Summer Book Club: The Sisters Grimm (Week Three)

We've come to the final week of our Summer Book Club! I've so enjoyed reading all of your comments and getting to have a "conversation" of sorts with you on our blog all summer. Once school gets started again, we'll be able to meet and celebrate our accomplishments together. Maybe we can even watch "My Side of the Mountain" or "City of Ember." 

If you're not ready to give up the Sisters Grimm books yet, you're in luck! There are SEVERAL more books in the series, PLUS the back of the book has all kinds of activities to keep you thinking even further about fairy tales!

Questions to Ponder/Answer:
1. Ferryport Landing has changed a bit over the last section of the book. What kind of place would you say Ferryport Landing is now? Be sure to think back over your earlier ideas because I bet many of them are still true!

2. What are you thinking about Jack? What kind of character is he? Did he surprise you, or were you expecting him to turn on the girls? 

3. What did you think of our summer book club? What advice do you have for me if I do a summer book club next year? What should I do the same? What should I change?

4. If you were Sabrina or Daphne and you had to write the first entry in your new Fairy Tale Accounts journal, what would you say? What would see the most important to write down about this first adventure and the people you've met? 

I so, so, so enjoyed being able to share these books with you this summer! Enjoy your last week of summer vacation! I can't wait to see you when you come back!

Summer Book Club: The Sisters Grimm (Week Two)

This is our second week reading The Sisters Grimm: Fairy Tale Detectives. This week, we read from Chapter Four through Chapter Seven. Next week, our LAST week, we finish the book!

About The Magic Mirror: The children are surprised to find the Magic Mirror hidden behind the door. If you want to learn all about the Magic Mirror and where it's shown up in Disney history, you can read about it here. All questions to the Magic Mirror have to rhyme. Can you think of any? Share them with us below. Can you think of any other references to Disney movies that have showed up in the book so far?



Questions to Ponder/Answer/Explore:

1. Last week, Leela wrote long about Ferryport Landing and the kind of town it was. Listen to her theories about the town. She said: "Ferryport Landing seems to be a town that's in a mask. A town that if you saw pictures of it, you would think, "This is a boring place," but then you take the mask off, and you find an adventurous town that's literally out of a fairy tale." She also said, "Ferryport Landing also seems to be a town of sides. You either like it there or you don't. you either belong, or you don't. You either get along with the people (or creatures) there, or you don't." What do you think about Leela's theories about the kind of place Ferryport Landing is? Can you add on or say more about her ideas?

2. Sabrina comes to some major realizations during this section about her parents, her grandmother, and her family history. Which realizations stand out to you as the most important? What do Sabrina's reactions to these realizations help you understand about Sabrina? 

3. Puck is really a fascinating character. He describes himself as "royalty," "the spiritual leader to juvenile delinquents"and a star in Shakespeare's play. What is your impression of Puck? What kind of character is he? Why do you think Michael Buckley decided to include him in the story?

4. What theory are you growing about the book? Share it with us here so we can think about it too!

As always, remember to check back often to see your comments and the comments of your classmates. Ask each other questions, and really get a conversation going on here! This is a book where there is a TON to talk about!

Summer Book Club: The Sisters Grimm (Book 1): The Fairy Tale Detectives

Oops! Blogger was set to automatically post this entry, but I set it to post in August 2012! Glad I caught the mistake!

This week, we begin The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy Tale Detectives, Book 1 in the exciting Sisters Grimm series! This week, we read Chapters 1 through 3. Enjoy! I can't wait to hear all your thoughts!

The Grimm Fairy Tales: All throughout The Fairy Tale Detectives, different fairy tales are alluded to. Although I was familiar with many of the fairy tales, there were some I had never heard of (and some I just wanted to read again because I had loved them so much the first time!). Here are some useful sites I visited that helped me learn more about the fairy tales. If you find any other sites that are helpful, please post them in the comments so we can all visit them!

• Here's a cool National Geographic website all about the Brothers Grimm. They've got all kinds of tales you can read. Just like the story of Hansel and Gretel that we discussed in class this year, all the fairy tales listed here do not end happily. 
• This site has a really extensive collection of tales, 219 to be exact!
• If you want to see some animated versions of the tales or play some fairy tale games, visit here!

Learn More about Sabrina and Daphne's Relatives: The Brothers Grimm are Sabrina and Daphne's relatives. They've got a unique history you can read up on. 

• Here's one article about the Brothers Grimm.
• Here's another biography of the two men. 
• Here's a painting of what the Brothers Grimm probably looked like and here's a statue of them!

Questions to Ponder/Respond to: 

1. Sabrina and Daphne have both been affected by their parents' disappearance. However, it seems to have affected the girls very differently. How has Sabrina responded? Daphne? What do their different responses help you understand about the girls? 

2. Sabrina seems to judge her grandmother and Mr. Canis right away, but by the end of this section, her opinion of them seems to be changing. How is the relationship between these characters changing? What's causing it to change? 

3. We know that Ferryport Landing is the kind of place that sells bagels (because every place, except the Moon, does!). But let's think more about Ferryport Landing. What kind of place is it? You might say, "It's the kind of place where...." and then try to write long about what it's like. Try to go beyond what it looks like. What kind of people live there? What is the mood of the place? How does the place affect the characters? 

4. As a reader, you're doing a ton of thinking work as you read. What has been most helpful for you as a reader as you're reading The Fairy Tale Detectives? Share what's worked for you so that you can help the other readers in our club!

5. If you've got a theory you're growing, please share it so we can all begin thinking about it as we read on!

As always, remember to check back often to see your comments and the comments of your classmates. Ask each other questions, and really get a conversation going on here! This is a book where there is a TON to talk about!

City of Ember: Week Three

This week, we come to the end of The City of Ember. We read from Chapter 15: A Desperate Run to the end of the book! 

Questions to Ponder/Answer:
1. The City of Ember is filled with symbols! Consider one symbol that seems incredibly important to the story. Maybe you'll choose to look at the Moth? The bean sprouts? The letter? The pineapple? Choose one and try to write long about it. What does it mean? Does it mean the same thing each time it appears? Why do you think Jeanne DuPrau chose to include this symbol in the book?

2. The three songs the citizens of Ember sing in Chapter 16: The Singing are all quite different from each other. Think about The Song of the City, The Song of the River and the Song of Darkness. Why do you think the citizens sing the three different song? What might each song symbolize? Do you think the order of the songs is important? 

3. The ending of The City of Ember just filled me with wonder. What are you wondering about at the end of the book? Why? Do you think the ending is hopeful? Why do you think Jeanne DuPrau would have chosen to end her book at this point!

4. Think deeply about the theory you've been following over the book. How has your theory changed? How has your theory helped you understand the book more deeply? 


If you enjoyed The City of Ember, be sure to check out the other books in the Ember series. You can find information about all the books here. 


If you have a question for Jeanne DuPrau after reading the book, you can EMAIL HER! This page has her contact information. She said she will try to get back to everyone, but it might take her a while. If you email her and get a response, post it here so that we can all read it!


DID YOU KNOW The City of Ember was made into a MOVIE? Watch the trailer! Perhaps we can watch the movie together in the fall? 

REMEMBER to check back often! Read other responses. Ask other readers questions! Answer questions that are asked. The more you visit and comment, the more interesting our conversation will be!

Next week, we begin The Sisters' Grimm! Be prepared for more fairy tale allusions than you've ever encountered before!