Literature Circle Guide to BLIZZARD'S WAKE by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Book Summary Phyllis Reynolds Naylor weaves a taut,

gripping story about grief, determination, and healing as the lives of the Sterling family and Zeke Dexter bind together. Set against the actual events of the March 1941 blizzard, separate narrative strands introduce Kate Sterling, a teenager still mourning the death of her mother, and Zeke Dexter, the drunk driver who killed Ann Sterling and who has just been released from prison. Author Information Newbery Medal winner Phyllis Reynolds Naylor has published more than 100 books. She says she's not happy unless she spends time writing every day. She lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with her husband Rex, a speech pathologist. She has two grown sons, Jeff and Michael, and three grandchildren. When she's not writing she likes to hike, swim, play the piano, and attend the theater. Print the Student Handout (PDF) Suggested Answers to Literature Circle Questions 1. Why is Zeke Dexter getting out of jail? How long has he been there? Where is he going? Zeke Dexter is released early from his five-year sentence for negligent homicide. He spends three years, five months, and six days in the North Dakota State Penitentiary and leaves early because of good behavior. He plans to go back to his family home in Grand Forks where his brother lives, but he doesn't know the house has burned down. 2. What is the connection between Zeke and Kate? How does Kate feel about Zeke? Zeke killed Kate's mother Ann when he got behind the wheel of his car drunk. He missed a stop sign and rammed into the passenger side of "the car of two women coming home from choir practice." (p. 24) Kate hates Zeke and finds herself fantasizing about making him suffer like her mother suffered. 3. What is "the bridge"? Why is it important to Kate? The bridge is a special project for the county fair that Kate's mother started before she died. She liked to make very detailed models out of broom straws and toothpicks. In the past she made a castle, a Ferris wheel, a Victorian house, a ship, and a birdcage. (p. 36) The bridge was her most difficult project and she had written out the design. It is important to Kate because her mother had cared about these projects and worked very hard on them. The unfinished bridge represents a connection Kate still has with her mother. When Zeke helps her improve upon the design so she can finish the project, it becomes a bridge between Kate and Zeke that allows Kate to see Zeke as more than just the horrible accident he caused. 4. Why can't Zeke reach his brother by phone? What doesn't he know? What problems will this make for him as he heads home? Zeke doesn't know that his family's house has recently burned down. He assumes he'll be able to live with his brother at the house, at least until he gets a job and saves up some money. Zeke's brother wasn't aware that Zeke was getting out of prison early. Zeke is headed to the house by foot when the blizzard hits. Even if he was able to make it through the storm, there would be no house when he got there. 5. How has Kate been affected by her mother's death? How has it changed her life? The death of Kate's mother has profoundly affected Kate. She has found that ever since her mother died "there were certain things Kate found she had to avoid to keep the panic away." (p. 22) The things she has to avoid include spending time around the mothers of her friends and having her friends over to her house. She finds holidays and birthdays to be "excruciating." (p. 23) On the school bus or while at home, she is overwhelmed by feelings of guilt and sadness for arguing with her mother the night she was killed, and anger and a desire for revenge because her mother was taken from her. Additionally, more of the housework falls on Kate's shoulders now. (p. 43) 6. List all the ways day-to-day life was different in 1941 from the way life is today. List all the ways it is the same. Many details from the story show that the book is set in an earlier time. Zeke buys an omelette, home fries, and coffee for a total of 15 cents. (p. 54) At Kate's school, sometimes there's a "Trouser Week for girls," but usually "the girls arrived at school with legs as red as lobsters between the hem of their skirts and their ankle socks." (p.22)

