by Brandon Mull
Summer coordinates the tour and travels with me, helping
me raise awareness about Fablehaven while encouraging
students to strengthen their imaginations through reading.
I can never read my own work without an intimate
knowledge of the story and the events to come. This can
pose a problem when I struggle to distinguish the information
in my mind from the information actually on the page.
To help me gauge whether the story is unfolding effectively I
solicit feedback from trusted readers. For this book I had
help from Jason and Natalie Conforto, Mike Walton, Scott
and Leslie Schwendiman, Chris Schoebinger, the Freeman
family, Emily Watts, Mike Crippen, Lisa Mangum, Pam,
Gary, Summer, Cherie, Nancy, T mara, Tuck, Liz, Randy,
and others.
There is a lot to learn about the business side of being an
author. I'm grateful to Orson Scott Card for some sound
advice and kind mentoring, Barbara Bova for getting
involved as my agent, the people at Simon and Schuster
who are publishing the paperback edition of the book, and
the wonderful folks at Shadow Mountain who are helping
me share the story of Fablehaven with readers everywhere.
Writers live or die by readers telling others about the
books they enjoy. I'm grateful to Robert Fanney for helping
to get the word out online, Donna Corbin-Sobinski for
going the extra mile in Connecticut, and numerous family
members, friends, bookstore employees, teachers, and librarians
for helping increase awareness of the series.
In the end, I most rely on readers who suspend their disbelief
and let the story of Fablehaven come to life in their
minds. Thanks for sharing your time with me!
On a final note, my cousin Nicole Aupiu told me that
some of her friends don't believe I'm her cousin. I am! In
fact, a character in this book is named after her brother
Tanu.
Keep an eye out for Book 3 of the Fablehaven series
coming in 2008, and my first non-Fablehaven fantasy novel,
The Candy Shop War, in stores before the end of 2007.
Reading Guide
. In the first chapter of the book, Kendra's power to recognize
magical creatures allows her to see Casey Hancock for
what he is, an evil kobold. Do you think she made the right
choice not to tell her friends about him? What would you do
if you felt like you should warn a friend about something or
someone, but you were embarrassed or afraid to do so?
. Which of the experts -Coulter, the magical relics
collector, Tanu, the potions master, or Vanessa, the magical
creatures expert-would you be most interested in learning
from? If you could be an expert in one of these areas, which
would you choose? Why?
. On pages 108-11, Kendra samples one of Tanu's
bottled emotions, shame. After it has worn off, she realizes
that the emotion made her blow little problems all out of
proportion. How can our emotions make things seem worse
than they really are ? What can we do when we're caught up
in the spell of a negative emotion?
. On page 124, Seth asks Dale what he'll do if he can't
find a way to cure his brother, Warren. Dale answers, I'll
never know that day has come, because I'll never stop trying.
How do you keep your hope up when you've tried lots
of different solutions to a problem, and nothing seems to
work? Have you ever kept trying and ended up succeeding
at something that you failed at to begin with?
. Pages 136-39 describe Grandma Sorenson's interaction
with the jinn that resulted in her being changed into a
chicken. Have you ever felt that you could handle a situation
that you knew would be dangerous?
. If you had a magical glove like Coulter's, how would
you use it? How could you help people? What magical relic
would you most like to invent? What would it do? Why
would you like to have that power?
. Chapter 9 describes Kendra's and Seth's encounters
with the Sphinx. Why do you think he treated them differently,
especially in the Foosball game? Is it best to always
treat everyone the same, or are there times when certain
individuals may need special handling? Why?
. Every good and lasting relationship must have trust.
However, Kendra finds herself betrayed by people whom she
trusted. How much are you willing to trust someone? If you
found out someone lied to you, would you be willing to forgive
him or her? If so, what would that person have to do to
earn back your trust?
. Seth and Coulter encounter paralyzing fear from the
revenant. Is fear always a bad thing? Can fear ever be good?
Why or why not? If you could overcome one fear, what
would it be?
. In book 1, Seth's boldness caused problems. In book
, his courage helped save the day. What is the difference
between bravery and recklessness? Is it always easy to see the
difference?
. When Slaggo and Voorsh, the goblins, are about to
cook Kendra and Seth, Kendra persuades them that her
grandparents will reward them for letting the children go.
The goblins recall, Stan and Ruth have repaid loyalty in
the past, and Stan has a history of fair rewards. How
does a person gain a reputation for fairness or other good
qualities? How might you be helped by your good reputation,
or that of your parents?
. In Seth's battle with the revenant, when his courage
is almost gone, he remembers all the people who have
helped him and are depending on him. Has thinking about
people you love ever given you more courage than you
thought you had? How does remembering your loved ones
help you make better choices in your life?
. What do you think of the end of the book? What
reasons are there to believe the final message? What reasons
are there to disbelieve it?