the worlds of HADDIX Margaret Petersond28hgpri8am2if.cloudfront.net/tagged_assets/11574_the missing...

the worlds of

M a r g a r e t P e t e r s o n

HADDIXa guide to the Missing and

the shadow Children series

continued on next page1

About the book

A plane arrives at an airport seemingly out of nowhere. It appears at a gate unannounced and unnoticed by airport personnel. Gate attendant Angela DuPre boards the plane and finds no flight attendants, no pilot—no adults at all. In the passenger seats, she finds 36 eerily quiet infants. Thirteen years later in Ohio, teenage adoptees Jonah and Chip receive ominous messages declaring that they are among “the missing” and that someone is coming to find them. Frightened but intrigued, the friends search for their real identities with the help of Katherine, Jonah’s younger sister. Their search leads them to uncover a vast conspiracy and a discovery that stretches beyond their imaginations, into a danger-filled adventure into the past filled with mystery, cliff-hanging suspense, and surprising twists and turns.

PrereAding Activities

• Inthebeginningofthenovel,Angelaseestheinsignia“TachyonTravel”onthemysteriousjetandlaterexplainstoChip,Jonah,andKatherinetheconnectiontachyonshavetotimetravel.Sincereadersareunlikelytobefamiliarwiththisterm,askthemtousereferencebooksorelectronicresearchsourcestofindoutasmuchinformationastheycanabouttachyonsandthetheoriesbehindthem.

• Katherinetalksabouthowsomeonewiththeabilitytogobackintimeshoulduseitasanopportunitytochangehistory.ShementionseventsliketheassassinationsofpresidentsLincolnandKennedy,thesinkingoftheTitanic,andtheterroristattacksofSeptember11,2001.ThereisalsomentionelsewhereinthenoveloffiguresfromhistorylikeAmeliaEarhartandAdolfHitlerandeventsliketheHolocaustandSpanishInquisition.Askreadershowmuchtheyknowabouttheseevents.Iftheirknowledgeislimited,askthemtousereferencebooksoronlineresourcestolearnmoreandsharewhattheyfindoutwiththerestofthegroup.

discussion toPics

•WhendoJonahandChiprealizethatthemessagestheyhavereceivedarenotaprank?

• HowdoesChipreactwhenhelearnsheisadopted?WhydoyouthinkChip’sparentskepthisadoptionasecret?

• HowisChip’srelationshipwithhisparentsdifferentfromJonah’srelationshipwithhisparents?

• HowwouldyoudescribetherelationshipbetweenJonahandKatherine?

• Mr.ReardontellsJonah’sparentsthattheFBIisnottryingtohideanyinformationtowhichtheyareentitled.Doyouthinkheisbeingtruthful?

• HowdoJonah’sparentsreacttowhatMr.Reardontellsthem?

•WhenJonahleavestheroom,whatdoesKatherineseeinMr.Reardon’sofficethattheirparentsdonot?WhydoyouthinkonlyKatherinecanseetheman?

•WhenKatherinetellsJonahaboutthemanshesawintheoffice,whatdoesherealizeaboutthemanhespoketointhebathroom?DoyouthinkKatherineisrightaboutthemanbeingaghost?

• WhatdoKatherineandChiplearnfromthepeopletheycontactonthelistfromMr.Pearson’sfile?

d i s c u s s i o n g u i d e fo rthe missing: book one

FOUNDby Margaret Peterson haddix

PaperbackISBN:9781416954217


•WhatisthepatternChipandKatherinediscoveramongthenamesonthelistofthemissing?

•WhatisAngelaDuPre’stheoryaboutthebabiesontheplane?

•WhatdoesJonahrealizeaboutthetacklerinthelibrary?WhatwarningdoesthetacklergivetoJonah?

•WhatdoyouthinkthetacklermeanswhenhetellsAngela,“Wehavewrongedyouintime.Weoweyou—.”(p.178)

• WhenJonahreturnstothelibrary,whatdoesheseethatconvinceshimthatAngela’stimetraveltheoriesmaynotbecrazy?

•WhatistheparadoxoftimetravelthatJonahstruggleswith?

• Jonahasks,“Whywouldanyonecomebackfromthefuturetonow?What’shappeningnowthatmatters?”HowwouldyouanswerJonah’squestions?

• Katherinesaysagoodreasontogobackintimewouldbetopreventsometerribleeventfromhappening.Ifyoucouldtraveltothepast,whatterribleeventwouldyouprevent?Whatimpactwouldchangingthateventhaveonthecourseofhistory?

•WhydoesKatherinebelievethecounty-sponsoredadoptees’conferencemightbeatrap?

•WhatisJonahremindedofashewatchesMr.Hodgeleadthegrouponthehike?Whydoeshefindtherecollectionchilling?