Kate's house doesn't have electric lines and her father cranks a generator once or twice a week to build enough electricity for the radios and a few light bulbs. (p.75) At the same time, students should be able to draw connections between life in 1941 as depicted in the book and life today. Kate and Jesse like to listen to music and hang out with their friends. Kate loves her kitten and Jesse wants to learn how to drive. The students at Kate's school are worried about war and the state of the world. 7. Imagine you were Jesse or Kate during the blizzard. How would you react to the appearance of Zeke Dexter? What would you do? Why? Jesse is startled when he realizes the man in the car is Zeke. He doesn't understand why Zeke isn't still in prison and thinks maybe he escaped. Kate is horrified to find Zeke in the car. She doesn't want to rescue this man and she certainly doesn't want him in her home. Over time, Jesse comes to see likable qualities in Zeke. They talk about cars and Jesse realizes that, though he did something horrible, Zeke is a person and is more than the horrible thing he did. It takes Kate longer to see Zeke as more than the accident that claimed her mother. Eventually Zeke helps her fix the bridge project her mother started and Kate begins to see Zeke as human. 8. On page 150 "Kate faced the bitter realization that her heart had been frozen solid, and spring would come to all but her." What does this sentence mean? What keeps Kate's heart so cold and what keeps it from warming? Kate is stuck. She is trapped in a cycle of tremendous guilt over her last moments with her mother and for hating Zeke for taking her away. She realizes her frozen heart won't allow her to move on. Because she has not forgiven herself, she cannot forgive Zeke, and thus she is trapped while spring, warmth, and life move ahead for everyone else around her. 9. War, from President Roosevelt's address to the nation to Kate's history teacher's lectures, is always in the background of this story. Symbolically speaking, what do the war preparations have to do with the story? Kate is symbolically at war with herself. She blames herself for arguing with her mother on the last night of her life. She is guilt-ridden to know her last words to her mother were, "I hate you." At the same time, she is at war with Zeke. He is to blame for her mother's death and she wishes he would suffer like her mother did. Toward the end of the book, Kate realizes that only by forgiving herself and by forgiving Zeke will she truly be at peace. 10. Explain the title of the book. What does "wake" mean? What alternative meanings could the title have? What other titles could this book have had? The word "wake" has multiple meanings. As a noun it can mean, "The trail left by something passing through" as in, the blizzard left destruction in its wake. It can also mean, "A watch kept over the body of a dead person before the funeral." Thus, the title may apply to both the aftermath of the blizzard and of Ann Sterling's death. 11. If Zeke had not ended up at the Sterling's house, how do you think Kate's life would have been different? Kate is forced to face the man whose actions have haunted her for four long years when he spends time recovering at her house. Although this experience is hard for Kate, it also allows her to face her emotions and move forward. She is compelled to finally tell her father about the argument she had with her mother the night she died. Her father is able to help her see that her mother knew Kate loved her, even if Kate had been angry with her. Ultimately Kate realizes she must forgive both herself and Zeke. Without Zeke's presence in her house, she might not have found a way to move forward, or she possibly would have come to these realizations from a different set of circumstances. 12. At the end of the book, Kate writes Zeke a letter. What do you imagine he thinks of it? What do you think he would have said if he wrote a letter back to her? When Kate receives a letter from a boy at school, Zeke tells her he has never received a letter himself. Students may point out Zeke would be surprised to receive a letter from Kate, and because she had been so angry at him, he might initially be concerned about what she had to say. Students may have differing opinions about how Zeke would react after reading Kate's letter. He might be very touched. He might feel sad about what he had done. If he wrote back to Kate, he might tell her how sorry he is about killing her mother. He might promise her, as he had promised Jesse, that he would never drink and drive again. 13. Was Zeke sufficiently punished for his crime? Why or why not? The length of a prison sentence often depends on more than just what crime was committed. Factors such as a prior

