Discussion Questions for February 25

Discussion Questions: “Nonfiction—History, Science, Life Writing” and Lives of the Artists

Small Group Work/Class Discussion: Number the Stars Wrap-Up

1.     More than any other text we have read so far, Number the Stars depicts the sudden maturation of a protagonist from childhood to adulthood (or at least something beyond childhood). Find at least one instance of this and discuss what it implies about the difference between childhood and adulthood.

2.     Do you sense any didacticism in the text? If so, where?

3.     In what ways does the Afterword change your understanding of the text?

4.     What is the significance of the text’s title, and how does this relate to its overall themes?

5.     Hintz and Tribunella ask, “Does historical fiction have a responsibility to remain completely faithful to the historical record? […] What makes certain inaccuracies acceptable and others not?” (250). Discuss these questions.

6.     Overall, do you find this to be a “believable” story? Would you assign it in a unit on World War II? Why or why not?

Small Group Work/Class Discussion: Nonfiction Writing

1.     From Hintz and Tribunella: “When you consider children’s books about science, mathematics, and nature, do you associate them with excitement or with drudgery?” (301).

2.     From H&T: “When you were a child, did any of the biographies you read inspire you to embrace their subject as role models? If so, was it a biography written for a child audience? When you grew up, did you learn anything new about the figure you idolized or discover any information that contradicted the portrayal you saw in the children’s biography you read?” (301).

3.     From H&T: “How important do you think illustrations are in works of science and discovery?” (301). In nonfiction writing in general?

Small Group Work/Class Discussion: Lives of the Artists

1.     In what ways do the stories of Leonardo da Vinci, Diego Rivera, and Frida Kahlo seem to be designed for young readers? Consider the question is what is left out.

2.     In what ways might these stories qualify as crossover texts?

3.     Did any of the biographical information presented in these stories surprise you and/or strike you as potentially inappropriate for young readers? If so, why?

4.     What do the illustrations contribute to the presentation of the artists’ lives? The titles above their names?

5.     What do the “Artworks” sections contribute? Why do you suppose this information is separated from the rest of the narratives?

6.     Do you think these biographies are likely to inspire curiosity and further reading in young audiences? Why or why not?

Nonfiction and Fairy Tale readings

Please check your email for PDFs of the nonfiction and fairy tale readings. We will discuss the nonfiction on Tuesday, 2/25 and the fairy tales on Tuesday, 3/11.

The midterm will not cover the nonfiction readings, but we will discuss them in class, so please read them thoroughly.

Discussion Questions for February 20

Discussion Questions: “Historical Fiction” and Number the Stars

Small Group Work/Class Discussion

1.     Hintz and Tribunella explain that historical children’s fiction frequently intersects with trauma theory (239). What kinds of trauma are being worked through in this text? Consider both cultural and personal (i.e. familial) forms of trauma.

a.     The authors add that children are often portrayed, in stories concerning trauma, as either “extremely vulnerable” or “especially resilient and adaptable” (239). Is Annemarie portrayed as more “extremely vulnerable” or “especially resilient and adaptable”? Ellen? Kirsti?

2.     A great deal of the national and familial trauma that sets the stage for the book has taken place in the past and is revealed through stories and memory. Why might Lowry have chosen to take this approach?

3.     What is the significance of food in the text?

4.     Describe the threat of the Nazis as it is portrayed in the book. How frightening are they? Do you find this level of fear appropriate for intermediate readers?

5.     More than any other text we have read so far, Number the Stars depicts the sudden maturation of a protagonist from childhood to adulthood (or at least something beyond childhood). Find at least one instance of this and discuss what it implies about the difference between childhood and adulthood.

6.     What statements is the book making about the relationship between bravery and ignorance? Do you agree with these statements?

7.     Do you sense any other didacticism in the text? If so, where?

8.     Part of Annemarie’s ability to “save the day” comes from her ability to perform the part of a “silly, empty-headed little girl” (105). What is the significance of this in terms of themes within the text? Within the larger scope of our study of children’s literature and notions of childhood?

