by Lori Weber
Q: What advice would you give to young readers who are interested in writing fiction or starting a journal?
A: Just start writing. I was an intense journal-keeper at a young age. I wrote what I saw, what I felt. I started stories and scribbled poems. My journal was my refuge, my comfort zone. It was uncensored, private. Make sure to keep it private! Being a writer is about being honest, first with oneself. It’s incredible how telling the truth, even to oneself, is not always easy. Examine yourself: who are you? Why do you react the way you do in certain situations? What bothers you? What makes you sing inside? Get to know yourself. I think that is crucial for a writer. Then the writing will have depth and honestly, not necessarily truth. I don’t believe in truth, only in perception. Know what your own perceptions are, as a writer. A journal is where you can hone those perceptions. I had a terrible experience when a friend’s mother found one of my journals (I guess I had slept over and left it there by mistake) and I had written honest things about many of my friends. This mother, who never liked me, showed her daughter, who then read about herself and told another friend what I’d said about her. That was it for those friendships. But years later, one of them told me that what I had written about her was the truth; she just wasn’t ready to hear it. So, like I said above, keep it private! Don’t worry about whether your writing is good or not—it doesn’t matter. Just keep writing. Keep writing until you figure out what your patterns are, what your voice is. Then, eventually, you will have things to say and a way to say them.
Questions for Discussion
If you could move to another province, state, or country for a year, which one would you choose and why? Write about what you think the experience would be like.
If you had to pack a suitcase full of things to decorate a temporary room so that it reflected your own unique personality, what would you bring? How would it show the new people in your life who you are?
Do you think Cheryl is justified in being angry at her parents for taking her to live in different places across the country? Would you feel the same way, or would you be excited to live in so many places? What could Cheryl have done differently to make her experiences easier? What sort of personality traits would be more suited to someone who has to move a lot? What traits would make it harder?
Do you think Cheryl’s parents handled the situation of moving so much in the best possible way? What could they have done differently to make the experience easier for Cheryl? Is it fair that parents get to decide where children or teens have to live? Should children have more of a say?
At one point in the book, Jim accuses Cheryl of being spoiled and privileged. Do you think it is possible to fully understand someone else’s situation if you haven’t lived it yourself? Could someone like Cheryl, who comes from an upper-middle-class background, really understand Jim’s working-class situation? At the same time, could Jim ever really understand what Cheryl has been through?
Write about someone you know who has gone through hard times because of a job loss. How did it affect the family? What changed? How did they get through it?
How does our environment play an important role in our lives? In other words, how does where we live shape who we are? Would Cheryl have been able to learn the same things about life if she had stayed in Montreal? How much of Jim’s personality can be accounted for by where he grew up and the situation of his fishing family? How do you think your own location affects who you are and your life experiences?
Does Cheryl make the right decision at the end or should she have done something differently? What causes her to make that decision? Would you have done the same thing?
Think of a situation where you had to make an important choice between two (or more) things. Why did you choose the option you did in the end? What would have been different if you had chosen something else?
The story is told from Cheryl’s point of view. Do you think this was the best choice for the narrative perspective? How does it limit the telling of the story? How does it make the story more personal? Would a third-person narrative have made the story different?
Questions for Reading Comprehension
Why is Cheryl’s family moving to Newfoundland?
What famous landmark does Cheryl see from the taxi?
Why does Cheryl like Marilyn Manson?
Why did Jim move to St. John’s?
How does Cheryl feel about the sight of the ocean that she sees from the top of Signal Hill?
What are some details about Jim’s family?
Why does Cheryl make fun of the name of her new school?
Who do Jim and Cheryl encounter at the Village Mall?
Why doesn’t Cheryl take Jim’s hand when he offers it at Quidi Vidi Village?
Why is Cheryl angry that Jim is coming with her family to Middle Cove?
Who were Plinius Moody and Mary Anning?
What does Cheryl learn about Nanny’s background?
What is special about the location of Cape Spear?
How does Jim rescue the girl on the rock?
Why does Cheryl want to be the one to greet Nanny at the door instead of the police officer?
What is the extent of Jim’s injuries?
Why does Cheryl laugh at her parents’ confusion over seal sausages?
Why doesn’t Cheryl enter Jim’s room at the hospital?
Who does Cheryl feel threatened by at the harbour?
Who are Candy and Joannie?
Why does Jim’s mother seem hostile about the province of Alberta?
What do Cheryl and Joannie do to prepare for Jim’s homecoming?
How does the traditional meal bring the family together?
What does Cheryl’s father bring up at the meal that totally embarrasses her?
What does Cheryl see in Jim’s room that impresses her?
Why is Jim in such a bad mood?
What cure for rheumatism does Nanny suggest to Cheryl?
What does Cheryl bring her mom to help her feel better?
