The Wind in the Willows

1. Why is Mole lucky to have met Rat on his first trip out into the world? What might have happened to Mole if Rat hadn’t found him?

2. What was Mole’s first impression of Toad? How did it change after the trip in the gypsy caravan?

3. Do you think it was brave or foolish of Mole to go off into the Wild Wood by himself? Explain your answer.

4. How did Rat show his friendship to Mole when they both got lost in the wild Wood?
5. What problems do you think Toad, Mole and Rat may have with their friendship in the future?

6. If Mr. Toad lived today, what new craze or fad would he take up?

7. Whose house do you find most appealing – that of Badger, Mole, Rat, or Toad – and why?

8. Do you think friendship was the same in 1908 as it is today?

9. Would you have liked to live in the English countryside in 1908, in the setting of this book? Why or why not? How does the time period influence the way the four main characters speak.

10. What secret message do you think Rat and Mole heard in the wind in the willows?

11. How does Toad’s strong sense of dignity create a serious danger for him?

12. Do you think Toad will return to Toad Hall without being found by the police? Why or why not?

13. If Rat and the Sea Rat were humans, would this part of the story still be a fantasy?

14. How does the way Toad acts with the barge-woman show that prison didn’t change him?

15. How did the battle for Toad Hall help unite Rat, Mole, Badger, and Toad and make them forget their conflicts with each other?

16. What conflict did Toad have with himself after Toad Hall was regained?

17. Do you think the four friends will continue to live peacefully together? IF not, what might happen?

18. What lessons about friendship did you learn from this book?

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

How does Cassie grow over the course of the novel?


What is the role of education in the Logan family? Is it worshipped? Compare the importance of education with the importance of religion or of material wealth.


Most of the violence of the novel involves men. In what ways are Mama and Big Ma also heroes?


What does Mr. Jamison due to help the Logan's and the black community? Is he a realistic character? Why or why not?


What role does family tradition play in the novel?


Does the novel stereotype either black or white behavior?


Examine the character of T. J.. In what ways does he represent problems in contemporary communities? Think of peer pressure, poverty, weapons, and drinking. Was his decline inevitable? Besides his own, whose fault were his problems?

* * *
In what ways do the tactics of the Logan family resemble those of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s?

How does Mildred Taylor make the conclusion more than a "black and white" issue?

Explain the extent of and motivation behind Harlan Granger's harassment of the Logan family.

Charlotte's Web...

(please forgive me for the fact that i missed posting the discussion questions for The Bridge to Teribithia... i apologize)

Tonight we discussed Charlotte's Web by E. B. White. What do you think about:

1. In what way does White adapt the animals' fictional personalities to the way those animals act in real life?

2. The threat of death is a very serious part of everyone's life. Is it surprising to find that threat central to such a charming story as this?

3. When the message "some pig" appears in Charlotte's web, everyone except Mrs. Zuckerman is immediately impressed with Wilbur, not Charlotte. What might White be trying to say about human nature?

4. What do you think about the doctor's lack of concern over Fern's apparent delusions about animals and spiders talking?

5. A fable is a simple narrative in which talking animals are used to represent human characteristics. Usually, the fable ends with an explicit moral, or lesson. What moral, or morals, might be drawn from Charlotte's Web?

6. Part of White's reason for writing this novel was his own sense of the unfairness of raising an animal simply to kill it for food later. How does that basic sense of barnyard injustice help you to understand the book?

7. Templeton the rat acts solely out of self-interest, yet he is in many ways the hero of the story, next to Charlotte. How does Templeton's role in the book contribute to the impression that the story is real?

8. Think about the words Charlotte chooses to write in her web. What are the reasons she gives for choosing those words? Why are they particularly appropriate for Wilbur?

9. In the early drafts of Charlotte's Web, Fern and the other humans played a much smaller role. In fact, the book began with Wilbur already living in Zuckerman's barn, and Fern did not appear until several chapters had passed. Why did White decide to begin the book with Fern's saving Wilbur from her father's ax? What is Fern's role in the story?

don't be afraid to leave us a comment... we'd love to hear what you think!

discussion questions from: http://kids.aol.com/homework-help/language-arts/book-notes/charlottes-web

Let's Talk About It

Okay, ready to get started after our summer break?

We are excited and all set to jump into a new Let's Talk About It series!

Join us this Fall while we revisit some childhood classics in the theme of Not Only for Children, and we will start discussing Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson on September 23 right here or at the library at 7pm.