Read, think, and share ideas about great books! This month, we're talking about "A Bit of Earth" by Karuna Riazi. For children entering 4th - 6th grade.
All 15 participants to register will receive a free copy of the book, generously purchased by the Friends of the Library. You must attend the book club meeting in order to keep the book.
Additional copies are available for checkout at BPL and on the Libby app.
Book Summary:
Growing up in Pakistan, Maria Latif has been bounced between reluctant relatives for as long as she can remember-first because of her parents' constant traveling, and then because of their deaths. Maria has always been a difficult child, and it never takes long for her guardians to tire of her. So when old friends of her parents offer to 'give her a better life' in the United States, Maria is shipped to a host family across the world.
When Maria arrives on Long Island, things are not quite what she was expecting. Mr. Clayborne has left on an extended business trip, Mrs. Clayborne seems emotionally fraught, and inexplicable things keep happening in the Clayborne's sprawling house. Then Maria finds a locked gate to an off-limits garden. Since she's never been good at following rules, Maria decides to investigate and discovers something she never thought she'd find: a place where she feels at home.
With a prickly main character, a sullen boy, two friendly allies, and a locked garden, A Bit of Earth has everything a reader could want from a retelling of The Secret Garden. Karuna Riazi's evocative prose is interspersed with poetic verses, illuminating each character's search for a place they can truly call home.
Questions? Email Sarah Hanst, Children's Library Specialist - shanst@bentonvillear.com
Bentonville Public Library is a department of the City of Bentonville. Bentonville Public Library is located just 3 blocks south of the Downtown Square, at 405 S. Main Street in Bentonville, Arkansas. Facility amenities include adult collection, children's and teen spaces, private study rooms, event spaces, makerspace and digital lab, genealogy research center, sensory and wellness room, business centers, book club lounge, and café.