•WhatdoesJBsaythatmakesJonahthinkthathe,Gary,andMr.Hodgearefromanothertime?

•Whatdoesitmeantobeina“timehollow”?

•Whatdoestheelucidatorreveal?

• AccordingtoCurtisRathbone,whatisthemissionofInterchronologicalRescues?

•WhatdoesJBsaywentwrongwithInterchronologicalRescues?

•WhydoesJBwanttosendthechildrenbacktotheirrightfulplacesinhistory?

•WhatopportunitydoGaryandMr.Hodgeoffertothechildren?

• JBtellsJonah,“Yournowisoff-limits.Whichwillitbe—thefutureorthepast?”(p.293)Whichonewouldyouchoose?

•Whatisthe“paradoxofthedoubles,”andwhydoesitmakeJonahfeelbetterabouthissituation?

•WhatdoesJBpromisetothechildren?

Post reAding Activities

• Theelucidatorrevealsthetruenamesofthe“missingchildrenofhistory”whowerepassengersontheplane.ThenamescitedincludeVirginiaDare,JohnHudson,HenryFountain,AlexisandAnastasiaRomanov,CharlesLindberghIII,EdwardVofEngland,andRichardofShrewsbury.Sincereadersarelikelytoknowlittleornothingaboutthesefiguresofhistory,askthemtoworkaspairsorsmallgroupstoresearcheachpersonandsharewiththerestofthegroupwhattheylearn.

• Askreaderstodiscusswhowouldbetheonepersonfromhistorytheywouldwanttomeetiftheyhadtheopportunity.

• InasneakpeekofSent,thesequeltoFound,readerslearnthatChip,Jonah,andKatherinearesentbacktofifteenthcenturyEngland.Askreaderstodiscusswhatdifferencestherewillbebetweentheworldofthetwenty-firstcenturyandtheworldofthefifteenthcentury.


About the book

At the end of Found, the first book in The Missing series, Alex and Chip discover they are princes from the Middle Ages. In Sent, they arrive there just in time for their murders, with Jonah and Katherine tagging along to try to prevent their deaths. But messing with history is tricky business, especially when you’re not all that clear on what is supposed to happen, and when the central event is, in fact, a historical mystery. Jonah and Katherine must find a way to let the princes die while saving their friends—who do not want to be saved.


• Therearenamesandwordscitedinthestorythatwillbeunfamiliartomostreaders.Askreaderstousereferencebooksorelectronicresearchsourcestofindoutasmuchinformationastheycanaboutthefollowing:anachronism,chamberlain,coronation,dichotomy,MagnaCarta,privycouncil,RichardIII,TowerofLondon,HenryTudor,WestminsterAbbey.

• ThereisaproseretellingofShakespeare’sRichard IIIinLeonGarfield’sShakespeare Stories II(HoughtonMifflin,1995).Checkoutacopyfromyourschoolorlocalpubliclibraryandreadaloudthestorytoyourgroupbeforebeginningthenovel,soreaderswillhaveasenseofShakespeare’sportrait.

discussion toPics

•WhereandwhendoestheElucidatorsendAlex,Chip,Jonah,andKatherine?

•WhoareAlexandChipsupposedtobeinthiscentury?

•WhydoesKatherinesufferfromtwodifferentkindsof“timesickness”?

•Whoarethe“tracers”theyseeinthechamber?

•WhatistherelationshipofRichard,DukeofGloucestertoEdwardandRichard?

•WhatdoesJonahnoticewhenChipmergeswiththetracerboy?

•WhyisKatherineunabletomergewiththeothertracerboy?

•WhathappenswhenKatherineblowsoutthecandle?Howisitpossibleforsuchasimplethingtohaveanimpactonhistory?

• HowareAlexandChipabletosurvivetheassassinationattempt?

• Howdothesuperstitionsofpeoplelivinginthefifteenthcenturyworktotheadvantageofthetimetravelers?

• WhatdifferencedoesJonahnoticeaboutthewaypeoplearedepictedinmoviessetinoldtimesandthewaytheyareinreallife?

• HowdoesAlexknowwhatheknowsaboutRichardIII?Iswhatheknowshistoricallyaccurate?

•WhatdoesChipwhispertoRichardatthecoronationceremony?WhatisRichard’sresponsetowhathehears?

•Whathappenswhenthetimetravelers’invisibilitywearsoff?

• Howdothetimetravelersexplaintheirtwenty-first-centuryappearancetothemonks?

•WhatangersKatherineaboutthestatusofwomenin1483?

d i s c u s s i o n g u i d e fo rthe missing: book two

SENTby Margaret Peterson haddix



•WhatdoesJBmeanwhensays“you’vegottostopthinkingofyourexperienceofeventsastheonlysequence”?(p.196)

• WhatdoesJBtellthetimetravelersaboutthequeen’splantosavehersons?

