A Little Monster Trivia For Your Day!

Okay...  Trivia Time!! 

Turn your monster knowledge ON!  ;)

Ready...?

Let's Play!!! 😈

1. What character is a werewolf in the story? 

a. Silas

b. Miss Lupescu

c. Bod

d. Liza Hempstock

2. What is a werewolf connected to?

a. Rivers 

b. Sunlight 

c. Cliffs 

d. Full Moon 

3. What is a vampire's weakness/fear?? 😱

a. Wooden stake through the heart 

b. Garlic 

c. Fire 

d. Sunlight 

4. What character in the story is a witch?

a. Bod 

b. Mrs. Owens

c. Liza Hempstock

d. Jack 

5. What are witches typically BEST known for??

a. Having a connection to a full moon

b. Casting spells 

c. Turning into a bat 

d. Being invisible

6. What do vampires love to eat?

a. Bod 

b. Garlic 

c. Blood 

d. Gold 

7. What are Mr. and Mrs. Owens?

a. Ghosts 

b. Vampires 

c. Witches 

d. Murderers 

How many did you get right???

Do you know your monsters, or do you know your monsters!?!

Answer Key:

1. b

2. d

3. ALL OF THEM... Yes... YOU GOT THIS ONE RIGHT!!! GO YOU!! 👏👏

4. c

5. b

6. c

7. a

 

Suspending Disbelief for Bod

One thing I really like about the character Bod is how relatable of a character he is, even though he has the most unrealistic life. Ok... you might be thinking "You wouldn't be suspending disbelief about Bod because he is human... just like the rest of us... which makes him believable in itself". Okay yes... if you're thinking this, you are right. Bod is a normal human-being (as far as we know) and that does make him a believable character, expect that his situation, environment, home, and community are SO unbelievable. To start off, he is the only person that escaped being murdered in his family as an infant by simply, "totter[ing] up the hill"(Gaiman 12) and away from his house and murderer. No way anyone thinks that's believable without suspending their disbelief at least a little bit in order to fully enjoy the story. So now that we've established how Bod is kind of an unbelievable character to begin with, let's look at some of the ways I thought Gaiman was able to still make him feel relatable and realistic. One part of the story that I thought made Bod super relatable (especially for kids) and made me laugh was when Miss Lupescu brought Bod a salad and he thought it was the grosses thing ever. He told Miss Lupescu that he couldn't eat it and then persisted to say, "I'll be sick"(Gaiman 69). I thought this experience made Bod feel more real because I think many children can relate to having similar situations with salads or vegetables where an adult told them they needed to eat it and they hated it. This situation grounds Bod and makes him seem normal and believable. Another place in the story that I thought made Bod feel more real was when he was being chased by the beast (that was actually Miss Lupescu) and said, "it's going to eat me"(Gaiman 92). I think Bod's concern and reaction is super relatable for many children because kids would often fear and think that a beast would eat them too. This makes Bod seem like he is normal just like every other child even though it is apparent that he is not. All in all, I think throughout the book Gaiman uses different strategies that make Bod seem realistic and normal which allows readers to suspend their disbelief and fully dive into The Graveyard.   

A Letter to Xan

Dear Xan, 

I admire your attempt to do good in the world. I think it's incredible how you saved so many babies from the dangers of the forest where they were left to die. It's unfortunate that you and your intentions were so misunderstood by the people of the Protectorate. However, I think that aspect about you allows children who hear your story to create connections to you and look up to you. I think often times as a child it can feel as if you're misunderstood by others and being able to see someone so kind also being misunderstood may bring them comfort. I think your actions and story could be very influential for many others. In addition, your love for Luna is incredible and truly and inspiration. I have a younger sister, and the love you have for Luna reminded me instantly of the love I have for my little sister. Like you have shown you would do anything for Luna, even if that means giving your own life, I feel the same way about my little sister. I, too, would sacrifice anything for her. On a different note, I think you're too hard on yourself sometimes. For example, when you thought, "I should have known"..." I should have been curious. I should have done something"(Barnhill 324). I thought you were way too hard on yourself. How could you have ever known? What sane person would ever suspect and come to the conclusion that babies were being left for them as a sacrifice? No way this is your fault at all. In fact the Grand Elders and Sister Ignatia didn't even think you existed at all. They left the babies there to die from whatever lurked in the forest at night... not for a witch. You were the only thing saving these children. You saved them from not only the predators in the forest, but also from a life filled with sorrow in the Protectorate. Additionally, your actions of saving the babies lead to a revolution of the people of the Protectorate. Without you, they would still be oppressed, miserable, and under rule that brings them much intended sorrow and sadness. I think you should always be remember for your bravery, kindness, inspiration, and love. I wonder what good things will come from others being inspired by your story. I hope my letter reaches you somehow as I wish for you to know what good you did do in the world that takes place in The Girl Who Drank the Moon.

