Reading Group Guide
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The research and writing activities below correlate to the following Common Core State Standards: (L.4-8.4) (RL.5-8.4) (RL.5-6.5) (RL.6-8.6) (RL.4-8.7) (SL.4-8.1, 3) (W.4-8.2, 7) (WHST 6-8.6)
1)
Go to the library or online to learn more about the literary subgenre of steampunk. Find at least three sources for your information. Use your research to create an informative poster that includes a definition of steampunk, a short history of the origin of the genre, and a list of some famous steampunk novels and/or movies.
2)
In steampunk novels, famous historical figures often interact with fictional characters. The Dragon Lantern features General George Custer. Learn more about Custer’s life and times, then write a short essay explaining why you think author Alan Gratz chose to use this character to tell the story of Archie and his friends’ pursuit of the Dragon Lantern.
3)
Several Native American tribes are referenced in the novel, as they are in the first League of Seven book. In real American history, these tribes had tragic relocation experiences as the American government set them on the “Trail of Tears.” Research the “Trail of Tears” and then create an annotated map (with dates) showing how at least five tribes were affected by the “Trail of Tears.”
4)
A.
Go to the library or online to find a definition of “Colossus.” Learn about things that have been named Colossus through history, such as the Colossus of Rhodes, the Colossus computer, or the Colossus character in the Marvel Comics universe. Use PowerPoint or other multi-media software to create a presentation entitled, “Colussus: Ideas, Images, and History” to share with friends or classmates.
B.
Using pencils, pen-and-ink, or even 3-dimensional arts media, create a drawing or model of Colossus based on details found in the novel.
5)
A.
Many characters whom Hachi and Fergus meet in Louisiana are true figures from history. Go to the library or online and use research skills to identify at least three characters from the Louisiana-based chapters of the novel who were not simply invented by the author. If desired, continue your search for real historical figures in the story. Keep track of them in a notebook.
B.
Use your research as the base for a card game: Write each character name on a separate index card. On the reverse side, write “F” for fictional or “R” for real historical figure along with 2-3 facts about this individual. Take turns holding up cards to see if friends or classmates can tell the fictional from the real and what they know about the real people.
6)
In the character of Kitsune, write at least four journal entries, including one recounting your transformation into a fox girl, one explaining your complicated behavior toward Archie and his friends, one describing your decision to join forces with Archie, and one exploring your feelings toward “Mrs. Moffett” and what you may understand about her that the other League members do not.
7)
Create a chart comparing Buster, Mr. Rivets, Philomena Moffett, and Kistune in terms of their machine, human, spirit, and animal qualities. Based on your chart, write a MANIFESTO (a declaration of your guidelines and goals) explaining how all creatures of the earth should be treated. Read your manifesto aloud to friends or classmates.
8)
Create an illustrated booklet entitled, “A Reader’s Guide to the Heroes of the League of Seven.” Make a page for each League member, noting his or her physical appearance, what you know of their history and powers, and how they contribute to the group. Leave two blank pages for future League members to be discovered in novels-to-come!
9)
Role-play a conversation between Archie, Hachi, Fergus, Clyde, and Kitsune in which each discusses why he or she agreed to be part of the League of Seven and their feelings about the group.
10)
Help Archie and his friends find their next League member by creating an early chapter for the next League of Seven novel. Select your favorite historical time and place and then research at least two real people, events, or important objects from this time to include in your chapter. Invent and name a new fictional League member and decide what abilities he or she will have. Write a 3-6 page chapter in which Archie or Hachi meets this new League member.
11)
In the last century, philosopher and essayist George Santayana (1863-1952) wrote: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” How does this relate to Archie’s observation that people sometimes “want to forget” horrible experiences? Is forgetting dangerous? Write an essay explaining how Santayana’s quotation can be understood in terms of the novel.
Lexile: 780L
AR Level: 5.1 MG
AR Points: 13.0
AR Quiz #: 175174 EN
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Writing & Discussion Activities
The pre-reading activities below correlate to the following Common Core State Standards: W.4-8.3; SL.4-8.1, 3
1)
Ask each student to reflect on a skill or talent they possess. Are they proud of this ability? Why or why not? How does this ability affect the student’s daily life, friendships, future plans, and dreams? After reflection, ask each student to write a short essay describing a quality or talent he or she would like to have and why.