• AccordingtoJB,whywassavingAlexandChipthebestoutcome?

•WhatistheirresponsetoJB’sannouncementthatAlexandChipwillhavetoremaininthefifteenthcenturyforatleasttwoyears?Whydotheyhavetostaythatlong?

•WhatdoesJBmeanwhenhesaysthattimeneededRichardtobeavillain?


• Askreaderstoworkinpairsorgroupstoresearchwhatdailylifewaslikeinthefifteenthcentury,includingfoodanddrink,medicine,religiouspractice,education,orfashion.Usefulresourcesincludehttp://www.britainexpress.com/History/Townlife.htm,http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/Learning/Learningonline/features/viking/viking_4.htm,andhttp://www.richardiii.net/15th_century.htm.Askreaderstoconsiderhowfifteenthcenturylifeisdepictedinthenovelandifitisconsistentwiththefindingsoftheirresearch.

• Usingelectronicandprintresources,askreaderstoresearchthehistoricalbasisofthisstory.Aninterestingwebsitetovisitishttp://www.richardiii.net/,homeoftheRichardIIISociety,whichbelieves“thatmanyfeaturesofthetraditionalaccountsofthecharacterandcareerofRichardIIIareneithersupportedbysufficientevidencenorreasonablytenable.”Inthecourseoftheirresearch,askreaderstoconsiderthefollowingquestions:Whatreallyhappened?Howcanyoufindoutmore?Howcanweknowwhatistrue?

•WhatimpactdoesShakespearehaveonourperceptionsofthisevent?Whataboutthemanyartisticdepictionsoftheprinces?Doartandliteratureaffecthowweunderstandhistory?Whataboutthisbook?WhatdoyouthinkoftheideaofarepentantRichard?

•Whateffectcanminorchangesinthepasthaveonthepresent?Supposetheprinceshadlivedandbeencrowned?Howwouldthathavechangedthecourseofhistoryafterward?


About the book

In Sabotaged, the third book in The Missing series, Jonah and Katherine’s new mission is to return Andrea—who is really Virginia Dare—to the lost colony of Roanoke in the sixteenth century. Once they help her restore the balance of history, they can all go home. But right away, things start to go wrong. They lose the Elucidator and aren’t sure where in time they have landed. As they struggle to survive without food, water, supplies, or a way to contact anyone for rescue, they try to piece together the mystery of Roanoke. What happened to the missing colonists? Does it have anything to do with their current predicament? And how can they help Andrea restore history if they don’t know what century they’re in? The more Jonah and Katherine search for answers, the more questions they have—until they come across the most chilling possibility of all: Has their mission been sabotaged?


• Beforebeginningthebook,askreaderstosharewhattheyknowabouttheRoanokeColony.AskthemtosearchonlineandprintresourcesforgeneralinformationabouttheRoanokeColonyandsharetheirfindings.

• UseanatlastoshowreaderswheretheRoanokeColonywaslocated.

• Therearenamesandwordscitedinthestorythatwillbeunfamiliartomostreaders.Askreaderstousereferencebooksorelectronicresearchsourcestofindoutasmuchinformationastheycanaboutthefollowing:AlgonquinandMohawktribes;theCroatoans;privateering;SirWalterRaleigh;theSpanishArmada.

discussion toPics

•Whereandwhendothetimetravelersfindthemselves?WhoisAndreasupposedtobe?

• Whatisa“timehollow”?

• WhatdoesAndreaseeintheprojectionthatmakesherscream?

• WhatdoesAndrealearnabouther“reallife”?

• AccordingtoJB,whatisthepurposeoftheprojections?

• HowdoesAndrealosetheElucidator?Whatcouldhappenasaresultoflosingit?

• WhyisDaresentalongasatravelingcompanion?

• Whatdothetimetravelersfindintheclearing?

• WhydidittakeJohnWhite,thegovernorofRoanokeColony,threeyearstoreturnfromEnglandwithsupplies?

• Whoarethefirst“tracers”thetimetravelerssee?

• WhydoesJonahsuspectthatAndrealosttheElucidatoronpurpose?

• WhatdoesAndreaconfessafterJonahaccusesheroflying?

• WhatdoAndreaandJonahseeafterrescuingthemanfromtheboat?

d i s c u s s i o n g u i d e fo rthe missing: book three

sabotagedby Margaret Peterson haddix



• WhydoesJonahsayhefeelsused?

• WhodoesAndrearecognizeasthemansherescued?

• HowdoesJohnWhite’sarrivalbackatRoanokeinthestorydeviatefromhistoricalaccounts?

