BOOKS

Welcome back to Chloe’s Book Club — a community for book lovers from Chloe Lukasiak and Girls’ Life magazine.

If you're new here, hello and welcome, book lovers! Here's how this works: Each month we read, discuss and obsess over a new book; so if you haven’t signed up already, be sure to click this link and officially join the club. We’ll email you with Chloe’s Book Club updates, reading guides, special contests and giveaways, event invitations and more.

Here's a quick list of everything you'll find inside this post (and beyond). Just remember, *major spoilers* are ahead, so look for the spoiler ratings before you read!

CONCEAL, DON'T FEEL — THE BOOK CLUB AT-A-GLANCE
+ Buy the book
+ Quick-Read Recap
+ Chloe's Commentary
+ The Playlist
+ Chloe's Discussion Questions
+ Details on how to participate
 

This October, Chloe’s Book Club is reading the latest novel in the A Twisted Tale series, Conceal, Don't Feel. Like the rest of the series, this book features a fantastical take on one of your Disney faves—Frozen! To get 15% off your copy, head over to Barnes & Noble and use the code chloereads at checkout (offer available through October 31, 2019). Or, if you're shopping in store, CLICK HERE to snag a coupon. Psst: Be sure to share the discount with all the friends in your book club!

Ready to get started? Read on...

Spoiler level: High

If you're like us, you love, love, love Frozen. In this latest Twisted Tale, you get to relive the amazing story in a whole new way.

Elsa is a lonely, isolated princess in Arendelle who's just starting to take on more responsibilities in the kingdom. She loves her parents, but feels like something's missing: She wishes she had a sister.

Elsa's mom, Queen Iduna, seems frustrated that she can't tell Elsa a long-held secret. The king insists they keep quiet for everyone's safety. The queen goes for her monthly visit outside the village to see her best friend Tomally and her adopted daughter, Anna, who makes the most delicious snowman cookies. They have a wonderful time together, and Anna dreams of living in Arendelle.

One day, the king and queen set sail for a trip, but their ship is lost at sea. Elsa is overwhelmed with sadness and feels totally alone. Despite her despair, she now has to lead the kingdom. Meanwhile, Anna hears that her mom's best friend has died—and feels pulled to Arendelle, though she doesn't quite know why. She simply must go. She becomes incredibly worried about Princess Elsa.

Elsa is alone in the castle and discovers she has the strange power to create snow and ice. Even though it's supposed to be summer, she's made it snow. She feels like she has to "conceal, don't feel," because her emotions are making her frosty magic difficult to manage.

Soon, Elsa won't leave the castle, not even to go to her parents' memorial. She creates snowballs in her room, which turn into the talking snowman Olaf, who asks her if she remembers him. Memories of someone named Anna start to come back to Elsa, too.

As Arendelle's summer turns to ice and snow, Elsa leaves, but she is captured and brought back where she is imprisoned in the castle. People are calling her a monster!

Meanwhile, Anna, her friend Kristoff and his reindeer, Sven, head toward the castle. Anna doesn't know why she is drawn to see Princess Elsa (and save Arendelle from the brutal winter), but she soon starts to feel déjà vu in the castle—and even remembers the snowman Olaf, the one who inspired her cookies!

Kristoff leaves Anna, but Grand Pabbie, who is Kristoff's closest family member, tells Kristoff he must go back and save Anna, or she will die. Kristoff rushes back to the castle. Anna finally finds Elsa in the castle, and slowly remembers it all. They're sisters!

But Anna turns to ice and starts to die. Elsa hugs her, and a white stripe in Anna's hair begins to disappear. Anna awakens and the sisters' loving thoughts break the curse. Elsa is finally able to stop the winter, the princesses are finally together and they can rule Arendelle the way their parents intended.

Spoiler level: Medium

Hi guys, it's Chloe here! My little sister Clara and I have been huge fans of Frozen ever since the movie was first released. Clara declared that she was Elsa! She was quite protective of her powerful and icy character. Clara, who is 8 years younger than I am, always screamed at me anytime I tried to sing Let It Go.

Clara has vitiligo, and she has a white spot on her stomach where she claimed her "ice powers came from." She was so little then—it was incredibly adorable! 