2)
Invite students to define the word “hero.” Do they know any heroes in their school or community? Can they list some heroes from history, fiction, film, and/or television? What qualities make these people heroes? Are heroes all good or all bad? What kinds of heroes does the world need today?
Writing & Discussion Activities
The discussion questions below correlate to the following Common Core State Standards: (SL.4-8.1, 3, 4) (SL.6-8.2, 3) (RL.4-8.1, 2, 3) (RH.4-8.6)
1)
The first words of The Dragon Lantern are “Archie Dent dangled from a rope…” What ideas or images does this line bring to your mind? In what ways is Archie dangling both physically and emotionally?
2)
What is the relationship between Fergus and Hachi? How does Archie feel about this relationship?
3)
Who is Cahokia Man? What is a Mangleborn? Who or what are “Mangleborn,” “Manglespawn,” the “Septemberist Society,” and the “League of Seven,” and how do these groups relate to each other?
4)
Throughout the novel, Archie is struggling to adjust to some difficult truths about his identity. What are these truths? How does this make him feel less connected to Fergus and Hachi and, possibly, more empathetic toward Cahokia Man?
5)
Early in the novel, Archie reflects on the story of Cahokia Man, noting “The story of course, like most stories…had been rewritten over the centuries, in part because people forgot, and in part because people wanted to forget.” (p. 20) Why do people want to forget? Have you ever had an experience you wanted to forget? Do you think it is right to try to do so? Explain your answer.
6)
On page 68, Clyde gives Archie some advice about being different: “Whatever it is you’re embarrassed about, whatever it is you wish was normal, embrace it. Own it. Because that’s what makes you special. And being special is way better than being normal, no matter what the cost.” What does it mean to be special? Do you agree or disagree with Clyde’s statement? Why or why not?
7)
Why does Archie part ways with Hachi and Fergus? Do you think this is a good decision? Is it a necessary decision?
8)
Compare Archie’s main objective with Hachi’s? In what ways are these objectives similar? What are both characters really seeking?
9)
Describe the Voodoo world Hachi and Fergus encounter in Louisiana. How is this similar to, and different from, the wild western.
10)
What is “gris-gris”? How does Marie Laveau react when Fergus declines to call his building abilities magic?
11)
Name at least three ways in which it is important that Hachi is now head of the Emartha Machine Man Company.
12)
What is a FreeTok? What changes does Archie see in Mr. Rivets when they are reunited in Chapter 16? Do you think the outlaw Tok Jesse James is right to compare the lives of Tik Toks to lives of slaves? Explain your answer.
13)
What roles does “lektricity” play in the story?
14)
What does Sings-in-the-Night, the bird girl, reveal about the use of the Dragon Lantern? About the League of Seven? Whose frightening true identity does she reveal in Chapter 20?
15)
As the dangers mount, in what ways do Archie, Hachi, and Fergus wish they were still together as a team? How do they defeat their foes nonetheless?
16)
On page 228, Sings-in-the-Night bemoans her strange body, and Archie comforts her saying, “Having bird legs or stone skin doesn’t make you a monster…. It’s what you do that makes you good or bad.” How does Archie struggle to believe his own statement as he continues his quest for the Dragon Lantern?
17)
In Chapter 29, what persuasions does Mrs. Moffett use to convince Archie and his friends to join her Shadow League? How does Archie feel the darkness to which Mrs. Moffett refers as the Mangleborn beneath Alcatraz awakens? How do Clyde and Kitsune react to Archie’s behavior?
18)
What is the relationship between the Daimyo of Ametokai and the Daimyo Under the City? Compare this relationship to the relationship between Archie and the Jandal a Haad.
19)
How does the Dragon Lantern work? Should it ever be used?
20)
How was Archie made? How does this connect Mrs. Moffett to Madame Blavatsky? What do these discoveries lead Hachi and Archie to realize? In the final chapters of the novel, which characters ask for forgiveness? Which characters need or want forgiveness? Explain your answers.
21)
What is a human being?
22)
Can The Dragon Lantern be read as a story about how people face the reality of who they really are—and how they can separate their history and origins from the person they are today? If so, what lessons might this novel offer readers about identity?