record, the interpretations of the jury, and other circumstances often come into play. Zeke was sentenced to five years and served three and a half. He does remember drinking, but he doesn't remember the accident. He describes his life in prison as "going to work in a prison twine plant by day and staring at his bunk, his chair, his sink and toilet, in the evenings." (p. 41) 14. Do you think Dr. Sterling should have behaved differently in any way? Explain. Dr. Sterling doesn't think twice when he pulls Zeke, half-frozen and suffering from frostbite, into the car. He is alarmed when he realizes who Zeke is, but he continues to help him. Once they all make it back to the house, Dr. Sterling makes the decision to tend to Zeke himself, rather than request the plow come dig them out so he can be transported to the hospital. When Zeke cuts himself badly with the ax, Dr. Sterling again decides that he should recuperate at the house. Later in the book, Kate says she knows why her father kept Zeke in the house for so long: "For her sake as much as Zeke's." (p. 208) He wanted to give Kate the opportunity to find forgiveness in her heart. While Dr. Sterling is a good doctor and gives Zeke as much care as he can, his leg injury is "a little more than [he] bargained for." (p. 177) It's possible that Zeke would have been better off if he had been transported to a hospital or students may feel that he received the best care possible at the Sterling home. Note: These questions are keyed to Bloom's Taxonomy as follows: Knowledge: 1-3; Comprehension: 4-5; Application: 6-7; Analysis: 8-10; Synthesis: 11-12; Evaluation: 13-14. 1. Get together in a small group and talk about forgiveness. Is there anyone you can't forgive? Why? What was the hardest thing you've ever had to forgive someone for? What was the worst thing you've been forgiven for? Would you have forgiven Zeke Dexter if you were Kate? Kate doesn't think it's possible to forgive Zeke for what he did, but eventually she realizes that blaming herself for the argument with her mother is what's keeping her from being able to forgive him.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Discussion Guide

Grades: 35, 68 Print Share

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

By Mildred D. Taylor

About this book

Grade Level Equivalent: 5 Lexile Measure: 920L Guided Reading Level: W Age: Age 11, Age 9, Age 10 Genre: Classics, Historical Fiction

Subject: African American History, Family Life, Courage, Bravery, Heroism, African American, Friends and Friendship

QUESTIONS TO TALK ABOUT COMPREHENSION AND RECALL

1. What does T.J. want Stacey to do about Mrs. Logan's tests? (get the answers beforehand) 2. Why does it take the Logans and their friends an hour to walk to school? (Only white children have a bus; few provisions are made for educating black children.) 3. What happens to the Berrys? (White men set them on fire; John Henry dies.) 4. Why doesn't Cassie like T.J? (He's sneaky; cheats and gets Stacey in trouble.) 5. Why does the Great Faith School start later and end earlier than the Jefferson Davis County School? (Black children must work in the fields from early spring until October.) 6. How do the Logan children get back at the bus driver? (They dig a ditch which fills with rain; the bus breaks an axle.) 7. Why does Stacey disobey Mama and go to the Wallace store? (to get T.J. who got him in trouble) 8. How do the landowners and storekeepers take advantage of the sharecroppers? (Landowners sign to get credit for sharecroppers at store; store then charges huge interest on sharecropper purchases. When crops come in, landowners take half the profit, store gets paid back and charges fees for extending credit. Sharecropper never gets any cash and is always in debt.)

HIGHER LEVEL THINKING SKILLS

9. Why is the land so important to the Logans? (It represents freedom from being a sharecropper; a kind of pride and independence.) 10. Why is Miss Crocker so pleased with the old, dirty books? (It's the first time the school has had any books; she is probably used to being treated shabbily; she knows her place.) 11. Why does Miss Crocker say Mama is biting the hand that feeds her? (Mama isn't grateful for the old books; she speaks of other things the school needs.) 12. Why does Mr. Grimes, the bus driver, go out of his way to get the black children dirty? (Possible: He's prejudiced; thinks it's funny.) 13. Why does Stacey say he'll tell Mama what happened at the Wallace store? (He knows it's the right thing to do; Mr. Morrison has let him make his own decision.) 14. What problems do you predict for the Logans and others in the rest of the story? (Answers will vary.)

