Olive's+Ocean

=Olive's Ocean By Kevin Henkes=

Background Olive's Ocean is about a girl named Martha, who finds herself through various experiences during summer. The book starts with Martha receiving a journal entry from a classmate's mother. The odd part is that the classmate had just recently died in an accident and in the journal entry, Martha finds out that her classmate always wanted to be Martha's friend. Martha and her family take their annual trip to Godbee's (Martha's grandma) house at the beach. There, Martha learns about herself through family struggles, problems with boys, trying to become a writer, thinking about Olive (the classmate that died) and a near death experience herself. This novel is a great story about coming of age and learning about yourself.

Who is your favorite character and why? //Hannah- my favorite character is Martha and Godbee because they are both very loving and caring people in the book and have a sense of humor unlike some people.// Brittany~ my favorite characters are Martha because she's kind, but I also like Godbee because she is really nice caring and a great listener. Daisy~My favorite character is Martha because she thoughtful,and Godbee is my other favorite character because she is nice and good at listening. Miss G- My favorite character was Godbee. I was terrified through the whole story that she was going to die. Godbee was so gentle and understanding. It seemed like Martha could really trust her.
 * Discussion Questions for the Club**

What lessons do you think Martha learned? //Hannah- Martha probably learned to love the things that you have because someday they will be gone.// Miss G- I think Martha learned to not judge someone. She never took the time to get to know Olive, because Martha thought she was weird. Once Olive died Martha thinks about her constantly.

Who did you relate to the most and why? //Hannah- I related to Lucy because she's so imaginative and has really her own little world and also Godbee because she was a good listener and had a sense of humor like ME!// Daisy~think I relate to Godbee because she's nice,thoughtful,and listens to other people .Thats what I think of Godbee relates to me.

What was your favorite part of the book? //Hannah- My favorite part of the book would be when Martha brought home *Olive's Ocean* and tried to bring it to her mom but her mom moved away.// Miss G- My favorite part is when Martha almost drowns because I think it really changes things for her. It helps her see how short life really is.