Blog Archives

Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan

6/10/2020

👍👍👍
😬🤔
Dutton Children’s Books, 1942

5-Word Booktalk: Children smuggle gold away from Nazis.
Themes: History, Perspective, Courage, Patriotism
Summary:
- In the bleak winter of 1940, Nazi troops parachuted into Peter Lundstrom's tiny Norwegian village and held it captive. Nobody thought the Nazis could be defeated—until Uncle Victor told Peter how the children could fool the enemy. It was a dangerous plan. They had to slip past Nazi guards with nine million dollars in gold hidden on their sleds. It meant risking their country's treasure—and their lives. This classic story of how a group of children outwitted the Nazis and sent the treasure to America has captivated generations of readers.
Discussion/Activities:
- Quote: Toward the end of the story, Peter’s Mother says, “Freedom is greater heritage than gold.” What does that mean to you?
- Put yourself in Peter’s shoes. How would you feel being the leader of this mission to get the money out of Norway?
- Research this setting in this story. How does this story fit into the history of German Nazis and WWII?

6/5/2020

👍👍👍👍
🙂😬🤔
Scholastic Press, 2017

5-Word Booktalk: Can you restart your life?
Themes: Bullying, Perspective, Building Character, Conflict, Inner Conflict
Summary:
Chase's memory just went out the window. Chase doesn't remember falling off the roof. He doesn't remember hitting his head.He doesn't, in fact, remember anything. He wakes up in a hospital room and suddenly has to learn his whole life all over again . . . starting with his own name. He knows he's Chase. But who is Chase? When he gets back to school, he sees that different kids have very different reactions to his return. Some kids treat him like a hero. Some kids are clearly afraid of him. One girl in particular is so angry with him that she pours her frozen yogurt on his head the first chance she gets. Pretty soon, it's not only a question of who Chase is--it's a question of who he was . . . and who he's going to be. From the #1 bestselling author of Swindle and Slacker, Restart is the spectacular story of a kid with a messy past who has to figure out what it means to get a clean start.
Discussion/Activities:
- How did bullying affect those that were the targets?
- How do you think different groups of people see you as a person?
- If you were able to restart your life, what would you change and what things would you not change?