• WhyisJonahsurprisedthatJBdoesnotyankAndreaoutofthepast?

• Inadditiontobeinggovernor,whatisJohnWhite’sotherroleinthecolony?

• WhatdoesAndreameanwhenshesaysthehistorywasn’twrong,justincomplete?(p.257)

• WhydoesJohnWhitewanttogotoCroatoanIsland?Whatdotheyfindthere?

• WhoisSecondChance,andwhatishispurpose?

• JonahrealizesthatSecondChancehasbeenmanipulatinghimandtheothertravelersallalong.Whataresomewaysinwhichhemanipulatesthem?

• Jonahwonders:“IfJBhadtochoosebetweensavingkidsandsavinghistory,whichwouldhepick?”(p.4)WhichdoyouthinkJBwouldpick?

• WhydoesJBcallSecondChanceatraitor?

• WhatdoesVirginiaDaredothatiscrucialtohistory?

• WhatdoesJohnWhitedoforAntonioandBrendanaftertheyrescuehim?

• WhathappenswhenSecondChancereleasestheripple?

• WhatdoyouthinkwillbetheconsequencesofSecond’srecklessness?


• TheLostColonyofRoanoke,1588,http://theshadowlands.net/roanoke.htm,liststhefivemostpopulartheoriesforwhathappenedtothecolonists.Askreaderstoreviewthetheoriesanddecidewhichonetheybelieveisthemostplausible.Haveeachdefendhisorherchoicetothegroup.

• ThisnovelwillleavereaderswithmanyquestionsaboutthehistoryoftheRoanokeColony.TheNationalParkServiceoffersexcellentcurriculumresourcesathttp://www.nps.gov/fora/forteachers/roanoke-revisited.htm.

• ReaderscanviewaslideshowofJohnWhite’swatercolorpaintingsathttp://www.nps.gov/fora/photosmultimedia/johnwhitewatercolors.htm.EssaysdiscussingwhattheJohnWhitewatercolorsteachabouttheCarolinaAlgonquinpeopleandculturecanbefoundathttp://www.nps.gov/fora/forteachers/roanoke-revisited-unit-4.htm.

• ReaderscanseeJohnWhite’spersonalaccountofhisvoyagestoRoanokeIslandathttp://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/jamestown-browsemod?id=J1019.

• ReaderscanviewmapsandimagesrelatingtotheRoanokeColonyathttp://www.lost-colony.com/gallerymain.html.

• ReaderscanlearnmoreabouttheCroatoansandotherNativeAmericansofthecoastalCarolinaregionathttp://www.coastalcarolinaindians.com.

recommended books And Websites About the roAnoke colony

books• Fritz,Jean.The Lost Colony of Roanoke.Illus.HudsonTalbott.Putnam,2004.

• Miller,Lee.Roanoke:The Mystery of the Lost Colony.Scholastic,2007.

• Yolen,JaneandHeidiE.Y.Stemple.Roanoke: The Lost Colony—An Unsolved Mystery from History.Illus.RogerRoth.Simon&Schuster,2003.

Websites• KidInfo:YourGuidetotheHistoryoftheRoanokeColonyhttp://www.kidinfo.com/American_History/Colonization_Roanoke.html

• TheLostColonyCenterforScienceandResearchhttp://www.lost-colony.com/home.html

• TheLostColony’sEducationPageshttp://thelostcolony.org/education/Resources/Lesson_Plans.htm


About the book

In this fourth entry in The Missing series, Jonah and Katherine barely have a chance to recover from the traumatic events in Roanoke in 1600 when they are hurtled through time again, moments before a mutiny aboard the Discovery, Henry Hudson’s ship, in the icy waters of James Bay. As they struggle to survive the frozen seas and brutal conditions aboard the ship, Jonah and Katherine realize that something is terribly wrong. The history they remember is drastically different from what they are experiencing. Will this new version of history replace the past? Jonah and Katherine struggle to unravel the mysteries of 1611 and the mysteries about the Hudson Passage before the only future they have ever known is lost forever.


• Beforebeginningthebook,askreaderstosharewhattheyknowaboutHenryHudsonandotherexplorersoftheNewWorld.AskthemwhatknowaboutNorthAmericain1611.

• UseanatlastoshowreaderswhereinNorthAmericatheDiscoverytraveledduringHenryHudson’sfinalexpedition.

• Thereareplacenamesandvocabularywordscitedinthestorythatwillbeunfamiliartomostreaders.Askreaderstousereferencebooksorelectronicresearchsourcestofindoutasmuchinformationastheycanaboutthefollowing:coerce,crow’snest,doggerel,miscreant,mutiny,NorthwestPassage,Orient,shallop,andvariables.

discussion Questions

•WhydidittakesolongforJonahtotrustJB?

