Oh So Sorry!

Can't believe it has been over a month since I've blogged.  I have the rest of Quiet's questions and two other books discussion questions coming your way.  So stay tuned!

Magpie

Wintergirls Discussion Questions

One of the great things about being the sponsor for the student organization book group is when they choose to read a book that coincides with other events on campus.  Next month we are going to be having an event that was created by a friend of mine to help people create a new dialog about self image and self worth.  The organization is called Southern Smash and has been doing a great job on campus' like ours as well as others across the southeastern US.  This months book is called Wintergirls and it's by Laurie Halse Anderson and focuses on a teenager going through a very serious battle with an eating disorder.  Normally, I include questions of my own mixed with those provided by the publisher, but this month the questions the publisher provides are so great those are what I'm listing below.  In addition to the questions the publisher had I found a ton of great resources on this page from Grand Valley State University.

• Read the two epigraphs printed at the front of the book. How do you think each relates to Lia and her situation?

• What do the crossed-out words and phrases reveal about Lia? Why can’t she allow herself to say or think some things? What is she afraid will happen if she does?

• Define “wintergirl.” In what ways are Lia and Cassie frozen? Discuss the symbolism of winter and cold found throughout the story and the role it plays in building the main themes of the novel.

• Does Lia want to lose weight so she will look thin and pretty? What does her thinness mean to her? How does she think it gives her power?

• Does Cassie’s death trigger Lia’s restrictive eating patterns to reemerge? Why or why not?

• “Empty” becomes synonymous with “strong” for Lia throughout most of the story. How does Lia justify this comparison? Do her feelings ever change?

• Lia repeats the phrase “When I was a real girl . . . “ If she’s not real now, what is she? When did she stop being real? Will she ever be real again?

• The night Cassie dies, why does she call Lia? Would it have made a difference if Lia had answered? Why or why not? Could anything have saved Cassie?

• In the newspaper article about Cassie’s death, the superintendent of schools says, “Most teens today struggle with something.” Do you agree? Explain your opinion.

• What is friendship? Describe the important elements of Lia and Cassie’s relationship. Are they really friends?

• Describe Lia’s relationships with her mother, father, Jennifer, and Emma.  How is Lia different with each of them? What do they each contribute to her situation? How do they each influence her?

• Lia is particular about the names she calls her family members  (i.e. “Jennifer” instead of Stepmother, “Dr. Marrigan” instead of Mom, “Professor Overbrook” instead of Dad). What does this reveal about what

Lia thinks of her family members?

• Discuss the line: “I pretend to be a fat, healthy teenager. They pretend to be my parents.” What does this line expose about Lia’s feelings for her parents? What does Lia’s frequent use of the word “pretend” throughout

the book tell you about the way she views others? Why does Lia feel she and others must pretend?

• What does Lia think makes her strong? What do you think of as Lia’s strengths? Would Lia agree with you? How does Lia’s perception of strength change toward the end of the story?

• What do we learn from Cassie’s ghost? Does her presence help or hinder Lia on her path to recovery? What does Cassie’s ghost come to symbolize by the end of the novel?

• Discuss Lia’s relationship with Elijah. When she first meets him and lies about her identity, why do you think she chooses to give her stepsister’s name as her own? What is Elijah able to give Lia that the other people in her life cannot? What do you think about the way their relationship ends?

• What role does Lia’s knitting play in the novel? What does it come to symbolize?

• Elijah calls himself “a wanderer in search of truth.” Does he find truth by the end of the story? Does Lia? Are any of the other characters able to do so? Explain.

• Lia’s mother tells her: “Cassie had everything: a family who loved her, friends, activities. Her mother wants to know why she threw it all away.“According to Lia, asking “why” Cassie died is the wrong question. She says to ask “why not.” What do you think she means by this? Which do you think is the right question to ask? Is there an answer to either?

• Why do you think Lia and Cassie took their eighth grade New Year’s resolutions so seriously? How do these promises play into the rest of the story?

• Lia’s dad says to her: “I wish I understood what goes on inside you . . . why you’re so afraid.“ Is fear part of Lia’s problem? What is she afraid of?

• What is Lia using her thinness to communicate to her parents? What is her body saying that her voice cannot?

• Why do you think Lia finally opens up to Dr. Parker? What do you think of what she chooses to tell her? How does the conversation change Lia’s situation?

• Dr. Parker tells Lia: “In one aspect, yes, I believe in ghosts, but we create them.” Do you agree with her? How much of what happens to Lia is a result of her own doing? How much of it is caused by others?

• What does the “see–glass” mean to Lia? What does she think she needs it for? Does this end up being true?

• What ultimately changes for Lia by the end of the story? Why does she survive when Cassie didn’t?

 

Lifemobile Discussion Questions

Every now and then you get a book that is a quick read but is such a good story with a perspective and a topic you aren't really expecting.  Lifemobile was one of those books for me.  Never in a million years would I have picked this book.  It just wouldn't appeal to me. But this was a good read and I'm so pleased the students picked this one. 

Enjoy,
Magpie

Benjy’s Asperger’s tick is telling the truth.  What would you want yours to be?

Has anyone who is different changed your life or your view on people like Benjy?

On page 98 you hear Ben talk about his struggles with Benjy finding his place.  Do you think your parents feel this way?  Hearing it from the parent’s side, does it give you some new perspective on them and how and why they treat you the way they do?

Do you agree with Ben that the car was a “means to an end” in terms of spending time with Benjy?

On page 127 Benjy has a dialogue with Brad about driving the student car, should Ben have stepped in or given Brad some warning?

On page 129 Kenny says that Benjy has taught him something about responsibility.  Do you think this is a reason to give people a chance and take the good with the bad in order to help both parties grow?

Benjy wants to be treated fairly and equally, but Ben wants him to have exceptions for his Math classes.  Is that fair?

Do you feel like this book is similar to others like The Perks of Being a Wallflower?

Do you think there are students like Benjy at your school?

Why write it from Ben’s point of view?  How would it have been different if it would have been written from Benjy’s point of view?

Do you think Benjy will be okay in the long run living and working with Kenny?

The author has previously written for TV and movies, do you see this story used for either?

Do you think the book is more credible because it is based on the author’s own experience with his son?

Quiet Reading Assignment IV

This upcoming week is  Homecoming and Family Weekend here on campus, so things are going to be very hectic for me so I'm hoping to be able to get this assignments questions up as soon as I can.  But at least you can read pages 130 - 180 and be prepared when they do hit.

Magpie