Nevermoor: The Trails of Morrigan Crow - Discussion Questions

 

1.       Does Morrigan’s family love her? Why or why not?  

2.       What would you do if you had grown up with a family that didn’t love you? What must it be like to be unloved?

3.       Who saved Morrigan from the fate of being a cursed child? What do you think happened to the other cursed children? 

4.       What is Morrigan’s first impression of Nevermoor?

5.       What do you think of Jupiter North’s eccentric Hotel Deucalion?

6.       When Morrigan is taken by Jupiter she finds the first family she has ever known. How important is a family (no matter what sort of family it is)?

7.       Why did Jupiter say “the Wundrous Society is more than just a school, it’s a family” ? 

8.       What are the trials Morrigan have to take to become the member of the Wundrous Society? 

9.       Morrigan is still doubtful that anyone could like her, and constantly expects friends to reject her. Is such insecurity about making friends a normal part of growing up?

10.   Who is Wundersmith? Why did he become so evil?

11.   What do you think of the battle between Saint Nick and the Yule Queen? Who is the winner? Who is your favorite? 

12.   What is the Gossamer Line?

13.   Why does Jupiter North choose Morrigan Crow his candidate? What is Morrigan’s talent?

14.   Is Jupiter North a fortuneteller? What is his talent?

15.   Who is Jack? Why does he need to wear the pirate eyepatch?

16.   Which character was most intriguing North’s eccentric Hotel Deucalion and why?

17.   Which character in the story would you like to have heard more about?

18.   The book was compared as the next Harry Potter. Do you agree with this statement? Can you guess what would happen in the next book?

You Go First - Discussion Questions

 

 

1.      Where does Charlotte and Ben come from? How do Charlotte and Ben know each other?

2.       Why do you think Ben doesn’t have friends at school? What kind of kids might like him, and where could he meet them? Find evidence that foreshadows his possible friendship with Wyatt.

3.      Both Ben and Charlotte are dealing with serious problems at home. Describe the problems and how Ben and Charlotte feel about them.

4.      Talk about Ben and Charlotte’s friendship and how it grows. How do Ben and Charlotte help each other?

5.      Describe Charlotte’s friendship with Bridget in the past and why it worked. What are the warning signs that things aren’t going well? Why do the two of them grow apart? 

6.      What are some clues that Charlotte and Magda might become friends? What’s Magda like, and how do you know? What do she and Charlotte have in common?

7.      Why does Ben want to run for school office? What do you think his chances are of being elected, and why?

8.      How are Charlotte and Ben alike in terms of personality, interests, and friendships? How are they different? How do their feelings and attitudes change throughout the story?

9.      The school lunchroom presents difficulties for both Charlotte and Ben. Describe those problems and how they deal with them. Why Denis Estimon have started We Dine Together.

10.  Describe times that kids are mean to others in the story. What do you think prompts the meanness? Analyze the difference, if any, between kids who instigate the meanness and those who laugh and go along with it.

11.  Discuss the conversation Charlotte has with Mateo about Magda and the ants and how you think Charlotte feels about it.

12.  Discuss Charlotte’s relationship with her father? Why didn’t Charlotte want to visit him at the hospital?

13.   Why does Charlotte decide to skip school to take a trip to the art museum? How does Charlotte mother find her?

14.  Discuss Ben’s relationship with his father.

15.  The Rabbit Hole for the chapter titled “Starfish” (p. 18) introduces the idea of resilience. Ben’s father also mentions resilience in describing Franklin Roosevelt. (p. 266) Why are those two good examples of resilience? How is the idea of resilience important in the rest of the story?

16.  Why is the title You Go First? Why is that the last line of the book? Talk about the last two chapters and what you think they suggest about the future for both Ben and Charlotte.

17.  Look at the book’s structure. Why do you think the author chose to tell the story in less than a week?

 

18.  What is your favorite detail in the book? How many stars would you rate the book? 

The Way to Bea - Discussion Questions

 

1.      What happened to Bea after her summer trip to Taiwan with her family?

2.      Why didn’t Bea’s best friend want to hang out with her?

3.      If you were Bea and your best friend stopped hanging out with you, what would you do?

4.      What made Bea run out of Mr. Clarke’s class?

5.      Have ever humiliated yourself in the public? If you did, what did you do to deal with it? 

6.      What did Bea do to deal with her situation?  

7.      How did Bea become the first-ever seventh-grade poetry editor?

8.      Who can wistfully quote Bea’s poetry even though they have never met?

9.      What is the difference between the maze and the labyrinth?

10.  Who is the boy in the striped shirt? What is his obsession?

11.  Who are Bea’s parents? Do you agree with her parents who are always willing to sign notes for her cut classes?

12.  What did Bea do to help Will? Could you do what Bea did to a friend?

13.  Do you think Bea treat Briggs fairly? Would you do differently?

14.  If you mother was going to have a baby, would you leave her to go helping your friend? What would you do? 

15.  What happened at the Mr. Leland’s labyrinth/maze? 

16.  Do you surprise to find Sammie at the maze? Do you surprise to know Sammie is the one who respond to Bea’s poems and notes?