LITERARY ELEMENTS
15. Voice: Who is telling this story? (Cassie)

PERSONAL RESPONSE

16. How do you feel about the way black children were educated in the 1930s?

QUESTIONS TO TALK ABOUT COMPREHENSION AND RECALL

1. How does Mama want to retaliate for the burning of the Berry men? (She wants people to boycott the Wallace store.)

2. How does Mr. Granger threaten the Logans? (He says they'll lose their land f they stir up trouble because the bank won't honor their mortgage. He also says the sharecroppers will get less for their cotton and won't be able to pay their debts.) 3. How does Mr. Granger take his anger out on Mama? (He gets her fired.) 4. Why does Stacey drop T.J. as a friend? (T.J. is responsible for getting Mama fired; T.J. speaks negatively of her because he failed her class.)

HIGHER LEVEL THINKING SKILLS

5. Why does Big Ma take Cassie and Stacey to market? (She has to take T.J. and doesn't want to put up with him alone.) 6. Why doesn't Cassie understand Mr. Barnett's behavior?. (She sees that it is rude and unfair, but doesn't realize this is how African American people are usually treated.) 7. Why does Big Ma make Cassie apologize to Lillian Jean? (She's afraid of trouble and violence; she's protecting Cassie.) 8. What kinds of arguments do you think Mr. Morrison used to persuade Uncle Hammer not to visit the Simms? (Possible: You'll get hurt or killed; think about your brother; Mama and the children will get hurt. Wait, find another way to handle this. Turn the other cheekthere is more at stake here than Cassie's pride.) 9. How would you describe Uncle Hammer? (Possible: proud, angry, resentful, tough, impulsive, hot-headed, defiant, generous) 10. Why does Cassie think Uncle Hammer's tongue-lashing is worse than her father's whipping? (Uncle Hammer is very angry, gets cold look in his eye, shows his disgust with Stacey's stupidity. She's more sure of Papa's love and values.) 11. Why will boycotting the Wallace store be dangerous? (Harlan Granger owns the land the store is on and gets part of the income. It means pointing a finger and saying the Wallaces should be punished for burning and killing a black man.)

LITERARY ELEMENTS
12. Mood: What is the mood of the story at the end of Chapter 7? (ominous, dangerous, threatening, defiant)

PERSONAL RESPONSE
13. How do you feel about the way Cassie handles her problem with Lillian Jean?

QUESTIONS TO TALK ABOUT COMPREHENSION AND RECALL

1. Who kills Mr. Barnett? (R. W. hits him with an ax.) 2. How does Papa get Mr. Granger to stop the crowd at the Averys? (He sets fire to the cotton.)

HIGHER LEVEL THINKING SKILLS

3. In what ways are Mama and Papa brave? (They are risking a lotfriendships, their land, their family's safety, their livesto stand up to injustice.) 4. Why does Papa defend Mr. Avery's and Mr. Lanier's decision to back out of the boycott? (He understands what is at stake for thembeing sent to a chain gang; they are sharecroppers and don't own any land.) 5. Why does Papa think Stacey should go with him when he asks people about Vicksburg? (He feels Stacey should be strong and learn how to handle himself.)

6. How does Stacey grow up after the wagon accident? (He feels responsible; tries to protect his brothers and sisters from harshness of story.) 7. Why is the revival so important? (It's a chance for people to get together, feast, reaffirm beliefs.) 8. How does Uncle Hammer show that the land is important to him? (He sells his car to raise money for the mortgage.) 9. Why does T.J. believe the Simms brothers care about him? (He isn't very bright; he wants to feel important; he thinks highly of himself.)

LITERARY ELEMENTS

10. Character: Why does Stacey decide to help T.J. after the robbery at the Barnetts' store? (He understands that T.J. is vulnerable and in real trouble. He feels responsible for T.J.'s safety; he's loyal.) 11. Mood: How does the author create an ominous mood in Chapter 11? (storm, thunder, lightning, heavy air)

PERSONAL RESPONSE

12.What is your response to the story's ending?

