Beezus and Ramona Discussion Questions

After you have read Beezus and Ramona, answer the following discussion questions:

1. Ramona's favorite book is The Littlest Steam Shovel. What is your favorite book?

2. What does your family mean to you? Does anyone in your family ever annoy you?

3. Which do you think is better-being the younger sister or the older sister (or brother)? Why?

4. Ramona invites a lot of children to a party withouut asking her mom's permission because she says, "When I ask you won't let me do things." Is this a good reason? What do you think of the party that Mrs. Quimby and Beezus put together?

5. Beezus envies Ramona for her imagi9nation. How does Miss Robbins discourage beezus at first? How does she later help Beezus develop her imagination?

6. When Mother and Aunt Beatrice tell what they did to each other, Beezus realizes she'll look back and find things Ramona and she did to each other funny, too. What do you think they'll laugh about when they grow up?

For more adventures of Beezus and Ramona, try:
2. Ramona the Pest
3. Ramona the Brave
4. Ramona and Her Father
5. Ramona and Her Mother
6. Ramona Quimby, Age 8
7. Ramona Forever
8. Ramona's World

Superfudge Discussion Questions

After reading Superfudge, answer the following discussion questions:

1. In what ways does the year in New Jersey affect each member of the family?

2. With a little brother like Fudge hogging the spotlight, Peter feels insignificant. Have you ever felt like "nothing"? Share a time that you felt unimportant and how you snapped out of that feeling.

3. What does Peter think of Tootsie's nickname? Do you think it fits her?

4. What is unique about Uncle Feather? Do you have a pet? Have you taught it tricks?

5. What do you think it would be like to grow up in Judy Blume's family?

If you liked Superfudge, try the other books in the series:

1. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
2. Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great
3. Superfudge
4. Fudge-a-mania
5. Double Fudge

Frindle Discussion Questions

After you have read Frindle, answer the following discussion questions:

1. Is it believable that "frindle" took off and become so well known? Why or why not?

2. "School," the author writes in Frindle, "was the perfect place to launch a new word." Why? What makes schools such good breeding grounds for fads? Do companies or community organizations ever use your school for promoting products or services? How?

3. Why does Mrs. Granger "expect to hear remarkable things" about Nick in the future? Can you predict-based on his creativity and his restless challenging of rules and conventions-what kind of remarkable things he might go on to do?

4. Imagine that you are the reporter from the Wakefield Gazette, trying to get the scoop on the new word frindle. What questions would you ask Mrs. Granger? How would you convince the principal to give you the real story?

The Lightning Thief Discussion Questions

After you have read The Lightning Thief, answer the following discussion questions:

1. What does Percy discover about the Greek gods at Camp Half Blood? What do they have to do with the camp?

2. What does Percy's fight with Echidna reveal about his character? What new things does he discover about himself?

3. When describing the effects of the Mist, Chiron says, "Remarkable, really, the lengths humans will go to fit things into their version of reality." How is this true in the novel?

4. How does the last line of the prophecy - you shall fail to save what matters most in the end - come true? What do you think of this ending? Did Percy make the right choice?

If you would like to read the rest of the series, try:

2. The Sea of Monsters

3. The Titan's Curse

4. The Battle of the Labyrinth

5. The Last Olympian

A Crooked Kind of Perfect Discussion Questions

After you have read A Crooked Kind of Perfect, answer the following discussion questions:

1. Who was your favorite character and why?

2. What are some of the things most kids do that Zoe missed out on because of her dad's condition?

3. Do you think A Crooked Kind of Perfect uses exaggeration? Which situations seem larger than life? Which situations seem familiar?

4. Do you play a musical instrument? If yes, who chose the instrument? If no, what instrument would you like to play?

5. Do you think that Zoe was happy with how her performance turned out?

6. This was Linda Urban's first book. What do you think would happen in a sequel if she wrote it?

Number the Stars Discussion Questions

After you have read Number the Stars, answer the following discussion questions:

1. How are Annemarie and Ellen alike? How are they different?

2. How does Annemarie behave around the German soldiers? How does Kristi? Why might the sisters behave so differently?

3. What could the people of Denmark do to help the Jewish people?

4. Do you think Annemarie is brave? Why?

5. Why does Annemarie want to wear Ellen's necklace until she returns?

6. What does the title Number the Stars mean? Does the title fit the story?

7. Number the Stars won the Newbery Award for writing in 1990. Why do you think this was a good selection?

Maniac Magee Discussion Questions

After reading Maniac Magee answer the following discussion questions:

1. What does “maniac” mean? What do you think a character with this name might be like? Is Maniac Magee similar?

2. What would you do if you were all on your own with no one to take care of
you?

3. How is Maniac just a regular kid? How is he a larger than life character?

4. Why do you think Maniac stays with the McNabs for as long as he does?

5. Why do you think Maniac does so much running?

6. Why do you think the book is broken into four sections? How are they different? How does Maniac change from the beginning to the end?

7. What are some legendary things Maniac does? Which was your favorite?