Welcome back to Rate & Review Books with NCBC! 

June’s book review comes from one of our virtual book clubs, a Wednesday evening group that meets on Zoom.

Book or series of books: The Story of Dr. Dolittle

Author: Original story by Hugh Lofting, adapted version by Melissa Dalton Martinez

First, please tell our readers a little about your book club.

“It’s a fun group,” says co-facilitator Colleen. In January 2024, a hybrid Next Chapter Book Club that included Colleen, Amy, and Allie joined together with Kimberly, Derek, Abdullah, Tony, Anthony, Ahmad, Jackie, and Jillian to form the large virtual NCBC that now meets on Zoom each Wednesday evening.

Allie shares, “I like doing it over Zoom. I like not having to go back out after work.” Like members of other virtual NCBCs, Allie appreciates the convenience of being able to gather with friends from the comfort of home.

Several members of this club have been part of NCBC for over 12 years. Prior to Covid, their book clubs met in cafés and bookstores in Franklin County. In 2020, most groups transitioned to meeting virtually on platforms such as Zoom. When book clubs were able to meet in-person again, a few decided they would rather continue to meet on Zoom.

“NCBC members who have continued to meet virtually are able to avoid scheduling and transportation barriers. This means we generally have great attendance at our Wednesday evening meetings,” says co-facilitator Jillian.

After combining the two smaller clubs in early 2024, the group grew to eight members and three co-facilitators, and all have appreciated the chance to get to know more people. One club member even joins from Warsaw, Indiana. Amy sums it up by saying, “We meet nice, new people.”

Top row: Amy, Jillian, Allie; second row: Kimberly, Jackie, Colleen; third row: Abdullah; Not pictured: Derek, Anthony, Tony, Ahmad

What is The Story of Dr. Dolittle about?

“Dr. Dolittle is about a doctor that can talk to animals,” explains Kimberly. Dr. Dolittle does indeed have a special gift for being able to communicate with animals, and this takes him on some unusual adventures.

“He went to Africa and different places. I missed some meetings for cooking class and vacation. It was cool to hear about all the different places he went,” Allie says.

In this book, the simple and kind-hearted Dr. Dolittle travels to Africa to save monkeys from a terrible sickness. The journey takes many twists and turns, and Dr. Dolittle is helped by a close circle of friends, including Polynesia the parrot, Gub-Gub the pig, Dab-Dab the duck, Jip the dog, Chee-Chee the monkey, and others.

Colleen shares, “He goes around not only helping animals, but helping people too. For example, he helped the king’s son marry the love of his life.”

How easy was this book to understand?

“Overall, I think it was pretty easy,” Abdullah says.

“I thought it was sort of a weird book. Remember the pushmi-pullyu’s? I had never heard of that. Dr. Dolittle is even a weird name,” Amy says, and the group laughs.

What did you like about the book?

Co-facilitator Jackie says, “I liked the names of the animals. I like most stories with animals. Also, the traveling part was fun and exciting.”

“I liked Chee-Chee the monkey. I thought he was fun,” shares Abdullah.

“I liked the part with the dog, Jip. He found the lost uncle with only his nose,” Kimberly says. In this part of the story, a young boy’s uncle is lost on an island in the middle of the sea. Only Jip’s keen sense of smell could find him.

Were there any parts you didn’t like? If so, what were they?

Amy says, “I think all the parts were good, but someone else might have a different opinion.”

Abduallah says, “[The story] was a little different and extraordinary.” With a doctor who can talk to animals, you can say that again, Abdullah!

If another Next Chapter Book Club was thinking about reading this book, what would you tell them?

Club members nod their heads, and Allie gives a thumbs up, showing that they would all recommend The Story of Dr. Dolittle to other NCBCs.

What book (or series of books) has been your favorite so far?

• Allie: Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and others in The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
• Colleen: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling, and The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
• Abdullah: Wonder by RJ Palacio
• Jackie: Peter Pan (Disney Short Story), original by JM Barrie
• Amy: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling
• Kimberly: New Love, Spilt Milk, and Potbellied Pigs by Tom Fish and Jillian Ober
• Jillian: Wonder by RJ Palacio, and our current book, The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

Please rate this book on a scale from 1 to 5 stars.

