Brom

Why does Brom want to travel with Eragon when he is forced to leave his home? How does Eragon know that he can trust Brom?

Ra'zac

Who are the Ra'zac and what do they represent to Eragon?

Morzan's son

How does Eragon feel when he learns about Murtagh's parentage? Does the fact that Murtagh's father was Morzan affect Eragon's trust of him? Does it affect your feelings about his character?

The Twins

When Eragon finds the stronghold of the Varden, he is confronted by the Twins. Why does Ajihad trust the Twins? Why do they treat Eragon with suspicion?

Shade of Fear

The story begins with the Shade and his ruthless ambush of the elf Arya. How did this Prologue affect your anticipation of the story to come? Why is the Prologue titled "Shade of Fear"?

life experiences

Are there characters who represent pure good and pure evil? Discuss the ways in which an author shows us a character's true nature. How does a character's life experience shape his or her actions?

evildoers

How did Galbatorix establish his rule of Alagaesia? What experiences turned him into a cruel and feared ruler? What do we learn of the Shade's past when he is killed?

hesitency

The Urgals seem to be completely ruthless, yet Eragon is hesitant to kill them with his magic in chapter 30. Why does he only use his magic to stun them? Why is he so upset when Murtagh kills Torkenbrand, the slave trader?

Destiny

Do you feel that some people have a destiny to fulfill or a special reason for living? Name people in history who had a strong responsibility to a cause for good and evil.

Garrow

Could Eragon have prevented his uncle's death?

Eragon's family

Eragon's family is very important to him, although he never knew his parents. Who do you think Eragon's parents were? Why is his father's identity a mystery, and why did his mother bring him to her brother to raise and then disappear?

NO SPOILERS FROM ANYONE WHO HAS READ THE SEQUELS!!

Update

I have no idea why there is a little photobucket thing behind the posts. I fixed the background of the blog because it was all wonky for some reason as well. I will try to figure out this new development .. but for now just ignore it.
Thanks.

July 2010: Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

Choices

Dashti had a choice to go into the tower with Lady Saren. Why did she make that choice? Would you?

One book

If you were going to be locked in a tower for seven years and could take just one book, what would it be?

My Lord the Cat

How did you feel when Dashti sang to My Lord to get him to be loyal to Lady Saren instead?

Dashti

At the beginning of the book, Dashti describes herself simply as "a mucker and a lady's maid", but by the end of the story she has become so much more. When Lady Saren orders her to stay, Dashti muses to herself, "Strangely, her words held no sway over me. Maybe it's wrong, but I don't think I have to do what she says just because I'm a mucker and she's an honored lady" (p. 274). What do you think has brought about these changes in her? What words would you use to describe Dashti?

Lady Saren

Did your feelings about Lady Saren change over the course of the book? Did you like her more or less after they escaped the tower? After they started working in the kitchen? When Saren orders Dashti to stay with her? What do you think brought about her changes?

Dashti and Saren

Describe teh two young women in this story, Lady Saren and Dashti. In what ways are they different from one another? How does each cope with the deprivations of the tower? Why is it left to Dashti to communicate with the visitors who come to the tower?

Dashti's voice

Do you like the way in which this story is told: with Dashti narrating through her journal? How would you describe Dashti's voice- boastful, self effacing, bright, uncertain, strong..?
Does her voice change throughout the story?

Background

How did Dashti's background prepare her to endure the isolation of the tower and the hardships of the Mongolian landscape?

Relationships

Dashti had to weigh her growing feelings for Kahn Tegus vs. her loyalty to Saren. How did you feel about the budding relationship between Dashti and Tegus?

Healing songs

How would you describe Dashti's healing songs- are they poetry, folk lore, magic? What is their purpose: why does Dashti use them , and why would Hale include them as part of the story?

Breath of the soul

"Things worn closest to the skin, to the heart, carry the scent of a person, and of course, scent is the breath of the soul." What might Dashti mean by the last 5 words?

Changing it up

Hale based this book on a Brothers Grimm folk tale, "Maid Maleen", in which the imprisoned lady is the heroine, not her servant. Why might Shannon Hale have changed the heroine in her reworking of the original?

