Book Club
At Brain Power we believe in fostering both a love of reading and a social conscience in our students. That is why our book club discussions bring together great literature and pressing social concerns. At one event we might discuss environmental protection and Richard Adams’s Watership Down, at the next event we might discuss autism awareness and Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. We also have exciting field trips and contests! One year our students even had the chance to meet Margaret Atwood – author of The Handmaid’s Tale, Alias Grace, Oryx and Crake, and many more awesome novels and books!
Fahrenheit 451
AUGUST 25TH, 2017
On October 28th, Brain Power’s book club visited the wonderful Civic Centre Resource Library in Vaughan to discuss Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. We were given a guided tour of the building by one of the many helpful librarians (see pictures below), and we saw all of the amenities offered to the public free of charge! Green Room: complete with high-end cameras and video cameras, and editing software like Photoshop and Final Cut Pro Recording Studio: complete with a professional mixing board and...
The Pearl
MARCH 30TH, 2017
On March 26th, our book club discussed some “deep thoughts” about John Steinbeck’s “The Pearl.” Steinbeck’s classic novella asks important questions about how we determine the value of anything, whether it be a pearl or a human life. It also sheds an unflattering light on the extent to which greed influences our thoughts and actions,even when we think that we are making our choices for the best and most moral of reasons.
Around the World in 80 Days
JANUARY 29TH, 2017
On January 28th Brain Power’s Book club had a great time talking about Jules Verne’s adventure classic “Around the World in 80 Days” (1873). We made the classroom into a virtual world tour with stations representing Phileas Fogg’s stops on his amazing trip around the world in 80 days, and book club members travelled from station to station recreating his whole journey in one amazing afternoon at Brain Power! Click to enlarge images
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
DECEMBER 4TH, 2016
Brain Power’s book club had a fantastic time reading C. S. Lewis’s classic “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”! We joined Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, as they went through the magical wardrobe to the enchanted land of Narnia. While the children make new friends in Tumnus (the faun), the Beavers, and Aslan (the lion), they also make a powerful new enemy in the White Witch, whose maleficent rule has doomed Narnia to eternal winter. On December 3, we went...
Much Ado About Nothing
NOVEMBER 19TH, 2016
On November 19th Brain Power students attended a performance of William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” at Hart House Theatre (University of Toronto). This classic comedy follows the confusions and misunderstandings of two young couples over the “nothings” spread by rumour, gossip, and eavesdropping (i.e. “noting”). Students discussed the play during the intermission and immediately following the performance. Discussion was led by our very own Shakespeare expert, Dr. Joel Benabu!
Frankenstein
OCTOBER 18TH, 2016
Brain Power’s book club had a terrifying time reading Mary Shelley’s Gothic-horror classic, “Frankenstein” “(1818). After reading the frightening and thought-provoking tale of Dr. Victor Frankenstein’s ill-fated attempt to create life, some students went to see a National Theatre Live broadcast of the performance at the Silver City in Richmond Hill. After the performance, students gathered in the theatre lobby to have a spirited two-hour(!) discussion of the many themes of the story, including nature versus nurture, the dangers of scientific...