•WhoisSecond,andwhatishisconnectiontoJB?

•WhathasSeconddoneinhisattemptstoalterthepast?

• WhatissignificantaboutthedrawingJonahhasofAndrea?

•WhatdoesJonahconsidertobeoneofthe“bestapps”oftheElucidator?

• WhatelsecantheElucidatordo?

•Whyistimetravelsocomplicated?

•WhereandwhenareJonahandKatherine?WhoisJonahsupposedtobe?

•Whatdothetracersrepresent?WhatdotheyindicateaboutthetimeJonahandKatherinearein?

•WhatdoesJonahnoticeaboutthesailor’sface?Whatdoyouthinkaccountsforhispoorcondition?

•WhydoesJonahbegintoquestionJB’sreliability?

• WhatmakesJonahconcludethatHenryandJohnHudsondonothaveagoodrelationship?

•WhydoesHenryHudsonrefusetosailforthewintercabin?

• WhatistheplotthatPrickettandHenryHudsonplantogether?Howdoestheplandeviatefromhistoricalfact?

d i s c u s s i o n g u i d e fo rthe missing: book four

TORNby Margaret Peterson haddix



•WhatdoesthemessagethatJonahdiscoversinthecrow’snestwarnaboutPrickett?

• HowdoesStafferemindJonahofhisfather?

•WhatmakesJonahconcludethatSecondisinvolvedwithalteringthehistoryoftheHenryHudsonexpedition?Whatmightbetheconsequencesofchanginghistory?

• DoyouagreewithJonah’scommentthatHenryHudsonhasthe“biggestegoontheplanet”?WhataresomeexamplesofHenryHudson’segotism?

•WhydothecrewmembersturntheirbackstoJonahwhenheispunished?

• HowdoesPrickettremindJonahofhisfriendBillyRivoli?

• WhatmakesJonahconcludethatPrickettisactuallySecond?

•WhydoesSecondneedJonahandKatherine’shelp?

•WhatdoJonahandKatherineassumewhentheyseetheknife?

•WhoisDaltonSullivan?

•WhydoesJBsaytheyneedtosuspendtimetravelforawhile?


• HenryHudsonwasoneofmanyexplorerswho,forcenturies,soughttheNorthwestPassageasapossibletraderoutetoAsia.AskreaderstoworkinpairsandusereferencebooksorelectronicresearchsourcestolearnaboutotherexplorersandexpeditionsseekingtheNorthwestPassage.Whentheyhavecompletedtheirresearch,askthemtosharetheirfindings.

• ThisstorywillleavereaderswithmanyquestionsaboutthehistoricalfactsofHenryHudson’slastexpedition.Anexcellentsourceofinformationislocatedathttp://www.ianchadwick.com/hudson/hudson_04.htm.

• Scurvy,acommondiseaseamongsailorsonlongseavoyagesformanycenturies,ismentionedseveraltimesinthenovel.Askreaderstoworkinpairsandusereferencebooksorelectronicresearchsourcestolearnaboutthecausesandeffectsofscurvyandtreatments.Whentheyhavecompletedtheirresearch,askthemtosharetheirfindings.

• DuringtheAgeofDiscovery,mutinytypicallydescribedanopenrebellionagainstaship’scaptain.AskreaderstoworkinsmallgroupsandusereferencebooksorelectronicresearchsourcestoprepareaPowerPointpresentationaboutafamousnavalmutiny.

• InherAuthor’sNote,MargaretPetersonHaddixstatesthatthereisnohistoricalcertaintyaboutwhatbecameofHenryandJohnHudson,onlyspeculationandreferencesinNativeAmericanlegends.AskreaderstousereferencebooksorelectronicsourcestoresearchthevarioustheoriesaboutwhatbecameofHenryandJohnHudsonanddecidewhichonetheyconsidermostplausible.

recommended books And Websites About henry hudson

books• Duble,KathleenBenner.Quest.McElderry,2008.

• Foran,Jill.The Search for the Northwest Passage.Weigl,2004.

• Weaver,Janice.Hudson.Illus.DavidCraig.Tundra,2010.

• Young,JeffC.Henry Hudson: Discoverer of the Hudson River.Enslow,2009

Websites• TheLifeandVoyagesofHenryHudson,EnglishExplorerandNavigatorhttp://www.ianchadwick.com/hudson/

• SocialStudiesforKids:HenryHudsonhttp://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/subjects/henryhudson.htm


About the books

Imagine living in the shadows, hiding your existence from almost everyone in the world. This is the plight of Jen, Trey, Nina, and all other third-born children. With their nation plagued by drought and food shortages, their government has made it illegal for families to have more than two children. Yet thousands of thirds exist without identification cards or rights of any kind. As these shadow children begin to discover and communicate with each other, their worldviews broaden. They begin to wonder why their government claims that they are the cause of all of their nation’s ills, and they question the worth of their leaders themselves. Fearfully, unwittingly, or angrily, these secret children emerge from the shadows to fight for change.