Overview

Does the book deliver in terms of engaging you all the way through? Are characters compelling, is the plot suspenseful, and are you satisfied with how the story ends?

June 2010: Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

Cranford

What were your overall impressions and thoughts on Cranford?

Matty

Why did Miss Matty say no to Mr. Holbrook?

Lady

Why should the ladies of Cranford be so stirred up by the visit of Lady Glenmire?

Main character

Which characters are most prominent to you? Who do you feel 'owns' the story? Or do you feel there is no one main character?

No men?

What are the features of Cranford that make it essentially a woman's town?Do the women of Cranford actually dislike men?

Elegant Economy

How do the opening paragraphs give a tone to the book? What does the phrase "elegant economy" mean?

May 2010: Touch the Top of the World: A blind man's journey to climb farther than the eye can see by Erik Weihenmayer

overview

What did you take away from this book? Did you enjoy reading it?

His parents

"My father was like a broom, sweeping me out into the world, while my mother was the dustpan, constantly gathering up the shattered pieces and putting me back together again". How do Erik's parents play complementary roles in his early life?

Fitting in

Erik says, "Being included was more important than the fear of getting hurt". How is this statement true for all middle school students, not only blind ones?

camp

In what ways was summer camp a turning point for Erik?

perceptions

How do others' perceptions of Erik's blindness limit him? How do our false perceptions of other people limit our ability to truly see them? What kinds of false perceptions can affect all people, not merely the blind? When have you overcome a negative or limiting stereotype?

Leadership

What is leadership? Erik says, "perhaps leadership was not so much a matter of raw talent, as raw courage". What does he mean by this statement? Do you think he is correct? Whom do you see as true leaders? Are leaders born or can leadership be learned and developed?

It sure is cold.. but at least it's windy

How does Chris's attitude of "positive pessimism" help the climbers deal with a harsh environment? Can you think of areas of your life that you could use it?

Failure

Jeff tells Erik, "When you try big things.. you gotta expect to fail sometimes." Is Jeff right? Can failure, ironically, be a crucial ingredient of success?

Life

Discuss Erik's belief that "life is never meant to be easy; exciting, challenging maybe, rewarding from time to time, but never easy." Is this true for the sighted as well as the blind?

True Summit

"A summit isn't just a place on a mountain. A summit exists in our hearts and minds. It is a tiny scrap of a dream made real, indisputable proof that our lives have meaning. A summit is a symbol that with our force of will and the power of our legs, our backs, and our two hands, we can transform our lives into whatever we choose them to be, whatever our hands our strong enough to create."

Do you believe this? Do you have summits in your heart and mind?

teamwork

" A mountain was such a huge and awesome force compared to the minuscule life of a human, to have a chance of standing on top, we combined our strengths and talents to become a more powerful force than we ever could have been as individuals."

In what ways do the members of Erik's team contribute to each other's success?

Parameters

Erik ends by admitting that part of his pleasure comes from "taking other people's very narrow parameters of what's possible and what's not, and shattering them into a million pieces."

Has reading Erik's life story changed your understanding of the "parameters of what's possible"?

Ellen's will

"He's going to a normal school, with normal children, and even if I have to go to school with him, he's going to learn."

"He's blind. He's not stupid, and he can do better work than this."

"He doesn't need self-esteem... He needs to know how to spell."

How does Ellen Baker Weihenmayer's fierce will influence her son's development?

Carrying our share

"I would carry my share. I would contribute as any team member. I would not be carried up the mountain and spiked on top like a football. If I were to reach the summit, I would reach it with dignity."

When has carrying your share given you a feeling of dignity? Do you agree with him?

Things we can and can't do

"The things I could not do, I would let go; but the things I could do, I would learn to do well."

Have you let yourself do this in your own life? Do you hold on to things you can't do because you want to be able to do everything? Are you able to let go?

Fear

"All my life, fear had paralyzed me."

"The greatest fear is in the reaching."

"A delicate strand of hope balanced by fear, each keeping the other in its place."

What do you fear?

When is reaching frightening?

In what ways do human beings use hope to balance their fears?

What did you learn about fear from reading this book?