Challenges and Overcoming Obstacles, Conflict Resolution, Confronting and Resolving Fears, Growing Up, Courage, Bravery, Heroism, Equality, Fairness, Justice, Kindness and Compassion, Pride and Self-Esteem, Tolerance and Acceptance, Prejudice and Tolerance Experiences, Understanding Self and Others

The Young Man and the Sea Discussion Guide

Grades: 35, 68 Print Share

The Young Man and the Sea

By Rodman Philbrick

About this book

Grade Level Equivalent: 4.8 Lexile Measure: 800L Guided Reading Level: W Age: Age 11, Age 12, Age 13 Genre: Adventure, Realistic Fiction

Subject: Changes and New Experiences, Courage, Bravery, Heroism, Determination and Perseverance, Disease and Illness, Parents This Discussion Guide for The Young Man and the Sea features questions regarding characters, setting, and themes, notes from the author, and books to compare and contrast with. Scholastic also offers a discussion guide for The Young Man and the Sea featuring guided student questions with answers provided for an instructor. About the Book Samuel (Skiffy) Beaman is having a tough time. His sensitive and sensible mother has died after a long illness, and his fisherman father deals with his grief by drinking beer and watching television. Its up to Skiff to raise his fathers sunken fishing boat and then to try to raise the money needed to repair the motor. When his lobster traps are vandalized by a local bully, Skiff is desperate to find another source of money. Armed only with a "borrowed" harpoon, a compass, peanut butter sandwiches, and a stubborn determination, Skiff takes off in his own small boat to pursue the valuable bluefin tuna found in the ocean 30 miles offshore. After battling with the fog and hooking a fish, Skiff's fuel runs out, and he has no choice but to row many miles back to shore a feat that finally shocks his father out of lethargy. Skiffs story is one of youthful courage and fierce determination in the face of nearly impossible odds. Discussion Points Characters 1. 1. What are the similarities between Skiff and his father? In what ways are they different? What kind of person was Skiffs mother? Why does she seem so real to the reader, even though she has died before the story begins? Why did she tell Skiff before she died that he would have to take care of his father? 2. Why does Tyler Croft treat Skiff the way he does? What does he hope to gain by stealing Skiffs lobster traps? Why cant Skiff get help to stop what Tyler is doing? 3. What is the connection between Skiffs father and Tylers father? Why does Skiff's father turn to Mr. Croft for help in rescuing Skiff? 4. What does Skiff learn from Mr. Woodwell? Why does Mr. Woodwell want to help Skiff? What does Skiff's father mean when he says about Mr. Woodwell, He taught me a few things. Not just boats. 5. Skiff asks for the help he needs to raise the Mary Rose, and to retrieve the lost lobster traps. Why doesnt he ask for help when he sets out to fish for the tuna? Setting 1. What does Skiff mean when he talks about the difference between the swampers and the other people in the town? How does the setting of the town affect the people who live there? 2. Discuss the statement Skiff's father once made to him, Fish and you fish alone. Get in trouble and everyone helps out. What does this tell you about the community in which they live? 3. 4. Why is it so important to Skiff to raise the Mary Rose after she sinks? What does the boat represent to Skiff? Discuss Skiffs feelings when he is out on the ocean, far from land. How would you feel in that situation? What effect does the fog have on Skiff? 5. What mistakes does Skiff make when he sets out to sea? Why didnt he think through what he would need on the journey?

6.

Why is the act of fishing for the bluefin tuna so different than the fishing Skiff has done before? What emotions does he feel for the huge fish and why? Themes

1.

Discuss Moms three rules as Skiff tries to apply them to his life: 1) Think smart; 2) Speak true; 3) Never give up. How can you apply these rules to your life? What would you do, as Skiff asks, if rule 3 cancels out rules 1 and 2?

2.

What did Skiff's mom mean when she told him Being brave isnt the same as being stupid? Is it courage or stupidity that makes Skiff head for the open ocean in his small boat?

3.

There are many ways that people deal with grief. Discuss the different ways that Skiff and his father have reacted to Skiff's mothers illness and death. What are some of the ways that Skiff has worked through his grief to help him with life situations?

4.

