CCPL

Do it Yourself Book Club


Olive
Olive's Ocean
by Kevin Henkes

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On a summer visit to her grandmother's cottage by the ocean, twelve-year-old Martha gains perspective on the death of a classmate, on her relationship with her grandmother, on her feelings for an older boy, and on her plans to be a writer.

Discussion

Why do you think that Olive's death was so hard on Martha?

Can you relate to Martha going through the death of Olive Barstow? How would/did you deal with it?

Have you ever experienced the "glittery" feeling that Martha talks about on page 30?

Godbee's house is Martha's getaway. Do you have a place like that?

Why do you think that Godbee's house is so special to Martha?

Godbee's first secret to Martha was that she thought her hands were "like crabsugly, pink crippled crabs." What is the significance of Godbee's hands?

What do you think made Martha's father decide to go back to being a lawyer and quit being a writer?

What does Martha do to downplay her hair?

Why do you think Martha chose to tell Godbee about her wanting to be a writer first?

Martha uses writing as an expressive outlet and Jimmy uses film. Do you have any hobbies that you use to express yourself?

What about Olive made Martha use her name as the main character for her story?

Do you think that Olive had become an inspiration to Martha? Why or why not?

What were your impressions of Jimmy?

What do you think about the way Martha decided to remember Olive?

Activity

Food Coloring Rainbow
From University of Wisconsin

You will need:

  • Jars of various shapes and sizes
  • Water
  • Various shades of food coloring

What to do:

  • Choose the jar you want and fill it with water
  • Add food coloring until you get a color you really like
  • Put all of the jars in a row near a window or other light source
  • Examne the colors of the water and the new colors that are created from the shining light

Recipe

Octopus Sandwiches
From About.com

Ingredients:

  • Hot Dog
  • Hamburger Bun
  • Cheese

Prepraration:

  • Cut a hot dog down the middle, lengthwise; cut each of these strips in half down the middle (lengthwise) again. Cut each of these 4 pieces in half to make 8 legs. Boil the hot dog pieces until they curl.
  • Place the piece of cheese on half of the hamburger bun and then place the ends of the hot dog pieces onto the bun so the curled ends are sticking out the sides. (You might want to place the bun and cheese in the microwave or oven for a moment so the cheese melts slightly).
  • Cover your sandwich with the other half of the hamburger bun. You can use catsup and/or mustard to make eyes and a mouth on the top of the bun!