Reading Group Guide
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The research and writing activities below correlate to the following Common Core State Standards: RL.5-8.1-5; RL.9-10.1-5; SL.5-8.4-6; SL.9-10.4-6; W.8.1-4, W.8.7-8; W.9-10.1-4, W.9-10.7-8.
JOURNAL
Archie often feels like an outcast, although he is also an integral part of the League. From the perspective of Gonzalo, Hachi, Fergus, or another character, write at least three journal entries, including one reflecting on your history with Archie, one considering your feelings about being part of the League of Seven and its mission, and one discussing both the dangers and values of befriending Archie Dent.
BIOGRAPHY
From Harriet Tubman to General Grant to Jesse James, Alan Gratz brings real historical figures to life in fictional ways throughout his story. Go to the library or online to discover the real identities of these historical figures. Create a “Biographical Guide to The Monster War,” identifying at least five historical characters with facts about their real contributions to history and brief explanations of why you believe the author chose to include them his novel.
DESIGN
Select a scene in which Archie and/or his League friends encounter a Mangleborn creature. Study the text for clues to the creature’s appearance. Then, using a computer design program or traditional art materials, create a portrait of your selected Mangleborn. If desired, create a larger display of portraits made by friends and classmates.
SYNESTHETIZE
Martine senses relationships between letters and colors which might, in our world, be interpreted as a form of synesthesia. Learn about the concept of synesthesia. Discover famous synesthetes from the worlds of art and literature. Imagine that you are a character in The Monster War. Using your research, write a speech in which you explain Martine’s unusual perceptions, and their potential value, to the other members of the League.
MYTHOLOGIZE
Go to the library or online to learn about the legend of Uktena. Review chapter 23, in which Senor X describes First Men who were “…the first to understand that everything that happens…will happen again and again, like a snake eating its own tail.” What is the relationship between Uktena and this observation? Write a short essay answering this question and explaining why the snake image recurs in discussions of this topic.
RHYME WITH SCIENCE
What is the relationship between Humpty Dumpty and the Second Law of Thermodynamics? Go to the library or online to find the answer to this question. Is Archie’s existence as the Jandal a Haad connected to this nursery rhyme-scientific theory metaphor and, if so, how? Share your answers via a poster, PowerPoint, or other visual presentation.
ADDRESS YOUR CLASS
Go to the library or online to learn the true history of the Gettysburg address. Read it aloud in your class. Discuss how the address changes for the events and characters of the League of Seven world, and how its message remains valuable to readers in both contexts.
ROLE-PLAY
Archie struggles with his role in the League because he feels different, unworthy, and like an outsider. Have you ever felt this way in your own life? When and how? Invite a friend or classmate to play the character of Archie. Role-play a conversation between “Archie” and yourself in which you share your own perspectives on feeling different and brainstorm ways to handle these feelings.
WRITE A SEQUEL
The Monster War is an alternate history, mixing historical facts and real people with fictional characters and outcomes, particularly 19th century American history and Native American legends. Go to the library or online to learn about a famous Native American from this period who has not already appeared in a League of Seven book. As author Alan Gratz fictionally turns Jesse James from outlaw to hero, what “alteration” would you make to your historical character, and how might you connect him or her to members of the League to begin a new book in the series? What title would you give the book? Write 2-3 paragraphs describing your ideas, followed by an outline of the first 5-10 chapters of the story.
REFLECT & CELEBRATE
On page 280, Hachi tells Archie that “…only you can make yourself a monster.” Create a poem, set of song lyrics, or visual art composition interpreting this statement as it might apply to the lives of people throughout literature, history, and even yourself.
Lexile: 720L
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Writing & Discussion Activities
The pre-reading activities below correlate to the following Common Core State Standards: L.5-8.5, L.9-10.5; SL.5-8.1, SL.9-10.1; W.5-8.1-2, W.9-10.1-2.
1)
Read aloud these opening lines from the three League of Seven stories:
“
The secret entrance to the headquarters of the Septemberist Society could only be reached by submarine.”
—The League of Seven
“
Archie Dent dangled from a rope twenty thousand feet in the air watching the blue ribbon of the Mississippi spin far, far below him.”
—The Dragon Lantern
“
The chain that shackled Archie Dent to the boy beside him rattled as the steamwagon bounced down a rutted road, and they swayed into each other.”
—The Monster War
Point out features in these texts which suggest that the League of Seven stories do not occur in a real time and place. What expectations do these opening sentences set up for the stories to come?
