Do it Yourself Book Club
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Discussion
Meggie sleeps with books under her pillow. Her
father teases that the books whisper to her.
Later, Meggie wishes for a candle, and a book to
keep the fear away. Do books help you sleep or
keep you awake? What do you do when you can't
sleep? What do you like to read when you can't
sleep? What do you recommend to read that kept
you awake because it was interesting, not scary?
Do you find it disconcerting that Meggie calls
her father by his first name, instead of Dad?
When Meggie hears the name Dustfinger, it's
described as something she couldn't remember
hearing before, "yet it sounded familiar, like a
distant memory that wouldn't take shape
properly." Describe a time you had that familiar
yet fuzzy sensation.
How do you think Funke came up with the names
Dustfinger, Silvertongue, Mortimer Folchart,
Flatnose? Do the names remind you of other books
and characters? (Harry Potter, the Warriors,
etc.) Can you name some other favorite names, or
invent some?
Mo is described as someone who could "paint
pictures in the empty air with his voice alone."
Who else do you think would fit that
description? (James Earl Jones, Kathleen Turner,
etc.) Capricorn is described as tall, gaunt, and
having a voice that's more impressive than his
face. What or who does that description make you
think of?
Mo says if you take a book with you when you
travel, "the book begins collecting your
memories. And forever after you have only to
open that book to be back where you first read
it." Do you find that "memories cling to the
printed page"? Can you give an example of a book
you read somewhere and now you always think of
that vacation or place?
Meggie's father and Dustfinger debate whether
Meggie should know the truth about Capricorn. Mo
says it's dangerous for Meggie to know.
Dustfinger says it's dangerous for her not to
know. Which philosophy do you agree with more
and why? Later, the book says, "Why do grown-ups
think it's easier for children to bear secrets
than the truth? Don't they know about the horror
stories we imagine to explain the secrets?" Can
you give an example?
Aunt Elinor has a sign on her house that
says "If you intend to waste my time on trivia,
you'd better go away now!" What sign would you
like to convey terms of entrance to your
quarters?
Aunt Elinor refers to books as "my children, my
inky children, and I look after them well. I
keep the sunlight away from their pages, I dust
them and protect them from hungry bookworms and
grubby human fingers." How do you protect/take
care of your books? What books in particular do
you think are worth taking care of?
Mo binds his books with a symbol, the unicorn's
head. What symbol would you choose to represent
you?
Dustfinger has the chance to read the end of the
book, but he stops, mutters that he's a coward,
and says "Who wants to know the end of a story
in advance?" Do you agree? Would you want to
know the end of your life story in advance? Why
or why not?
Dustfinger says Elinor was born into the wrong
story. What kind of story would you like to have
been born into? (Mo notes "what fun it can be to
get right into a book and live there for a
while, but falling out of a story and suddenly
finding yourself in this world doesn't seem to
be much fun at all. It broke Dustfinger's heart&
All he wants to do is go back to his own world.
He doesn't even stop to ask if his story there
has a happy ending!" Elinor notes that in real
life, you also don't know if things will turn
out well.)
Mo says "Fear tastes quite different when you're
not just reading about it, Meggie, and playing
hero wasn't half as much fun as I'd expected."
What other books, movies, or television shows
include that theme?
Elinor says "When people start burning books
they'll soon burn human beings." Do other books
come to mind that make a similar point about
books and humanity?
Activity
Read aloud parts or all of this book and assign
your friends/family members/audience to be the
characters in the book. The narrator can
continue reading while the family members
pantomime the action in the book.
Draw your favorite scenes from the book and bind
them together, perhaps not as beautifully as
Meggie's father binds books, but with as much
affection as Mo had, or as Meggie had when she
made some of her own books when she was quite
young.
Make or draw your own marten, like Gwin, with
horns on it.
From: About Scrapbooking --
Paperbag Scrapbooking
Imagine switching places with a character in
another book you loved, and reading a character
from that book into modern times. Discuss and/or
make a journal of what you think would happen
Recipe
Click on the links to find recipes or
instructions for refreshments related to the
book.
One of the quotes that starts a chapter refers
to the portion of Naftali the Storyteller that
says 'Storybooks aren't bread. You can live
without them.' And Naftali says "I couldn't live
without them."
Meggie and Mo like strawberries and chocolate.
Make this chocolate chip strawberry bread recipe.
Strawberry Bread Recipe
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3 eggs, beaten
Cream eggs, sugar and butter together. Add
baking soda to strawberries. Add flour until
strawberries mix with the egg mixture. Mix in
vanilla. Place in 2 greased loaf pans for 50 to
55 minutes.
Meggie and her father have cocoa and make
sandwiches before their departure. Make hot
cocoa. And sandwiches, such as the ham and
cheese on the table after Mo and Meggie arrive
at Aunt Elinor's.
Make pancakes, such as those Mo advises Meggie
to make if she gets hungry while he is binding
books and Aunt Elinor shops for food.
From: Bed and Breakfasts online
2/3 cup butter (unsalted, softened)
2 cups of sugar
2 teaspoons of baking soda
2 1/4 cups Strawberries (washed, dried and
chopped fine, do it by hand)
3 1/3 cups flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
6 oz. chocolate chips