Hello, my bucket list friends and welcome to the first official light Heart book club discussion ! ( You can learn more about the book club HERE ) This month’s book is an American Girl book titled Lanie by Jane Kurtz . I really enjoyed reading this book and I came up with a few questions to help us discuss this book. Feel free to answer the questions in the comments! One more thing before we get into our discussion, The following contains major plot points ( Spoilers ) in the book . If you want to read the book and haven’t yet, I suggest you wait to read this post until you have finished the book. Now, let’s dive into our discussion.
Who in the book did I relate to the most ? This book is full of some great characters but the main charter Lanie is who I related to the most. Lanie has a passion for nature and all things outdoors. Her best friend Dakota also shares this passion with her but during the book Dakota is off on her own adventure on the other side of the world. Lanie’s family has what she refers to as inside genes meaning they do not love the great outdoors the way she does. I could relate to Lanie’s frustration as she struggled to share her passion with others. I think at one time or another most people have been disappointed when their excitement about a topic they are passionate isn’t shared by the others around them. I loved how Lanie did her own camp out in her yard. Sometimes you have to explore your passions on your own. This part of the book was a good reminder of that.
What was my favorite moment in the book ? I loved the part of the book when Lanie took her pet rabbit Lu Lu out for a walk. It was funny to hear about her neighbors reactions to seeing her walk her rabbit down the street.
what was my least favorite moment in the book ? – My least favorite moment in the book was when Lannie’s aunt left unexpectedly overnight due to a last minute job offer. Lanie was very excited when she found out that her nature loving aunt was coming to stay with them. Lanie and her aunt both have what Lanie calls outside genes. Lanie loved having her aunt around they even started planting a garden together. I could feel Lanie’s disappointment when she woke up and discovered that her aunt had left.
What did I think for the book overall – I really enjoyed reading this fun and light hearted book! Another one of my favorite parts was at the end of the book when Lanie and her younger sister Emily went bird watching. Throughout the book Emily had shown some interest in the outdoors but she struggled with a fear of bugs. I loved reading about their outdoor adventure together.
Actives to go with the book
The art activity I chose to go with this book was painting a garden rock. It’s a very simple art project . All you need is some paint and a rock. I used an art kit that I got from the Dollar Tree . The rock that came in the kit had the shape of a carrot outlined onto it.I had fun painting the rock and adding some glitter that came with the kit onto the carrot. I think Lanie would love to have a rock like this in her garden.
Another fun activity that you can do with this book is an outdoor scavenger hunt. You can find plenty of scavenger hunt lists online or you can come up with your own.
Recommended reading – There is another book about Lanie called Lanie’s real adventures I’ve already started reading it. If you enjoyed Lanie’s first book I recommend taking a look at her second book.
There you have it the first discussion in the light heart book club ! I’m so excited to chose the next book and discuss it with all of you ! Rock On – Christina Epperly
