Summer Reading Discussions

Attention students! I am leaving on vacation August 8.  I will be in the Cascade Mountains in northwest Washington  during much of my vacation and will have little Internet access. I will publish comments and replies as often as I can (probably every three days or so) until August 20.  See you soon!

Click here to sign up for one of the summer reading discussions. I'm looking forward to what you have to say about your readings!

For those of you who are reading The Age of Miracles, consider listening to the following podcast titled What Would Happen If the World Stopped Spinning? by my favorite podcasters Josh and Chuck at Stuff You Should Know.

The Age of Miracles 1: Stories about the end of the world

1. As readers, why do you think we’re drawn to stories about the end of the world? What special
pleasures do these kinds of narratives offer? And how do you think this element works in The Age of
Miracles?

The Age of Miracles 2: An only child

2. Julia is an only child. How does this fact affect who she is and how she sees the world? How would her
experience of the slowing be different if she had a sibling? How would her experience of middle school
be different?

The Age of Miracles 3: Julia’s experience of adolescence

3. How much do you think the slowing alters Julia’s experience of adolescence? If the slowing had never
happened, in what ways would her childhood have been different? In what ways would it have been the
same?

The Age of Miracles 4: Julia's parents' stained marriage

4. Julia’s parents’ marriage becomes increasingly strained over the course of the book. Why do you think
they stay together? Do you think it’s the right choice? How much do you think Julia’s mother does or
does not know about Sylvia?

The Age of Miracles 5: Julia's father's lies

5. Julia’s father tells several crucial lies. Discuss these lies and consider which ones, if any, are justified
and which ones are not. Is lying ever the right thing to do? If so, when?

The Age of Miracles 6: Narrated by Julia's mother

6. How would the book change if it were narrated by Julia’s mother? What if it were narrated by Julia’s
father? Or her grandfather?

The Age of Miracles 7: Julia and Seth

7. Why do you think Julia is so drawn to Seth? Why do you think he is drawn to her?

The Age of Miracles 8: Clock-timers or real-timers

8. Did you identify more with the clock-timers or with the real-timers? Which would you be and why?

The Age of Miracles 9: The slowing affects the whole planet....

9. The slowing affects the whole planet, but the book is set in southern California. How does the setting
affect the book? How important is it that the story takes place in California?

The Age of Miracles 10: How do you feel about the way the book ends?

10. How do you feel about the way the book ends? What do you think lies ahead for Julia, for her
parents and for the world?

The Age of Miracles 11: The slowing throws the natural world into disarray

11. The slowing throws the natural world into disarray. Plants and animals die and there are changes in
the weather. Did this book make you think about the threats that face our own natural world? Do you
think the book has something to say about climate change?

The Age of Miracles 12: Woke up tomorrow

12. If you woke up tomorrow to the news that the rotation of the earth had significantly slowed, how do
you think you would respond? What is the first thing you would do?

Never Fall Down 1: Music

1. Early in the book Arn says, “Music is like air, always there” (p. 3). How does music affect his life? Would he have survived without it?

Never Fall Down 2: Be invisible

2. What was the Khmer Rouge and why does Arn say, “Be invisible around these Khmer Rouge guys” (p. 21)? Does he manage to do that? How?

Never Fall Down 3: “Be like the grass”

3. Arn’s aunt tells him, “Be like the grass” (p. 37). What does she mean? Does Arn follow her advice? Why or why not?

Never Fall Down 4: Teacher

4. Arn says, “They [the Khmer Rouge] kill everyone who used to be rich or high ranking” (p. 29). Why would they do that? Suppose you were a teacher. How would you try to survive?

Never Fall Down 5: Angka

5. The “head guy” tells the kids, “Angka is your family now” (p. 40). Who or what is the Angka? What does it mean to say the Angka is your family?

Never Fall Down 6: Year Zero

6. The Khmer Rouge soldiers say, “This is Year Zero” and “You must be like the ox” (pp. 43–44). What do they mean? Does Arn obey them?

Never Fall Down 7: Death is my daily life

7. Arn says, “Death is just my daily life now” (p. 45). Why did the Khmer Rouge starve people and kill them or let them die? How could people be so cruel?

Never Fall Down 8: Living or Dying?

8. Mek says, “To live with nothing in your stomach and a gun in your face, is that living or is that dying a little bit every day?” (p. 61). Which do you think it is? If you were Mek, how would you survive?

Never Fall Down 9: Good Inside

9. Who is Sombo and why is he “good inside” (p. 95)? How do Arn’s feelings about him change throughout the story?

Never Fall Down 10: "I have the power."

10. Arn says, “And I know then I have power” (p. 80). What kind of power does he have? How does he get it, and how does he use it?

Never Fall Down 11: A Little Bit Famous

11. The phrase “a little bit famous” recurs throughout the book. What is its significance not only in Cambodia but also when Arn comes to the United States?

Never Fall Down 12: Rescue

12. When Arn comes to the United States he says, “After all the thing I been through, now being rescue is something I also have to survive” (p. 195). What does he mean?

Never Fall Down 13: Survival

13. This book is about how Arn survives. But why do you think he does? Did he find purpose in his survival?

Speak 1. Silence and Truth

1. Silence and Truth: Discuss the title of the novel and its significance. Explain the roles that silence and truth play in the story.

Speak 2. What is Friendship?

2. What is Friendship? Describe the important elements of Melinda’s relationships with Heather, Ivy, Nicole, and Rachel. Is she ever really friends with any of them? Can friendship mean something different to different people? Cite different passages in the novel as evidence of your opinion.

Speak: 3. Different on the Outside?

3. Are we sometimes different people on the outside than we are on the inside? How? Why is this true, do you think? Relate this topic to the characters in Speak.

Speak: 4: Nicknames

4. Nicknames:  Melinda nicknames many of the other characters throughout the novel. Discuss the significance of this habit and how it contributes to the development of the story and your experience as a reader.

Speak: 5: Sanctuary

5. Sanctuary: In what places is Melinda able to find sanctuary at school?
How do the characteristics of these places provide a window into her character?

Speak: 6: Value and Qualities

6. What should we value in other people? What qualities are important in a person? What do you usually notice first about someone? Does that matter or not?

Speak: 7: Humor

7. Humor: Despite her internal sense of humor, Melinda seems depressed to the outside world. In what ways is her depression evident? How do the people around her react to her behavior? Do you think they respond appropriately? How would you respond? How do the characteristics of these places provide a window into her character?

Speak: 8: Art is About Making Mistakes

8. Mr. Freeman also says that "art is about making mistakes and learning from them." What else is like this? Explain.

Speak: 9: Flaws are Interesting

9. Mr. Freeman, again! He tells Melinda that "nothing is perfect. Flaws are interesting." He's literally talking about a drawing of tree, but what do you think he really means?

Speak: 10. Pruning Symbolism

10. Melinda's father explains to her that the arborists are cutting off disease and damage to make it possible for the tree to grow again. How can the pruning of the tree be compared to Melinda's life?