17.  What did Bea find at the end of the story?

18.  After reading the book, do you understand Haiku’s rules? Can you write a Haiku?  

Saving Marty - Discussion Questions

 

1.      This book is set in a small farming town in southwest Pennsylvania. Compare and contrast this setting to where you live. How is you daily life similar or different than Renzo’s and Pal’s?

 

2.      Describe the friendship between Renzo and Pal and the friendship between Renzo and Marty, the pig. How are they the same or different?

3.      Discuss a friendship that is important to you and what role you play in the friendship.

4.      Describe Renzo’s relationship with his mom and his grandfather, Double Pop. How are these relationships different? Who else helps to fill the void left by his dad?

 

5.      Early in the book, Double Pop says about Marty, “His family is gone, and he’s a bit lost, trying to fit in. He’s looking for his best friend, and he’s chosen you.” What exactly does it mean to be chosen?

6.      Why is it important that Renzo named his pig after his dad? Have you be named after someone or have some been named after you?

7.      We never meet Marty Ventura, Renzo’s dad, but we get to know him through his letters and songs. Describe Marty, the dad, in three words. How do the letters and songs give Renzo a connection to his dad?

8.      The army has two sayings about heroes, “Heroes go to heaven” and “Don’t be a hero.” What do these mean to you? Are they contradictory? Why or why not?

9.      On page 104, Renzo asks Pal, “How do you write songs like that? You sang it like you lived it.” What’s a song that makes you feel like it was written for your life? What role does music play in your life?

10.  How did you feel when Renzo’s mom revealed the truth about what happened to his dad? Is it the answer you were expecting? Was she right in not telling him until now?

11.  Discuss Marty Ventura’s last letter to his wife. How could Renzo’s dad be known for the light and joy that he brought others and yet feel such “rain” on the inside?

12.  By the end of the story, whom does Renzo consider his heroes? There are several characters that either change or are different then they initially seem (e.g. Keeth, Mr. Mason, and Mr. Taylor). Are any of these characters heroes?

13.  Why does he decide to take him to the Heavenly Hills Animal Sanctuary?

14.  Discuss the meaning of the title and its connection to the themes of heroes and friendship. How does Renzo save Marty? How does Marty save Renzo and change his family’s situation? Could the title refer to his dad as well as the pig?

15.  Do you like the ending of the book? If you were the author would you end the story differently?  

 

Samantha Spinner and the Super-Secret Plans - Discussion Questions

 

 

1.    Samantha Spinner's uncle Paul disappeared, what did he leave for Samantha and her siblings?

2.    What did Buffy do with her money? If you had a large amount of money what would you do with it?

3.    How did Nipper lose Uncle Paul’s gift? What do you think of this detail? 

4.    Who is Uncle Paul?

5.    How did Sam know about the secret map in the umbrella? 

6.    What is Magtrain? If you could ride on the Magtrain, where would you go to?

7.    Why did Sam and Nipper decide to travel to Paris?

8.    What does it mean “Watch out for the rain”? Who are the “rain”?

9.    How did the Ninjas track Sam and Nipper?

10.   Why did Sam and Nipper decide to go to Egypt?

11.  What happened in Egypt?

12.  Why did Sam give the Nipper the Hope diamond?  What do you think of this detail?

13.  Why did Sam trick the ninjas to the Magtrain?  Would you do the same?

14.  Can you guess what happened to Uncle Paul?

15.  Uncle Paul knew the umbrella would attract the dangerous ninjas why did he pass it on to Sam?

16.  What do you think of the book ending? How many stars would you award the book?

 

 

 

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Restart - Discussion Questions

 

1. Chase Ambrose has amnesia due to a fall from the roof. He can remember some things – like how to talk. He doesn’t remember other things – like his own name. He doesn’t recognize his parents. He has one memory of a girl in a blue dress, but no idea who she is. How would you feel if this (memory loss) happened to you?