This club gave The Story of Dr. Dolittle 4.9 out of 5 stars.

Welcome back to Rate & Review Books with NCBC! 

May’s book review comes from a Columbus area Next Chapter Book Club that first began meeting in 2013. The club continues to meet at a local Barnes & Noble each Tuesday evening.

Book or series of books: The Poppy War

Author: R.F. Kuang

First, please tell our readers a little about your book club.

“It’s pretty nice,” says Sam. “We meet at Barnes & Noble each week.” Like many other Next Chapter Book Club members, Sam often arrives early to browse around the bookstore and get a snack.

Some people have been in this club since the beginning, and others have joined along the way. Over the years, the group has generally preferred science fiction/fantasy books, as well as a few beloved non-fiction titles.

Brian adds, “Sometimes we’ll play games instead of reading.” Scrabble is a favorite game of several members in this book club.

Shalom shares, “It’s nice that a group of adults can meet to improve reading and social skills and do positive things.” Others nod in agreement with Shalom. “It’s a very welcoming group,” he says.

Co-facilitator Cassie adds with a smile, “It’s a great way to end a day.”

Left to right: Brian, Cassie, Alex, Scott, Shalom, Sam (standing); Not pictured: Luci, Manisha

What is The Poppy War about?

According to Goodreads.com, The Poppy War is “an epic historical military fantasy, inspired by the bloody history of China’s twentieth century and filled with treachery and magic.” The Poppy War is the first book in a fantasy trilogy that offers a magical yet violent reimagining of Chinese history.

Co-facilitator Alex states that the main character, Rin, “does not want to marry, so she joins a military academy and becomes a soldier.” Everyone in the story is surprised by Rin’s talents, even Rin herself.

“She controls fire,” adds Cassie, who says that Rin has special powers.

In the story, “humans use hallucinogenic drugs to access the gods, while the gods are using humans for their own personal agendas,” Alex explains.

“Yeah, there are some magical creatures in the book,” says Sam, “but there’s a lot of substance abuse and a lot of other negative things. I didn’t like it.”

“But you asked for months to read it,” Alex responds while laughing.

“I know, but I didn’t know what was in it,” Sam replies. He shares that the book sounded good at first, but ended up being darker and more graphic than he would have liked.

Calling the book a “grim, dark fantasy”, Sam continues, “I guess it’s supposed to be a social commentary on how war can scar generations.”

To learn out more about The Poppy War, click HERE.

How easy was this book to understand?

“I’ve had easier things than this, to be honest,” shares Brian, and the group laughs in agreement.

Scott adds, “It was kind of hard to follow.”

“There’s a difference between reading and understanding,” Shalom notes. “Everyone took their time.”

Despite taking things slowly, it appears that The Poppy War was a more complicated story than most of the book club members would prefer.

Cassie also notes that in some cases, it was “tough to read aloud the graphic parts of the book,” as it contains both physical and sexual violence.

What did you like about the book?

Despite the dark elements in the book, Cassie says, “I liked the fantasy aspects.”

Alex notes that she enjoyed some of the worldbuilding in the book. Worldbuilding is the process of building an imaginary world or setting, such as the fantasy version of China in The Poppy War.

Were there any parts you didn’t like? If so, what were they?

This book includes both historical events as well as entirely made-up events, which sometimes seemed “convenient” to club members. For example, Alex says, “The author invented a whole new people group just to make them the scapegoats.”

Cassie shares, “The main character arc also took a dark turn.”

Unsurprisingly, Sam states, “I didn’t like the tone in general.”

If another Next Chapter Book Club was thinking about reading this book, what would you tell them?

Brian says, “Yes, if they know before beforehand what is in it!”  Everyone agrees.

What book or series of books has been your favorite so far?

• Sam: The Aurora Cycle, a series by Amie Kaufman
• Brian: The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life, by Alex Trebek
• Cassie: M is for Magic, by Neil Gaiman (specifically, Cassie likes the short story format)
• Alex: Seraphina, a series by Rachel Hartman
• Scott: The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life, by Alex Trebek
• Shalom: Shalom joined the club in the middle of The Poppy War. He most recently enjoyed a biography of Ulysses S. Grant.

Please rate this book on a scale from 1 to 5 stars.

