The Secret Summer Book Club

By Keert Gill

Hi. My name is Rose and these are my

friends. The girl in the red skirt is my sister,

Ruby. She loves

performing. She's very loud and doesn't care what people

think.

The girl in the yellow dress is Olivia. She's shy,

quiet, and smart. She's definitely the opposite of Ruby.

Lastly, we have Lisa. She loves to

draw.

Ruby and I lost our parents in a car accident.

Our grandmother, Min, came to care with us. When school ended, she moved us to her town Camden Falls, Massachusetts. There we met Olivia and Lisa. Anyway, this story is not to tell you about the accident or how I met my

friends.

It's to tell you about our secret summer

book club.

One warm June morning, Min, Ruby and I were walking to Min's store, Needle & Thread.

We got to the store and sitting on the doorstep were

4 packages.

Each one had a each of our

names on it. I grabbed the packages

and said, "Min, do you know what these are or who they're from?" Min said, "No idea". Then Min started searching through her large

purse to find her phone. I could imagine the big mess in her purse. There were her glasses,

many packs of Kleenex, other loose keys, her wallet and so much more. It was like a hurricane had hit her purse.

Ruby dialed Olivia and Lisa. "You guys have to get to the store fast! There are a bunch of packages with our names on it!" While we waited, Ruby sat down and listened to music on one of the couches near the front of the store that were meant for customers who came in throughout the day for a chat-n-stitch. I went to the back of the store to one of the

work tables to continue a sewing project.

Min gave Ruby money to go to the local bakery to go get cookies

Finally, Olivia came and then Lisa came. I passed out the packages. Olivia said, "Let's open them on the count of three! One... two... three..!"

Inside each package were 2 books, "The Saturdays" by Elizabeth Enright and "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert O'Brien. There was also a letter which stated that every 3 weeks the girls would receive a new book and letter. They were to read and discuss the books together. The letters would have a list of questions. There would also be a "Saturday Adventure" after every meeting.

The letter had no signature. It was anonymous.