,” said Mrs. Cornell. “Bell Top Book Club is really about bringing us together as a community of readers. We think this will be a fun way to break up the chilly winter weeks ahead!”
A Bell Top Book Club celebration has been planned for the afternoon of February 16 and will involve an indoor “Vocabulary Parade” where students will dress up to show the meanings of new words.
Special thanks to the Bell Top PTO for once again supporting this program!
About the Book (from the author’s website)
Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. But that was before he stopped talking to her and disappeared into a forest with a mysterious woman made of ice. Now it’s up to Hazel to go in after him. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” Breadcrumbs is a stunningly original fairy tale of modern-day America, a dazzling ode to the power of fantasy, and a heartbreaking meditation on how growing up is as much a choice as it is something that happens to us.
In Breadcrumbs, Anne Ursu tells, in her one-of-a-kind voice, a story that brings together fifty years of children’s literature in a tale as modern as it is timeless. Hazel’s journey to come to terms with her evolving friendship with Jack will deeply resonate with young readers.
Bell Top Book Club Selections
2024 – “Breadcrumbs” by Anne Ursu
2023 – “Odder” by Katherine Applegate
2022 – “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” by Grace Lin
2021 – “The Wild Robot” by Peter Brown
(BTBC Bedtime Stories During COVID Shutdown)
2019 – “Wish Tree” by Katherine Applegate
2018 – “Because of Winn-Dixie” by Kate DiCamillo
2017 – “The One and Only Ivan” by Katherine Applegate
2016 – “The Trumpet of the Swan” by E.B. White
2015 – “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” by Kate DiCamillo
The Bell Top Book Club began reading Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu last week. Special thanks to the PTO for providing books to all of our students! pic.twitter.com/AaAh1pPLWl
— East Greenbush CSD (@EGreenbushCSD) January 23, 2024