Welcome to the Bloomability book club discussion. Post a comment to share your initial impressions of the novel, Creech's craft, and implications for the classroom. Then read (or return to read) others' comments. Reply to them in order to have an on-going dialogue related to the book. Enjoy participating in a community of readers! You might also consider visiting the Walk Two Moons book club discussion to see thoughts on another one of Creech's book and to join in on the conversation.
As I was reading Bloomability I was trying to think of how I would have related to the characters, events, and themes when I was a tween/teen. I think that this book addresses a lot of things that all young people deal with. The struggle to find ones self and feel a sense of belonging is a part of growing up. Dinnie, the main character, must struggle with these common issues in extraordinary circumstances. Because she has had such a chaotic homelife and is now in Switzerland with her aunt and uncle, these issues are even more difficult for her to understand.
ReplyDeleteThe analogy of living in a bubble was interesting. Throughout the story, she often felt like a dot. As she began to grow and allow more of the world in to get to know her, the bubble expanded around her. Many young readers will identify with feeling small in the world. I think that this story is encouraging and will help students see the great things that can happen when you expand yourself and let others in.
I thought that the portion of the story that dealt with a person's struggle making them interesting was a good reminder that everyone has their own struggle. It may be unknown to others, but the personality traits that they exhibit are a result of what they've lived. This is important for young people to understand. I think that it encourages them to consider where others are coming from.
Young people also must work to establish their personal freedom. The book addresses this theme throughout, with the character Guthrie being a vibrant example of the freedom that the others wished to attain.
I thought that this was an engaging story that would be highly relatable to upper elementary and middle school readers.
This sounds like an interesting book. I get a great visual when I read your blog. It is interesting to to the differnces in each of Creech's books. They all have such different background and are written from different perspectives.
DeleteVeronica I completely agree with you about your view on Dinnie's bubble. I think that it shows a great lesson of how to let people in when you expand yourself. I also agree that Guthrie's character added to the story line giving a sense of being a free-spirit and adventurous.
DeleteI always try to relate as much as possible to different characters in the book that I read too. I think it really helps me to understand what is going on in the books and sometimes even brings back memories. I was able to relate to this book so I believe as our students read i there will be some that can also relate.
DeleteI related a lot with the character in this book. When I was about the same age as Dinnie when my parents moved me from my childhood home. While I moved around a lot it was not because my father moved us. I really related to her feeling like she had to leave things behind each time she moved to a new place. I too felt that way each time I moved, especially because I usually had to fly from place to place and only had a suitcase.
ReplyDeleteLike Veronica I too thought it was interesting how Dinnie described her "bubble". I think that many kids who move around a lot find it hard to make friends and they too start to form a bubble afraid to be hurt by leaving friendships behind. Once she was stable the bubble started to grow signifying that she was ready to start letting people in.
The one thing I really found interesting through out the book was "The Dreams of Domenica Santolina Doone". I think that the dreams showed how she processed what she was going through in the book. I think that this added a lot of depth to the story even if they parts were short.
Overall I think that this would be a great book to introduce into my classroom. I think that I would recommend it to all my students by I think that it is more for girls than boys. I like that it gives insight to a life that is not typical to many students. I think it can teach a great lesson in compassion.
Did you ever feel like you were in a bubble when you moved? How long did it take you to be able to allow people into your bubble? Did you ever feel like you were kidnapped against your will?
DeleteI'm sure that Nicole was more adaptable than me, but it took me a long time to try to get to know anybody after I moved. I can't imagine the wall that someone who has moved as many times as Dinnie would have. I really understood the part in the book where she talked about taking the time to get to know what was cool in each place she moved. When I moved in the fifth grade hypercolor clothing was huge. I remember feeling so stupid because I'd never seen it before! The things that stick with you are so funny :)
DeleteIan I remember having a bubble but I think it was the opposite of Dinnie because mine got smaller as I grew older. When I was young I was always excited to go to a new place and I made friends very easily. I found as I grew older and more aware I started to close my bubble because I was starting to make more last friendships and when I would move I wouldn't want the trauma of being hurt again. I think the only time I truly felt kidnapped was when I first moved to California. I missed my grandpa and grammie Gail so much and I felt like I was being torn from them. I cause a lot of trouble because I felt that way and didn't know how to express my feelings, that's probably why my mother finally sent me to live with him. Veronica I know what you mean about what we remember. There were times that I moved from one coast to another and what was "popular" in one place was usually not in the other. I remember a lot of social awkwardness stemming from those subtleties.