The seven Shadow Children novels are told from the viewpoints of Luke, the beloved third son of a rural family; Matthias, the abandoned urban orphan raised by elderly moralist Samuel; and other third children. Their narratives offer readers differing perspectives on the compelling questions explored in the series. Should the government have the right to dictate the size of families or other aspects of how people choose to live their lives? In an age of televised news, how can one be certain what is really happening in the world and what is illusion—who is telling the truth and who isn’t? Can individual actions truly affect the future of a nation? And, ultimately, what does it mean to live in freedom?

discussion toPics

•Whydoyouthinksomefamiliesdecidedtohavethirdchildrendespitetheirsociety’sdesperatecircumstancesandstrictlaws?Doyouthinkthatthebenefitsofhavinganotherchildwouldoutweighthesacrificesthatmustbemade?Whyorwhynot?

• Eachthirdchildcomesfromadifferentbackgroundandtypeofhidingplace.Howarethesechildrentreatedbythepeoplewhocareforthemandhidethem?Howdotheyfeelabouttheircircumstances?Howdothesefeelingsaffecttheiractions?

• Howdoesthegovernmentenforceitsrules?Doyouthinkitsplanfordealingwiththelowfoodsupplyisagoodone?Isitjustified?Mustgovernmentslimitindividualfreedomstoprotecttheircitizensasagroup?Isthisthecaseinyourowncountry?

• Tocomeoutofhiding,shadowchildrenmustassumefalseidentities.Howwouldyoufeelifyouhadtoliveunderanassumedname,denyingyourrelationshiptoyourfamily?Whichshadowchild’sfeelingsaboutthissituationaremostlikeyourownandwhy?

• Aretheshadowchildreninmoredangerwhentheyarehiddenorwhentheyventureoutintothelarger,morecomplicatedworld?Inwhatwaysdoyouthinkthiswouldbeadifficulttransitiontomake?Wouldyoufeelsaferorlesssafeoutintheworld?

• Shadowchildrenareoftenuncertainwhetherpeoplearetheirfriendsortheirenemies.CiteexampleswhenthirdchildrenquestiontheloyaltiesofMr.Talbot,Smits,Oscar,andevenmembersofthePopulationPoliceForce.Istrustasdifficultinyourworld?

• Acriticalchallengefacedbyeachshadowchildisthesensethatoneindividualcannotmakeadifference.WhendoLuke,Nina,Trey,andMatthiasexpressthissense?Aretheycorrect?Whatistherelationshipbetweenthisfeelingandtheleadershiprolesthesechildrenultimatelytakeon?

d i s c u s s i o n g u i d e fo r

The Shadow Children SeriesAvailableinpaperback

ISBN:9780689857997ISBN:9780689857973ISBN:9780689857959ISBN:9780689839108ISBN:9780689839092ISBN:9780689839085ISBN:9780689824753


• Howdodifferentcharacterscontributetothefightforthefreedomoftheshadowchildren?HoweffectiveisJen’srally?DoesLukehelpthecausewhenhejoinstheGrantfamilyofBarons?CanTrey’sfearbeatypeofcourage?HowdoMr.andMrs.Talbot,Mr.Hendricks,andevenPhilipTwiningshelpthefight?

• Itbecomesincreasinglyclearthatthegovernmentismisinformingitscitizens.Whatliesaretoldonthepublictelevisionchannels?HowistheinformationontheBaronchannelsdifferent?WhatrolesdotelevisionandtheInternetplayinthenovels?

•Whydoyouthinkthegovernmentis,inasense,framingtheshadowchildrenforthenation’sproblems?Whomdoyouthinkthestarvingpopulationwouldbeangrywithiftheydidnothavetheshadowchildrentoblamefortheirhunger?

• Inwhatwaysdoeshungeraffectdifferentcharactersandtheiractions?Ifyourfamilywerehungry,wouldyouhavejoinedthePopulationPolice?Whyorwhynot?

• WhenAldousKrakenaurandthePopulationPolicearedefeatedinthefinalbook,arethethirdchildrentrulysafe?WhatdoesLukedotoexposeOscar?WhydoesNinafeelthatonlyathirdchildcouldhavestoppedOscar?

•Whatkindofgovernmentdoyouthink—orhope—theshadowchildrenwillhelptocreate?HowdoesLukeimaginethefuture?Doyouthinkitwillbeperfect?Doyouthinkitwillbebetter?Explainyouranswer.

