November Parent/Child Book Club Books

For November we have two great choices for the Parent/Child Book Club Books. For Girls Read we are going to discuss the Newbery Award winner The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. At the monthly Guys Read we will discover the adventures of a sailing cat in The Nine Lives of Jacob Tibbs by Gerald Kelley.

I have to confess: The Witch of Blackbird Pond has been one of my all-time favorite books for decades (since I was the age of the Girls Read girls). I loved the history, the romance, the suspense, and the friendship that comes with this book. Though mostly as a twelve-year-old it was the romance that really got me hooked. I love Kit. I love how she tries to find a place with her family (even though she had never met them before). She is spunky and just wants to love and be loved—and do what is right (which is the part that tends to get her in trouble in a world of suspicion and witch trials). This is one of those books that changed my life. And I am excited to talk about it at Girls Read!

In The Nine Lives of Jacob Tibbs Jacob is a cat born to a famous ship cat. His mother was known for keeping ships and sailors safe. So when Jacob becomes a ship cat, he has to learn how to best take care of the ship and crew (such as providing comfort, keeping vermin off the ship, and trying to discern odd weather patterns). Only, he isn’t quite sure how to accomplish all that. This book is full of great adventures and a lot of Jacob’s struggles, worries, and coming into his own.

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