What does Jim’s mother give Cheryl as a goodbye gift?
What does Jim accuse Cheryl of that really hurts her?
What is Jim’s reaction to the whales?
Why is Cheryl’s family angry at her when she gets home?
Why does Jim take Cheryl to Holy Heart High School?
What important revelation does Cheryl have about her parents?
What does Cheryl’s father tell Jim about changing cultures?
What does Cheryl realize about her old neighbourhood in Montreal?
What does Jim find out while eating pie and ice cream at Cheryl’s?
How does the weather suit the mood when the family is driving to the airport?
What does Cheryl’s father make her mother promise to do when she gets home?
What gesture does Cheryl make to her mother on the plane?
About the Author
LORI WEBER was born and raised in Montreal. She began writing in high school and obtained both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in English. She later qualified as an English teacher and, in addition to writing, has been teaching at Montreal’s John Abbott College for nineteen years.
The author of seven young adult novels and one picture book, Lori has an interest in different cultures and speaks four languages: English, French, German, and Spanish.
Wandering Fox Books
Contemporary Canadian classics reimagined for today’s young readers
WANDERING FOX BOOKS is an imprint of Heritage House Publishing, catering to young readers ages eight to sixteen. Wandering Fox titles are timeless Canadian stories by bestselling, award-winning authors who count kids, parents, librarians, and educators among their loyal fans. The name Wandering Fox encompasses the curiosity, mischief, and adventure of young readers on the journey to adulthood.
All books are suitable for classroom use and come with discussion and/or comprehension questions and author interviews.
For more information, or to order books in the series, se
e wanderingfoxbooks.com, heritagehouse.ca, or hgdistribution.com.
New from Wandering Fox Books
City Pictures
by Shirlee Smith Matheson
The sequel to Shirlee Smith Matheson’s critically acclaimed Prairie Pictures follows the main character, Sherri, as she is uprooted once again and forced to adjust to life in Calgary and get ready to start at yet another new school. Sherri is thrilled to instantly make a new friend in Sam, the girl next door. A year older than Sherri, Sam is happy to show Sherri how to dress and behave. Eager to fit in, Sherri follows Sam’s lead until she discovers that appearances can be deceiving. Sometimes, it is hard to tell what is genuine from what is phony.
“Real, believable and likeable.”
Calgary Herald
Stones of Time
The Shenanigans Series—Book Two
by Andreas Oertel
In their last adventure, Cody, Eric, and Rachel were clever enough to fool townspeople with a homemade “ancient Egyptian” tablet. Their exploits brought some much-needed tourism to Sultana, Manitoba, but their deception ensured they would spend the summer doing community service. While mowing the grass in the local cemetery, they stumble across some ancient stones that seem to indicate this was a sacred site long before the arrival of European settlers. All of a sudden, they find themselves on a rescue mission in a world beyond their imagination. Will their quick thinking and knack for history be enough to get them home? Modern-day adventure and ancient civilizations meet in Book Two of the Shenanigans series.
“Pure fun.”
Kirkus Reviews
No Place for Kids
by Alison Lohans
Sisters Jennifer and Sarah were once part of a happy, stable family, but their idyllic life comes to an abrupt halt with the death of their mother. Unable to cope with his grief and the needs of his two young daughters, their father finds comfort in alcohol, gets fired from his job, and loses his grip on his family.
As twelve-year-old Jennifer approaches maturity, she starts to develop a tough exterior, especially when she attracts unwelcome attention from one of her father’s friends. With nothing left to lose, the two sisters decide run away to their mother’s sister in Vancouver, setting out with very little money and no clear plan. Along the way, they must overcome fear, loneliness, illness, and the conflict inherent in their sibling relationship. This emotional story deals with mature themes, but is ultimately about the enduring bonds of family. Suitable for readers aged nine to eleven.
Forthcoming from Wandering Fox Books
The Flags of War
Fields of Conflict—The American Civil War, Part One
by John Wilson
The Secret of Grim Hill
by Linda DeMeulemeester
Trouble at Impact Lake
The Shenanigans Series—Book Three
by Andreas Oertel
Copyright © 2015 Lori Weber
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, audio recording, or otherwise—without the written permission of the publisher or a licence from Access Copyright, Toronto, Canada.
Wandering Fox Books
An imprint of
Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd.
heritagehouse.ca
Cataloguing data available from Library and Archives Canada
ISBN 978-1-77203-052-5 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-1-77203-053-2 (html)
ISBN 978-1-77203-054-9 (epdf)
Series editor: Lynn Duncan
Proofread by Lesley Cameron
Cover design by Jacqui Thomas
Cover photograph by Kuzma/shutterstock.com
Heritage House acknowledges the financial support for its publishing program from the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund (CBF), Canada Council for the Arts, and the Province of British Columbia through the British Columbia Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.