QuotAtions to discuss

• Among the HiddenbeginswithLukemusing:“Iwillneverbeallowedoutsideagain.MaybeneveragainaslongasIlive.”Whatmightyoudoifyouwerefacingyourfinalmomentsoutside?Howdoesthispassageaffectyourunderstandingoftheseries?

• JentriestopersuadeLuketojointherally,saying,“You’vegottocome,Luke,oryou’llhateyourselftherestofyourlife.Whenyoudon’thavetohideanymore,evenyearsfromnow,there’llalwaysbesomesmallpartofyouwhispering,‘Idon’tdeservethis.Ididn’tfightforit.I’mnotworthit.’Butyouare,Luke,youare.”ListthreewaysJen’swordsareimportant.HowisJen,whodies,akeycharacterthroughouttheseries?CompareandcontrastthecharactersofJenandSamuelasmoralthinkersandleaders.

• NeartheendofAmong the Impostors,Mr.Hendricksexplainsthat,“ThePopulationPolicecanlietoo...Itsuitsthegovernment’spurposestosaytheyarearrestingthirdchildrenratherthantraitors.”Whymightthisbebetterforthegovernment’spurposes?Arethirdchildrentherealcauseofthenation’stroubles?

• Among the BetrayedopenswithNina’sthoughtthat“...likethebogeymanandtheBigBadWolfandtheWickedWitchandthecreep-showmonster,thePopulationPolicebelongedinstoriesandnightmares,notreallife.”Whatmakestheserebelliousthoughts?Whatmakesthesebravethoughts?

• InChapter29ofAmong the Barons,“Lukerememberedaquotefromoneofhishistorybooks:‘Thekingisdead,longlivetheking.’”HowdoLuke’sexperienceshelphimunderstandthesewordsspokenuponthedeathofFrance’sKings?IsthetransferofpowerinLuke’sworldreallythisclear?Howmightthisquotebeunderstoodintermsofthewayleadershipchangeshandsinyourcountry?

• InChapter21ofAmong the Brave,Luke’sbrother,Mark,complementsTreyonbeingbraverthanhim.AsTreyresponds,herealizes,“Peoplearebraveindifferentways.”Explainthisquoteintermsofthedifferenttypesofbraverydepictedintheseries.

• InChapter19ofAmong the Enemy,MatthiaswonderswhyhecouldsaveaPopulationPoliceofficer,thenfightagainsthim.“IthadtodowithSamueltellinghim,overandoveragain,‘Killingiswrong.’Even...backinthecabin,Matthiashadn’twantedtobeanaccomplicetoanymoremurder.”HowdoesthememoryofSamuelaffectMatthias’sthoughtsandactions?HowdoSamuel’swordsaffectyourunderstandingoftherelationshipbetweenthirdchildrenandtheirgovernment?

• AttheendofChapter8inAmong the Free,Lukeasksaboyabouthisloyalties.“‘WhichsideamIon?’[theboy]repeated.‘Whatdoyouthink?Whateversidefeedsme—that’stheoneforme.’”Lukelatermuses,“Shouldn’ttheenemiesofmyenemiesbemyfriends?”Discussloyaltyintermsofthesetwoquotations.Couldyoueverbedriventothinklikethehungryboy?Whyorwhynot?HowwouldyourespondtoLuke’scircularquestionabouttheenemiesofhisenemies?

Writing And reseArch Activities

hiding• ThepremiseoftheShadowChildrenseriesisthatthirdchildrenmustliveinhiding,pretendingnottoexist.Imagineyouareathirdchild.Writethreetofivejournalentriesdescribingyourlife,howyoufeelaboutit,andyourdreams,ifany,forthefuture.

Visit TEACH.SimonandSchuster.net for more reading group guides and downloadable activities.simon & schuster books for Young readers • simon & schuster children’s Publishing

1230 avenue of the americas • new York, nY 10020teAch.simonandschuster.net • kids.simonandschuster.com • haddixbooks.com

this reading group guide has been provided by simon & schuster children’s Publishing for classroom, library, and reading group use. it may be reproduced in its entirety or excerpted for these purposes.

guide isbn (packs of 10): 9781442437951

•MargaretPetersonHaddixcallsthesenovelsthe“ShadowChildren”series.Whatotherwords,suchashiddenorforbidden,describethirdchildren?Lookup“shadow”inthedictionary.Basedontheseexercises,writeashortessayexplainingwhy“shadow”is,orisnot,thebestwordtouseintheseriestitle.Ifnot,whatseriestitlewouldyousuggest?

• Makea“topten”listofreasonspeoplejointhePopulationPolice.Then,inthecharacterofoneofthoseofpeople,writeaspeechexplainingtothePopulationPolicewhyyouhavecometojointhem.Readyourspeechaloudtoclassmates.