This club gave The Poppy War 2.67 out of 5 stars.

Welcome back to Rate & Review Books with NCBC! 

Our April book review comes from a Next Chapter Book Club in Columbus that has been gathering on Saturday mornings since 2011.

Book or series of books: Kira-Kira

Author: Cynthia Kadohata

Please tell our readers a little about your book club.

“It’s awesome!” says Susan, member of this club since it began in 2011. For Susan, book club is a treasured activity that she and her sister Ann share each week. Ann began co-facilitating the Saturday morning group in 2013. After book club, Susan looks for the latest Royal Family news at the bookstore. Then the sisters often head out for lunch.

Nate joined the book club ten years ago. He says, “Book club is a chance to do different activities and talk to people. We talk about many subjects.” Nate knows quite a lot about animals and their habitats, and often shares interesting animal facts with the group.

Mother-daughter team Morag and Christina also joined book club in 2014. Christina says, “I like reading books. Coming here to read helps me read more books at home.”

“We learn new things,” adds Morag, and Christina nods her head. Christina’s outfit is always complete with one of her many plush characters. Sometimes, she can even match her plush doll with the book the club is reading!

As members and co-facilitators file into Barnes & Noble each week, member Ali keeps close track of who is there and who is not. Ali also joined NCBC in 2014. While she waits on others to arrive, Ali likes to stay busy with a word search.

Julian is also a member in this club. He began coming to book club in summer 2023, and the others are always glad to see him when he joins. Julian shares, “I like to socialize and meet new people. Book club is a good program for people to get out and enjoy themselves.”

Hannah has been volunteering as a co-facilitator last fall. On this day, she and co-facilitator Jillian laugh at the lively and clever illustrations in the club’s new book, The Wind in the Willows.

“It’s almost like a family,” Susan says about book club. Others in the club nod their heads and smile.

Back row, left to right: Ann, Christina; Front row: Nate, Morag, Hannah, Susan; Not pictured: Ali, Julian, Jillian

What is Kira-Kira about?

“The magic in ordinary things,” Ann says.

In the book, Katie’s older sister Lynn makes the world seem glittering, or kira-kira. When their family moves from a Japanese community in Iowa to Georgia in the 1950’s, Katie’s parents begin working very long hours at a chicken hatchery with other Japanese American families.

“We learned about Japanese language and culture and how Japanese people in America have struggled with racism,” Nate says.

Ali says, “The book is about how Katie, Lynn, Sammy and their mom and dad struggled. There were sad parts.”

Nate agrees. “Yeah, this book was kind of sad.”

This bittersweet story follows Katie and her family as they face terrible loss and find a way to go on and see kira-kira in the world. Kira-Kira is the 2005 winner of the Newbery Medal.

How easy was this book to understand?

Everyone says that the book is easy to understand. Morag adds, “We help each other.”

What did you like about the book?

“I liked seeing how the kids interacted. It was interesting to see how Katie’s responsibilities grew as Lynn got sick,” says Hannah.

“It did offer a realistic view of the world back then,” says Morag. Others agree that the book did a good job describing life in rural Georgia in the 1950’s, where Katie’s family lived and worked.

“I like the name ‘Katie’,” says Susan.

“I liked Uncle Katsuhisa. What a funny character he is,” Jillian says. Uncle Katsuhisa is a talker and prides himself on being a chess champion, even though his niece Lynn beats him at chess regularly. While there are sad parts in this story, there are also very humorous parts, especially when Uncle Katsuhisa is involved.

Were there any parts you didn’t like? If so, what were they?

Everyone quickly agrees that their least favorite part of the book is when Lynn gets sick.

If another Next Chapter Book Club was thinking about reading this book, what would you tell them?

Susan says, “Do it!”

Nate adds, “But warn them there are some sad parts.”

What book or series of books has been your favorite so far? (some of us couldn’t pick just one!)

• Ali: Little Women and Peter Pan
• Ann: Percy Jackson and the Olympians (series) and Flora and Ulysses
• Christina: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
• Jillian: Flora and Ulysses and Wonder
• Nate: Stuart Little
• Susan: The Boxcar Children (series)

Please rate this book on a scale from 1 to 5 stars.

This club gave Kira-Kira 4.25 out of 5 stars.