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1 ide ing oup Caleb s Reading StoryGroup Guide Read From Newbery Guide Medal Reading winnergroup Gu Patricia MacLachlan Grou Guide Reading Gro Reading Group Guide

2 uide Reading up Guide Readin roup Guide Reading up Guid ading up Guide Reading Gro About this guide: Patricia MacLachlan s new novel Caleb s Story continues to explore one family s relationships with tenderness and compassion. The book summary, questions for discussion, and author biography in this reading group guide for Caleb s Story are intended to initiate conversation about the challenge and potential growth of family change. They are meant to enhance your group s reading, giving you new angles from which to look at this subtle and poignant novel. About this book: Caleb s Story is the sequel to the Newbery Medal winning Sarah, Plain and Tall and Skylark. Once again Patricia MacLachlan writes of courage, forgiveness, and the love that binds a family together. All the beloved Witting family characters return for another important episode in their lives: Jacob, Anna, Caleb, and Sarah, as well as the newest member of the family, Cassie. This book is narrated by Caleb, the middle child and only son of the family, offering a different perspective. When Jacob s long-lost father arrives on their farm unexpectedly, family relationships are challenged. Caleb learns the secrets behind his father and grandfather s estrangements and, along with Sarah, struggles to bring them back together. In taking this responsibility, Caleb learns a great deal about both his own and his family s values. Patricia MacLachlan speaks from the heart and writes about the things that matter to us all.

3 ng up Guide Reading Group e Reading up Guide Reading up Guide Reading up Guide Questions for discussion: 1. In several instances throughout the book, the author uses figurative language. For example, on page one she writes, The words walk across the page like bird prints in the mud. What does the author mean by this phrase? How does her language not only help explain Caleb s impression of Anna s writing, but also help define his character? What are some other instances of figurative language used in the book? How do you know the difference between figurative and literal statements? 2. John calls Cassie the Queen of Questions. Who else has been known to ask a lot of questions in this family? Why is asking questions important, especially the tough questions? 3. Anna s boyfriend, Justin, has gone to Europe to fight in the war, and at home, there is an epidemic of influenza. What do these pieces of information tell you about the period in which the story is set? What other statements in the book give you a sense of time? How does understanding the time period help you understand the characters feelings and actions? 4. Why do you think John came back after all these years? Why is he initially cold to Cassie and Caleb, and why do they persist until he warms up to them? Why is Jacob so upset that he came back? Do you think John s return was good for the family, or would it have been better had he stayed away? Why? 5. Caleb writes in his journal, John doesn t look peaceful at all. He looks like he has secrets (page 29). What is it that John is hiding? Why does his secret keep him from living in peace? Later, he doesn t want to share his journal entries with Caleb, but simply thinks that some things are private. Is there a difference between privacy and secrecy? What s the difference?

4 Guide Reading up Guide R up Guide Reading Group Reading up Guide Reading G 6. The first two books about the Witting family are written from Anna s point of view. This one is written from Caleb s. How is the family story told differently by Caleb? How is it the same? 7. Why does Sarah say that John and Jacob are alike? As he observes his father and grandfather s behavior, what does Caleb learn about himself? 8. Sarah says Jacob and John won t talk to each other because they are stubborn. Caleb says, But they are family, to which Sarah replies, That s what makes it so hard. What does she mean by this? Why is it so difficult for Jacob and John to forgive each other? Talk about an instance where being stubborn played a part in a family argument, and why it might have been more easily resolved with someone outside your family. 9. How does John change during the course of the novel? How do Jacob and Caleb change? How does the whole family change as a result? 10. Why does the family at the cemetery build a bonfire? Why was Sarah so upset about this? What do you think about when you hear about influenza these days? Do we face epidemics today? 11. What clues foreshadow that John can t read? Why is he ashamed of it? What do you think it would feel like to be unable to read? How would it affect your everyday life? How do you think it might feel to teach someone to read, as Caleb did? 12. What do you predict will happen to the Witting family? Will John stay? Will Anna and Justin marry? What will happen to Caleb and Cassie? 13. Why does Caleb cry at the end of the novel, even when not one thing in the world is wrong. Is he upset or relieved? What other emotions do you think he s feeling? What fears of his have been put to rest?

5 Caleb s Story Tr $14.95 ($19.95) Lb X $14.89 ($20.89) Caleb s Story Audio Unabridged Au $14.00 ($19.95) Sarah, Plain and Tall Tr $14.95 ($19.95) Lb $14.89 ($20.89) Pb $4.95 ($7.50) Sarah, Plain and Tall Audio Unabridged Au $12.00 ($17.95) An exquisite, sometimes painfully touching tale. The New York Times Over 3.5 million copies sold! Skylark Tr $14.95 ($19.95) Pb $4.95 ($7.50) Skylark Audio Unabridged Au $12.00 ($17.95) Skylark is one sequel that is as successful as the original. The Horn Book Over 750,000 copies sold! Sarah, Plain and Tall Audio CD Collection All three Sarah, Plain and Tall novels collected in one deluxe CD collection. Au $25.00 ($37.50) uide Reading up Guide Reading ading up Guide Reading Group roup Guide Reading up Guide

6 About the author: Patricia MacLachlan is the author of many beloved books for young readers, including Arthur, for the Very First Time, winner of the Golden Kite Award for Fiction; The Facts and Fictions of Minna Pratt, and Newbery Medal winning Sarah, Plain and Tall, and its sequel, Skylark. Caleb s Story is the third book about the Witting family and their life on the prairie. She is also the author of several picture books for children, including Three Names, What You Know First, and All the Places to Love. Ms. MacLachlan lives and works in western Massachusetts. Available from Patricia MacLachlan: All the Places to Love Illustrated by Mike Wimmer Tr $16.95 ($24.50) Lb $16.89 ($22.89) Arthur, for the Very First Time Pictures by Lloyd Bloom Lb $15.89 ($24.89) Pb $4.95 ($6.95) Cassie Binegar Pictures by Lloyd Bloom Lb $15.89 ($20.89) Pb $4.95 ($6.95) The Facts and Fictions of Minna Pratt Lb $14.89 ($20.89) Pb $4.95 ($6.50) Mama One, Mama Two Illustrated by Ruth L. Bornstein Lb $16.89 ($23.89) Seven Kisses in a Row Illustrated by Maria Pia Marella Lb $15.89 ($20.89) Pb $4.95 ($7.50) Three Names Illustrated by Alexander Pertzoff Lb $16.89 ($25.89) Pb $5.95 ($7.95) Through Grandpa s Eyes Pictures by Deborah Kogan Ray Lb $15.89 ($24.89) Pb $5.95 ($8.75) Unclaimed Treasures Pb $4.95 ($5.75) What You Know First Illustrated by Barry Moser Tr $16.95 ($25.50) Pb $6.95 ($7.95) This reading group guide is available at bookstores everywhere. Call to order more copies free of charge. Prices subject to change without notice Joanna Cotler Books An Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers up Guide Reading up Guide Read Reading up Guide Reading Gr Guide ISBN: X