• Inthefinalbook,Lukebalksatbeinginterviewedoncamera,statingthatifheisfreethenhehastherighttosaynothing.WhydoesLukesaythis?Role-playthisscene,havingoneclassmateactastheinterviewerwhileothersplayliberatedcitizens.Youmayalsowanttorole-playthesceneinwhichcitizensbegintotestifyagainstthirdchildrenonceagain.Discusswaysinwhichtheserole-playsaresimilarand/ordifferent.

Population• Theworld’ssixbillionthchildwasbornin1999,andourpopulationcontinuestogrow.Agrowingpopulationposesriskstotheplanet.Imagineyouhavejustbeentoldthatyouarechildnumbersixbillion.Writeajournalentrydescribinghowyoufeelaboutthisfact.

• Theworld’sthreemostpopulouscountriesareChina,India,andtheUnitedStates.Researchhowpopulationgrowthhasbeenhandledinoneofthesecountries.Compareandcontrastthedifferentpopulationchangesandpolicieswiththeresearchofotherclassmatesorfriends.Havethepoliciesbeensuccessful?Whatpositiveandnegativeeffectsmightthesepolicieshaveinthefuture?(Hint:ExcellentdataisavailableonthePopulationReferenceBureauwebsite:www.prb.org.)

Food and hunger• Luke’sfamilylivesonafarm,andheisveryinterestedingardeningandhydroponics,thegrowingofplantsinanutrient-richwaterratherthansoil.Learnmoreaboutthesedisciplinesbytryingtogrowsomevegetablesofyourownortryingyourhandathydroponics.

• ThepeopleoftheShadowChildrenworldsometimesactagainsttheirmoralsensesbecausetheyarestarving.Whatdoesitmeantobehungry?Writeaparagraphdescribinghowyourstomach,limbs,andmindfeelwhenyouhavemissedameal.Comparethistoanencyclopediadefinitionofstarvation.Basedontheseobservationsandfacts,writeadefenseofthestarvingpeople’sbadacts.

• Howdowedealwithhungerandfamineinourmodernworld?Researchthepoliciesthatdifferentcountrieshavefordealingwithhungerbothathomeandabroad.Stageadebate,witheachpersonadvocatingadifferentapproach,andseeifyoucanreachaconsensusaboutwhichmethodsarethemosteffective.

governments and control• Arethesenovelsaboutastronggovernmentpreventingfaminethroughlimitingpopulation?Oraretheyaboutafailinggovernmentattemptingtokeepcontroldespitethefaminebyblamingthirdchildrenfortheentirepopulation’shunger?WriteaparagraphexplainingwhichoftheabovesentencesbestdescribesthecrisisoftheShadowChildrenseriesandwhy.

• ResearchthepopulationcontroleffortsoftheChinesegovernment,thevilificationoftheJewishpeoplebytheNazisinWorldWarII,ortheracialhierarchyestablishedbetweentheHutuandTutsipeopleinRwanda.Presentaninformativeposterbasedonyourresearchtofriendsandclassmates.DiscussthewaysinwhicheachofthesegovernmentsresemblestheactionsoftheShadowChildrengovernment.Then,ifdesired,writeaparagraphstatingwhichreal-lifesituationyouthinkismostsimilartotheseriesandwhy.

• Topromotetheideathatthirdchildrenarevillains,thegovernmentfeedsthepopulationpropagandathroughtelevisionandposters.Findthedictionarydefinitionofpropaganda.Lookforexamplesofpropagandainthenovels.Thencreateyourownpropagandaposterdefendingorblamingthirdchildrenforthetroublesoftheirnation.

• Lukeandhisfriendsultimatelyhavetheopportunitytohelpcreateanewgovernment.Withclassmatesorfriends,brainstormalistofrules,regulations,andfreedomsforthenewgovernmentyouwouldcreatefortheShadowChildren.OryouandyourclassmatescaneachdraftanewconstitutionfortheShadowChildrentopresenttoyourclass.Voteonthebestconstitution.

• Whatdoesitmeantobefree?HoldaFreedomDayatyourschoolorclassroom.Learnaboutcelebrationsoffreedomacrosstimeandcultures.Writeanessay,poem,orsonglyrics;createasculpture,drawing,orcollage;orimproviseadanceoraplayshowingwhatfreedommeanstoyou.

This guide was written by Edward T. Sullivan, a librarian and writer.

the worlds of HADDIX Margaret Petersond28hgpri8am2if.cloudfront.net/tagged_assets/11574_the missing...

Documents

Transcript of the worlds of HADDIX Margaret Petersond28hgpri8am2if.cloudfront.net/tagged_assets/11574_the missing...