2)
The Monster War is set in an alternate 19th century America. “Alternate histories” are works of fiction in which recognizable historical figures have experiences different than those recorded in history books, and notable events have different outcomes. Alternate histories beget the question: Is history inevitable? Consider current problems, such as gun violence in America or global warming, and discuss what you have read in newspapers or online resources covering the ongoing debates as to how these problems should be handled. Informed by your class discussion and current events research, write a short essay addressing the question: “Are historical events inevitable? Why or why not? And, if not, how can individuals have an impact on the history of their world?”
Writing & Discussion Activities
The discussion questions below correlate to the following Common Core State Standards: RL.5-8.1-5; RL.9-10.1-5; SL.5-8.1, 3; SL.9-10.1, 3.
1)
In the opening chapters of the novel, Archie has been tricked into a captive situation by Mr. Rivets. Why does he resist helping the kidnapped children? What fears does he have about himself?
2)
What does Archie come to realize about Gonzalo and Senor X in Chapter 5? Do these realizations change his relationships to these characters? Do these new insights affect your reader’s perspective on Gonzalo and his “weapon”?
3)
What is “lektricity” and why is it dangerous? How might you respond to Hachi’s words on page 114: “Isn’t everybody who messes with lektricity a madman?”
4)
Archie and his friends find Martine both amazing and frustrating, especially in instances such as their argument over whether a “knot’s a knot” on page 63. Does Martine remind you of anyone from real life, film, or television? In our world, might she be considered non-neurotypical or autistic? Why might this be important to the story?
5)
What is a “proper League of Seven”? Who comprises the League? List the names of The Monster War characters who are members of the League and the roles they play. (Hint: Reread Chapter 10.)
6)
Recount at least two instances in which League members must persuade others that (a) they need to be saved and/or (b) the League of Seven, young and strange as they appear, can save them. What do you think is important about this recurring dynamic?
7)
What is the relationship between Mangleborn and subterranean oil? What other resources, landmarks, or other “ordinary” things readers take for granted, or believe they understand, in their world are, in the story, the result of actions by—or reactions to—Mangleborn?
8)
On page 186, Kitsune says, “It’s funny how fear makes you do things you never thought you could do.” Do you agree? Can you recall a time in your own life where fear impacted your actions? How might this help you better understand the motivations of characters in The Monster War?
9)
In the first chapter of the novel, Archie tells Gonzalo that he doesn’t have any parents, “which was true and wasn’t true.” As you read the novel, how many ways might you interpret or understand this early observation?
10)
Who is Philomena Moffett and why is the League so intent on achieving her capture? How does this goal require the League members to divide and how do they do so? Compare and contrast the ways the League teams defeat the Mangleborn they encounter.
11)
Throughout the novel, human characters, such as Hachi and Fergus, human-like (or partially human) characters, such as Archie and Martine, and technology-based characters such as Mr. Rivets and Senor X, interact. How might readers see The Monster War as a story about the limits of the way ordinary human beings can understand history? What insight and value might artificial intelligence or other types of perception lend to our world view and to keeping peace in the future?
12)
Describe the relationships between Archie and his friends as the story progresses. What forms the core connection between each of these characters? Do you think the other League members fear Archie “most” (p. 224)? Why or why not?
13)
On page 234, Hachi tells Archie that his “weakness” is his human brain. Do you agree? Is this a weakness? What do you think the author is trying to show about humanity’s relationship to technology and to the powers of nature and the planet on which we live?
14)
On page 263, Archie observes that, “There didn’t seem to be a great deal of difference sometimes between the Mangleborn and the heroes who fought them…” If this is the case, how might you define the difference between a villain and a hero?
15)
Why does Archie feel sorry for Philomena Moffet? How can he relate especially well to Moffett? Why do you think Hachi, who has had to forgive Archie for so much, seems to be the friend who most empathizes and most helps Archie see the differences between himself and Philomena?
16)
At the close of the novel, what does the League come to realize about the Septemberists and their own role in history? How do they decide to change the future? To what risks might they be subjecting the world by deciding to make this change?
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17)
Early in the novel, Hachi tells Archie, “You have to live a life worthy of a hundred lives. You have to fight for all the people who died to create you” (p. 89). How might this be viewed as a central theme of the novel? Do you find this instruction be valuable to readers today and/or to your own life? Explain your answers.