2. Shoshanna Weber’s brother has been sent to a boarding school because he was the target of school bullies. And the biggest bully of all was none other than Chase Ambrose. Yet when he sees Shoshanna after his accident, he actually smiles at her. How would you feel if you were Shoshanna?

3. What are some major changes that happened to Chase's personality after amnesia?

4. What do you think of Chase joining the video club?

5. What do you think of Shoshanna’s reaction to Chase becoming a member of the video club?

6. If you were Brendon Espinoza, what would you think of having Chase as your camera man?

7. At the car wash the manager immediately jumps to the conclusion that the stunt was Chase’s idea/fault until Brendan explains the truth. Is the manager’s conclusion justified?

8. Chase was exempt from his community service at the Portland Street Assisted Living Residence due to his accident. So why does he go back to do it?

9. Why do you think Kimberly joined the video club?

10. What was happening to Chase's relationship with Aaron and Bear after he came back from his incident?

11. The project with Mr. Solway and Chase has become the biggest thing in Shoshanna’s life – and yet she feels she can’t tell Joel. Do you agree with her? Do you agree with her new view of Chase or do you think her parents are correct?

12. Bear and Aaron set up the incident to frame Chase. Why doesn’t Chase tell the truth to Dr. Fitzwallace?

13. How do you think Chase felt after he remembered where the little girl and the blue dress memory came from?

14. How do you think Shoshanna felt after she saw the evidence that Chase was trying to help Brendon and Joel in the fire extinguisher accident and not hurt them?

15. In the end Chase tries to do the right thing and return the Medal of Honor. What obstacles does he face? What help does he have?

16. Chase takes full blame and ends up back in court. Does this seem fair? What do you think of the outcome?

17. Do you believe that Chase has really changed? Do you think he can ever live down his reputation as a bully?

18. What are your favorite characters, favorite details in the book? From 1 to 5, how many stars would you rate the book?

 

 

 

 

Posted - Discussion questions

 

1.      Frost’s mother says, “You find your people and you protect each other from the wolves” (p. 249). How well do Frost, Bench, Deedee, and Wolf fit this description? How does their group change in the course of the book? 

2.      What other tribes exist at your school? Relate the idea of friend groups to your own experience of school life.

3.      Explain the nicknames that Frost and his initial group of friends have, where they came from, and why they matter. What does each nickname tell you about the boy?

4.      What event pushes the school to forbid students from bringing phones to school? How do the students react to this?

5.      When Rose Holland comes to school as a new student, what impact does her presence have on Frost and his friends? What happens when she joins them at their lunch table?

6.      Have you ever been in a situation where someone outside of your friend group wants to join in? What happened?

7.      Find examples of how Frost compares middle school to a war zone and specifically how he describes the use of sticky notes as a war. In what ways do the comparisons ring true?

8.       What effect does catching the football and making a touchdown have on Bench’s life? When Bench and Frost are talking about why Bench changed lunch tables, Bench says, “It’s not even about you!” (p. 331). What does he mean?

9.       How did you feel while reading the scene in which Cameron and his friends threaten Deedee and Frost in the bathroom?

10.   Do you think something like that has or could happen at our school? What might you do if it did happen here?

11.  Why do you think Rose makes the bet with Cameron? Why do you think it was so important to her?

12.  Describe the Gauntlet and how the kids at the middle school use it, including Evan. Why does Rose ride it?

13.  After the bathroom bullying incident, Rose says to Frost that “telling the principal won’t work” (p. 271). Why does she believe that?

14.  Discuss the meanings of the words “I’m sorry” that Rose makes Cameron wear. Why does Frost say the note is perfect?

15.  What is the significance of the phrase “Total Roman” on Wolf ’s locker? Who wrote them there, and why? Talk about why Wolf, after he sees the locker, goes home and destroys his models.

16.  After the words appear on Wolf ’s locker, both Bench and Frost do tell the principal. Why do you think they decided to do so? What were the consequences, and was it a good decision?

17.   In the end, Wolf decides to go to another school. Why does he make that choice? How does Frost feel about it? Give reasons that it might or might not be a good move for Wolf.

18.  “Words are ghosts that can haunt us forever,” reads a sticky note on Jason’s locker (p. 340). Who put it there, and why? What does it mean?

19.  What are your favorite details in the book? Do you like the book ending? If you were the author, how would you end the story?

20.  From 1 to 5, how many  stars would you rate the book?