Sincerely, 

Nadia Abukhadra

Jazzy Reading Journal- The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

For my Jazzy Reading Journal entry this week, I have decided to pick two passages that have been unforgettable for me ever since I read them. 

The first passage is: 

“They left her knowing that there surely wasn’t a witch. There never had been a witch. There were only a dangerous forest and a single road and a thin grip on life that the Elders had enjoyed for generations. The Witch-- that is, the belief in her-- made for frightened people, a subdued people, a compliant people, who lived their lives in a saddened haze, the clouds of their grief numbing their senses and dampening their minds. It was terribly convenient for the Elders’ unencumbered rule” (Barnhill 12).

I haven’t been able to forget this passage ever since I read it. I find such irony in this passage because we as readers know from the beginning there is a real witch. The very first line of the novel starts off with, “Yes. There is a witch in the woods. There has always been a witch” (Barnhill 1). Already, we are told right away that yes there is indeed a witch. This makes the passage above even more ironic because something the Elder’s made up to control their people with fear actually exists and actually does take the sacrificed babies. However, we quickly learn that the witch takes the babies out of kindness and without knowledge of why they’re there. In reality, she is the one that saves them from the evil of their birthplace. Right off the bat, the so-called “evil” witch that “doesn’t exist”, is misunderstood and misrepresented. Connected to the irony, this passage also made me wonder if a long time ago the very first Elder’s really did know about a real witch in the woods, and over time it transformed into a “myth”? I’m wondering this because I think it’s quite odd how aligned something the Elders completely made up as a control tactic is actually so close to the truth. Maybe this could be something that is revealed towards the end? I don’t know… I guess we’ll find out. My last thought I want to discuss about this passage is how similar it is to real-life situations. The tactic described and used by the Elders is, unfortunately, a reality for some. Many oppressors use fear to keep the oppressed, oppressed. 

The second passage is:

“And each Elder felt as sure as sure could be that the child wouldn’t live to see the morning, and that they would never hear her, never see her, never think of her again. They thought she was gone forever. They were wrong, of course” (Barnhill 13).

Not only was this passage unforgettable for me, but I think it plays an extremely important role in the novel's development. To start off, this quote tells the reader that was not the last they would be seeing of the child. It sets up the whole novel really because as we know the novel is about Luna and that passage indicates that the child is Luna and she somehow survives being left in the woods to die (because the reader would not know that Xan saves her yet). Moving on, this quote also introduces foreshadowing that indicates to the reader that something large is going to happen between the Elders and the abandoned child. This foreshadowing creates suspense and mystery that makes the reader want to know exactly what’s going to happen, really pulling them into the story. This, however, is not the only place where we see the foreshadowing of an event to happen between Luna and the Elders. Further into the book, there is a scene where Antain talks with the madwoman of their village--Luna’s mom. She tells Antain that her child is still alive and that the Elders were wrong. She then proceeds to say, “But it doesn’t matter. Because the reckoning is coming. It’s coming. It’s coming. And it is nearly here” (Barnhill 98). In this quote we see more foreshadowing of the event to come and it continues to build the initial suspense created by the above passage. Lastly, I thought the “of course” bit at the end of the quote was quite witty and funny, perhaps even hinting at the irony of the situation.