Join us on the Third Sunday Afternoon of each month for an outdoor-themed book club at Gamehaven Scout Camp in Rochester, MN. Every month we will be reading a new book, and participating in 3 hours of activities based on that book. This is an opportunity for all families and reading levels - we alternate months from elementary (picture) books to secondary (chapter) books so that every young person has a chance to participate and read at their own pace.

BUNDLE & SAVE! You can save $20 by selecting the pop-up bundle option when registering for October or November book clubs - doing so will register you for ALL appropriate-aged book clubs.

This Season's Books:

• October (Elementary): Stellaluna (Janell Cannon). Stellaluna is the tender story of a lost young bat who finally finds her way safely home to her mother and friends. This award-winning book by Janell Cannon has sold over 500,000 copies and was on the bestseller list for more than two years. (Common Sense Media, 3+)
• November (Secondary): Hatchet (Paulsen). Brian is on his way to Canada to visit his estranged father when the pilot of his small prop plane suffers a heart attack. Brian is forced to crash-land the plane in a lake--and finds himself stranded in the remote Canadian wilderness with only his clothing and the hatchet his mother gave him as a present before his departure. (Common Sense Media 11+)
• December (Elementary): Bear Snores On (Wilson). One by one, a whole host of different animals and birds find their way out of the cold and into Bear's cave to warm up. But even after the tea has been brewed and the corn has been popped, Bear just snores on!
  See what happens when he finally wakes up and finds his cave full of uninvited guests -- all of them having a party without him! (Common Sense Media, 3+)
• January (Secondary): Peak (Smith). After fourteen-year-old Peak Marcello is arrested for scaling a New York City skyscraper, he's left with two choices: wither away in Juvenile Detention or go live with his long-lost father, who runs a climbing company in Thailand. But Peak quickly learns that his father's renewed interest in him has strings attached. Big strings. As owner of Peak Expeditions, he wants his son to be the youngest person to reach the Everest summit--and his motives are selfish at best. Even so, for a climbing addict like Peak, tackling Everest is the challenge of a lifetime. But it's also one that could cost him his life. (Goodreads, Grades 6-7)
• February (Elementary): The Snowy Day (Keats). No book has captured the magic and sense of possibility of the first snowfall better than The Snowy Day . Universal in its appeal, the story has become a favorite of millions, as it reveals a child's wonder at a new world, and the hope of capturing and keeping that wonder forever. (Common Sense Media, 2+)
• March (Secondary): My Side of the Mountain (George). Every kid thinks about running away at one point or another; few get farther than the end of the block. Young Sam Gribley gets to the end of the block and keeps going--all the way to the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. There he sets up house in a huge hollowed-out tree, with a falcon and a weasel for companions and his wits as his tool for survival. In a spellbinding, touching, funny account, Sam learns to live off the land, and grows up a little in the process. Blizzards, hunters, loneliness, and fear all battle to drive Sam back to city life. But his desire for freedom, independence, and adventure is stronger. (Common Sense Media, 10+)
• April (Elementary): TBD
• May (Secondary): Out of Range (Lang). Sisters Abby, Emma, and Ollie have gone from being best friends forever to mortal enemies. The sisters don’t see any way they can ever forgive each other for what they’ve done, no matter how many hikes and campfire songs they’re forced to participate in. But then disaster strikes, and they find themselves lost and alone in the wilderness. They will have to outrun a raging wildfire, make it through a turbulent river, escape bears and mountain lions and ticks. They don’t have training, or food, or enough supplies. All they have is each other. (Goodreads, Grades 6-7)

About the Book Club Leaders

Brady Geary | Brady is the director of Gamehaven Scout Camp and works full-time at Gamehaven Council of Scouting America as the council's program director. Many of their favorite Juvinile and Young Adult fiction books are being featured during this pilot season of the book club! Other favorite books include Because of Winn Dixie (DiCamillo), A Series of Unfortunate Events (Snicket), and Summer of the Wolves (Carlson-Voiles). They live in Rochester, MN with their cat named "Penny".