Frozen always resonated with me because, in the movie, it's the strong sister bond that saves the day. It's not about a guy being a hero or a prince saving a damsel in distress. Through the love of sisters, their kingdom is saved—and I always loved that so, so much. Why? Because the love Clara and I have for each other could definitely save *any* kingdom. Elsa and Anna's story in Conceal, Don't Feel is about finding one another—and then finding strength in loving each other.

Unfortunately, mine and Clara's story is a bit of the reverse because we've been together for 10 long (but also short) years. I just started college and recently moved away. Being so far from my family, especially my sister, is heartbreaking. But I hope that this teaches us to appreciate every moment we do have together in the future.

Clara and I are not all that different from Anna and Elsa. The sisters grew apart after Anna was forced to forget Elsa's powers (or her sister altogether, in the plot for Conceal, Don't Feel). I feel that Clara and I grew apart when I was in my prime teen years. Back then, I would get mad too easily about dumb things—and our relationship definitely suffered. Even though we did have some nice moments together, we were fighting with each other more often than not.

But now, no matter the physical distance between us, Clara knows she will always be my best friend. I cherish our relationship immensely. I truly believe that there is no one like Clara, and I am honored to be her sister. She is everything I hope to be, and she will conquer anything she puts her mind to. She is the kindest soul I have ever met and, like Elsa, she cares deeply about others. Clara and I really appreciated Conceal, Don't Feel, It's super cute, and it brings us such good feelings and memories.

Spoiler level: Low

These particular songs make me think of my little sister Clara—and the family and friends who support me (and help me keep everything together!). Like Conceal, Don't Feel, this music makes me feel great inside and out. Time for a serious Frozen-inspired cuddle fest.
 

 Spoiler level: High

1. On the very first page, Princess Elsa is introduced to a crowd of people when a status of her family is presented to the citizens of Arendelle. Then she has to attend a banquet in the king and queen's—her parents'—honor. On page 8, Lord Peterssen says about her, "She's a young lady now and ready to take part in the kingdom's conversations." Elsa has recently turned 18 years old, so why do you think she seems uncomfortable with the attention? When you are in front of a crowd (like in class or at a sports game), do you feel nervous? Why or why not?

2. If your family member gave you a special lockbox to prepare you for your future—much like the one that Elsa receives on page 17—what would your loved ones probably put in it for you?

3. When we finally meet Anna, 15, she is a very busy, slightly distracted girl who is working hard in her parents' bakery. Shortly after, in Chapter 5, we meet her adopted mother's BFF Freya. Freya is really the queen—Anna's mother—but Anna doesn't know that. How can you tell right off the bat that Elsa and Anna are somewhat alike? Are you anything like your siblings (or cousins if you don't have brothers or sisters)? How is it fun—or frustrating—to share so many traits in common with your family members?

4. A key point in the story (so much so it's the title, natch) Elsa tells herself to "conceal, don't feel" her emotions. When do you find yourself concealing your real feelings? What would it take for you to feel comfortable letting people know how you truly feel?

5. There is a lot of magic in the book—from Elsa to Olaf to Grand Pabbie and more. What magic superpower do you wish you had? What would you do with your powers if you had them? Maybe there's something you're already really, really good at doing. What is it? What is your real-life human superpower? How can you keep using your own strengths for good?

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So you've read the book and you're ready to talk all things Conceal, Don't Feel? Wondering *exactly* how Chloe’s Book Club works and what it means to be a member? There are so many ways you can get involved—whether it’s solo, on social media or with your whole squad. Here's a quick list…
+ SOLO. Take your personal reading game to the next level by using Chloe's discussion questions as a guide for your own journaling and personal reflection. If you love to read, it could be fun to start a special book diary where you keep track of all your favorite novels—and the personal musings they inspired.
+ ON SOCIAL MEDIA. Share your thoughts on Conceal, Don't Feel using the hashtag #chloesbookclub on Twitter and Instagram. (Just remember: You have to have a public account for us to be able to see and respond to your posts!)
+ WITH YOUR SQUAD. Host an IRL book club party, of course! Check out the playlist for music ideas and Chloe's discussion questions for convo starters — then be sure to tag us in your snaps so we can share them.

by Chloe Lukasiak and Chloe's Book Club | 10/2/2019