9.     Where are adults made to seem reliable and steadfast in this text? Where are they made to seem vulnerable? What effect does this have on you as adult readers, and what adult do you think it may have on intermediate readers?

10.                        In what ways does the Afterword change your understanding of the text?

11.                        What is the significance of the text’s title, and how does this relate to its overall themes?

12.                        Hintz and Tribunella ask, “Does historical fiction have a responsibility to remain completely faithful to the historical record? […] What makes certain inaccuracies acceptable and others not?” (250). Discuss these questions.

13.                        Hintz and Tribunella state that nationalism is a large part of historical fiction. In what ways is this text nationalistic?

14.                        Do you sense any examples of presentism in this text?

15.                        Overall, do you find this to be a “believable” story? Would you assign it in a unit on World War II? Why or why not?

Discussion Questions for February 18

Discussion Questions: “Historical Fiction” and Number the Stars

Small Group Work/Class Discussion

1.     What are some of the reasons for creating historical fiction? What are some of the problems inherent in this genre?

2.     Hintz and Tribunella explain that “the real historical novel does not just treat history as an incidental backdrop for events or interactions that could just as well take place in the present. Instead, historical fiction makes the period of its setting a defining and integral feature of the work” (236).

a.     What are some examples of works that “could just as well take place in the present” (books, films, shows, etc.)?

b.     What are some examples of works that make the period an “integral feature of the work”?

c.     To what extent is Number the Stars a “real historical novel”?

3.     Lois Lowry is American, though she has some Norwegian ancestry. She is not Jewish. She says in the afterword to Number the Stars that Annemarie is based on her friend, who really did grow up in Denmark during WWII. In light of the issues of authority and authenticity brought up in Chapter 10, to what extent do you think Lowry had the “right” to write this book? Are there any problematic aspects of the text so far in terms of the representations of ethnicity and/or nationality?

4.     How is Kirsti different from Annemarie and Ellen? Specifically, think in terms of the historical models of childhood described in Chapter 1 of Hintz and Tribunella. Why might Lowry have chosen to include Kirsti in the text?

5.     Hintz and Tribunella explain that historical children’s fiction frequently intersects with trauma theory (239). What kinds of trauma are being worked through in this text? Consider both cultural and personal (i.e. familial) forms of trauma. Is Annemarie portrayed as more “extremely vulnerable” or “especially resilient and adaptable” (239)? Ellen? Kirsti?

6.     Hintz and Tribunella state that nationalism is a large part of historical fiction. In what ways is this text nationalistic?

7.     Hintz and Tribunella ask, “Does historical fiction have a responsibility to remain completely faithful to the historical record? […] What makes certain inaccuracies acceptable and others not?” (250). Discuss these questions.

8.     Hintz and Tribunella also raise the point that Lowry’s depiction of Nazis “might create the false sense that only simple, brutish people can participate in acts of atrocity” (250). To what extent do you agree with this criticism?

9.     Do you sense any examples of presentism in this text?

10.                        Hintz and Tribunella observe that “Perceiving the historical event [such as the Holocaust] through the eyes of […] one relatable character might help make an incomprehensible event easier to understand” (247). Has a text ever influenced you in this way (again, consider books, films, etc.)?

Specific Questions about Number the Stars

1.     How does the war change the Johansen family? The Rosens? Peter?

2.     What is the significance of food in the text?

3.     In what way does the urban setting play a role in the text? The rural one?

4.     A great deal of the national and familial trauma that sets the stage for the book has taken place in the past and is revealed through stories and memory. Why might Lowry have chosen to take this approach?

5.     Describe the threat of the Nazis as it is portrayed in the book. How frightening are they? Do you find this level of fear appropriate for intermediate readers?

6.     Annemarie ruminates on courage on page 26. What messages about courage does this passage contain?

7.     Do you sense any didacticism in the text so far? If so, where?