DeleteI think that its relatablity to students is a huge strength of this book. I moved in the fifth grade and again my senior year and never felt like I belonged. This story will help students who have similar backgrounds to process their own situation and get a different perspective.
ReplyDeleteI agree. But what if you were "kidnapped" and moved as oppossed to moving with your family?
DeleteI agree with both of you. I think that the situation determines how the students will deal with the situation. Being shipped to a family member is a lot different than your family moving but I do think there are some similarities that are adressed in this book.
DeleteBloomability was an easy book to read and it was interesting as well. I found myself, like the others, trying to relate to Dinnie throughout the story. However the only thing that I found that we had in common were that we have both lived in Oregon, and we both love fishing.
ReplyDeleteAside from those very minimal and nearly irrelevant points I could not relate to the problems that Dinnie faced. I never had to move around as a kid and I never felt like I was in a "bubble". Living in a small town and growing up knowing nearly everyone around really made me confident and open with people. Dinnie is the complete opposite, the only people close to her are her immediate family. Being torn from them to go live in Switzerland with "strangers" would have to be really hard on a 13 year old child. There is no possible way I would have been able to move to the other side of the globe not knowing what was in store for me or why I was going there or what would happen to my family.
As the book progresses, Dinnie is able to open up and create friends in a place that she felt forced into.
The book may be very relatable to many readers, however to me it was just the opposite. But it gave me good insight to what someone like Dinnie could have gone through. Upper elementary and middle school readers could find a good story and maybe even relation through the book. I think it would be important for students to be able to read a book that shows an aspect of life that many people go through that others don't. The book is a fast read and is engaging for the reader.
Bloomability was a great pick for me. My best friend always told me stories about all the places she lived, something like 37 different states. I’ve always wondered how in the world someone could move so many times and still be able to survive, but this book paints a perfect example. The whole time I read it I thought about my best friend and other people who’ve had to experience this same thing and how hard it would be.
ReplyDeleteThis book made me realize how much we take for granted and aren’t appreciative of a whole lot. It would be a great way to help students understand the importance of grabbing some important opportunities that they might get to take part in. Of course moving from place to place would be very difficult, but Dinnie always seemed to adapt. Actually it appeared she adapted better than either of her parents, her mom being a city girl and her father being the opposite. When given the opportunity to leave home and go with her aunt and uncle to Switzerland and attend an American boarding school she didn’t know what she was in for and after she left she realized how badly she just wanted to be with her family, the only people that she ever let get close to her.
I thought about great discussions you could have with forth through eighth graders throughout this book. You could ask your students how they would feel in similar instances, both by having to move from place to place, and also going to live with family that you don’t really know at all.
This book is really encouraging as well; the experience in Switzerland finally forced Dinnie to come out of her shell and know what it was like to actually have friends for once.
I like that you brought up Dinnie's ability to adapt because that was something that she really struggled with. She knew that she was great at adapting but in the beginning that was something that she wanted to change about herself. She didn't want to be adaptable anymore. Her growth from her experience in Switzerland led her to be more open and comfortable with adapting. She didn't know what was ahead of her. She didn't know if she would stay with her family or if she would go back to Switzerland. It was difficult for her not to know what was ahead but I think that she knew that she could adapt to whatever it was. Its been over a week since I finished the book and I find myself still wondering what it was like for her when she rejoined her family.
DeleteThat is a great point to bring up. Being adaptable can take some work, it can be emotionally draining. I can relate to the fact that she didn't want to be adaptable anymore. Being adaptable is a great thing but sometimes you just don't have it in you anymore.
DeleteI am glad that you are in this book club because we get to see first hand how this book can directly relate to students just like you. My son has a girl in his class that has to travel every 9-12 months for her father's work. She's pretty outgoing and seemed to adapt well, but sometimes I wonder if her bubble will shrink as she gets older. Even though I didn't have to move around much while growing up, this book really helped me relate to someone that did. I would use this in my classroom to help students be able to relate to these situations as well.
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