How does Skiff justify stealing the harpoon from Mr. Woodwells shack? Is it acceptable to take something that you need so badly? Why didnt he just ask Mr. Woodwell if he could borrow the harpoon?

5.

Skiff relates that his father found two things in the fog, me and his old pal Jack. What does Skiff's father mean? How many examples can you find in the story of true friendship?

6.

There are several ways the theme of family is explored in this story. Discuss what Skiff means near the end of the book when he says: Blood is blood, and you got to keep together with your family, even if they mess up. A Conversation with Rodman Philbrick What was your inspiration for writing the story of The Young Man and the Sea? My debt to Hemingways story The Old Man and the Sea is obvious and I wanted to make that clear by using a title that evokes his title. My younger brother Jonathan was a commercial fisherman for years and crewed on a boat that harpooned giant tuna when he was a teenager. Some of the stuff about the big fish comes from him, the rest of it from research. I'm aware of at least one or two anecdotes about young men going after giant tuna in small boats, but have no idea if the stories are true or just 'fish stories.' The fact is, I doubt I would have thought of this particular story were it not for Hemingway's classic, and the book in some sense is, therefore, a 'homage.' I'm assuming most of my readers will not have read Hemingway first, and will not necessarily be aware of his story. Hopefully when they get around to Hemingway, they'll recognize where I got my original inspiration for a tale about a boy and a big fish just as those who read The Old Man and the Sea may wonder whether Melville and London had any influence on Hemingway. Are you a fisherman yourself? Did you draw on personal experience in writing the book? I am indeed an avid fisherman. I grew up in a small town on the coast of New Hampshire, within walking distance of the harbor. A number of my ancestors were mariners and fishermen, and all of that history seeped into my life. As a boy I rowed and sailed small boats as far as the Isles of Shoals, seven miles offshore. My mother never knew this until I was an adult! My routine is to write in the morning and go fishing in the afternoon or evening. I've never harpooned a giant tuna, but I have caught giant tarpon from a small boat, as well as many game fish from larger boats, further offshore. The theme of relationship between fathers and sons is a strong one in many of your books. Do you make a conscious plan to explore that parent-child connection when you write? I think that all parent-child relationships are marvelously complex. My own father was an alcoholic when I was Skiff's age. He later quit drinking (an act of courage akin to rowing a small boat in a very large sea) and was sober for the last 20 years of his life. He also loved books and would have liked to be a writer himself, if circumstances had been different. Complex father-son relationships come naturally to me, and to the characters I create. All children struggle

to comprehend that their fathers and mothers are real people, not just parents, and have lives and problems apart from their children. You can't be a real adult without understanding this! Unfortunately it sometimes takes a parent's death to bring it home. The relationships that Skiff develops with the older men in the community are very special. Are those characters based on mentors in your own life? As a young man I was a boat builder and once owned a small, rundown boat yard where I built and repaired wooden boats. Mr. Woodwell's boat shed is based on my memory of a legendary boat builder located a mile or so 'up the creek' from where I lived at the time. He was quite elderly, but the personality I used to conjure up Mr. Woodwell was inspired by a real Mr. Woodwell, a retired schoolteacher who at 80 years of age was sailing an old Friendship sloop to Friendship, Maine and asked me to crew for him. Skiffs feeling of respect for the bluefin toward the end of its struggle is very strong. What is his connection to the fish he needs to kill? This regard for the animal that a hunter or fisherman is about to kill is, I think, almost universal, and has been remarked on by many writers and tellers of tales through the years, including Hemingway in The Old Man and the Sea. If you don't love and respect the animal you have no business taking its life. Hemingway knew this, as do most of the other anglers I know. You certainly don't do it for pleasure! Most of the fish I catch these days are 'catch and release'. Do you set out to write a book that will explore certain themes? It is my hope that teachers will encourage their students to read my novel for the pleasure of reading first and foremost, before they start breaking down ideas about themes, although that will obviously become part of the discussion. I don't actually think much about themes when I write I'm too busy trying to make the story exciting enough to hold a reader's interest.