Ban Rona Book Club

BRBC week 8: A protector

We're used to Peet being jittery, jumpy, jumbled in thought and in speech. Look at him now.

Anklejelly Manor had been frightening enough during the day. Now it was deep night, with a horde of Fangs fast approaching. The forest wall loomed an arrowshot away, teeming with unseen creatures that would put fear even into a Fang.It seemed to Janner that there was nowhere left to run— none of the options seemed safe, not running into the forest, into the Fangs, or into Anklejelly Manor. ...Suddenly Peet materialized out of the darkness. His breathing was ragged and he staggered wearily.“I wanted to say good-bye, young Iggyfings. I’ll fight for you as long as I can.” Peet looked at Podo with a new boldness. “I’ll fight for them.”But without a word of thanks or even a glance, Podo stepped up the stone stairs and into the black mouth of the manor.“I won’t follow,” Peet called after the old man. “I’ll stay away from you all, like you said. But I will fight for them.” Peet turned to the children and bowed low. “Good-bye, Iggyfings,” he said, then he turned and strode through the gate and toward the ocean of Fangs, his arms spread wide and his talons bared.
Discussion: Why do you think Peet is braver now, with an entire Fang horde coming for them, than he is at other points in the story—when Podo challenges him or when, in the forest, Leeli moves too quickly or reaches toward him or pulls away?
“Maybe Podo didn’t have a plan, but knowing that his grandfather was with him, even in the face of the Fangs of Dang, made Janner feel like he could be more than he was.” Is there anyone who gives you strength when you’re afraid? Who makes you feel like you can be more than you are? Tink was a good model to Janner in this scene, too. Do you think you have ever been an example like this? What does bravery look like in your regular life, without swords and Fangs?What was your favorite part of this week's reading? Post it below. :-)See you in the forum!

BRBC week 7: Heavy with dread

We're getting toward the end of the first book. In earlier parts of the story it's easy to imagine that things will work themselves out. But as the story winds down, the Igibys' fears—of the Black Carriage, of Gnag the Nameless, of whatever secret the Jewels carry—are beginning to be real. This excerpt is a bad moment. How can Nia be so graceful in the midst of darkness?

Gnorm met Nia’s gaze. “Bring them.”The Fangs forced the Igibys to their feet, all but Leeli, who was thrown over one Fang’s shoulder, just as Slarb had done.Janner suddenly felt as tired as he’d ever been. His feet dragged as he walked behind his grandfather, who only a few days earlier had looked like a warrior on the back of Danny the carthorse. Now Podo was hobbling along, bent like the old man that he was. Tink said nothing, but scowled with hatred. Janner’s heart felt heavy with dread. Just days ago, when he and his brother and sister were in the jail, their only salvation had been Nugget, Nia, and Podo, and the gold that Nia had hidden away. Now the gold was gone, Nugget was gone, and Podo and Nia were to be locked away with them. This time there would be no stopping the Black Carriage. It would creep into town on its dark errand, and they would be fed into its maw, taken away to meet whatever grisly fate Gnag the Nameless devised for them.Yet Nia’s strength still emanated from her like a candle in a dark room. Janner noticed that she was steady and graceful, and even with blood dried at the corner of her mouth and hair askew, she was beautiful.
Discussion: Where do you think Nia's strength comes from?Janner thinks that "Igiby luck" has brought the Fangs down on them. Do you ever feel unlucky? What else might be going on?Why do you think Podo is so angry with Peet?This week's reading was full of Oskar's quotes. Think back over all the books he's quoted. Have any stood out to you as something you wish you could read? What made you want to read it/them?Activity: Download the Dark Sea book club kit and make your own sock hands!Forum fun: If you've got thoughts about the Monster in the Hollows (spoilers here!) or know where to get a real whistleharp, visit our forum! We've got conversations happening on all kinds of topics. :-)I would love to read your favorite excerpt from this week's reading. Share it in the comments. :-)

BRBC week 6: Boiling with life

Prior to coming to your world—an adventure in itself, transdimensional immigration—most of my adventures happened in books. I thrilled to the accounts of Ollister Pembrick's forays into the wilderness, his impressive disguisery, and his encounters with wildlife. I did wonder if perhaps he didn't exaggerate or go a bit overboard. But imagine strolling about in a tree and looking down to realize that there is a whole world beneath your feet, a world wholly apart from all your experiences in town. There is a bit of romance in an adventure like that. It makes me wonder what other worlds exist, right here within our own, if we only had eyes to see them.

From their perch on the tree bridge, the Igibys watched silently as a pack of horned hounds passed through the trees below like a gray fog. When the hounds had gone, the leaves on the forest floor directly beneath the bridge rustled, then the ground bulged like a pot of boiling cheesy chowder. Out from its burrow popped a warty, brown digtoad as big as a goat.2At the same time, to Leeli’s horror and her brothers’ fascination, an oblivious fazzle dove lighted on the ground not far away, pecking at worms in the dirt. Without warning, the digtoad’s tongue shot out and sklotched the bird into its mouth, leaving a cloud of gray feathers floating in the air where the bird had been.Leeli squeaked and covered her mouth. The digtoad turned up its black, bulbous eyes and regarded the children for a long, terrible moment. Finally it let out a blatting croak and half-walked, half-hopped away. Just as the sound of the digtoad’s departure faded, a smaller creature with black, matted hair skittered into the area.“A ratbadger,” Janner whispered to Tink and Leeli.The ratbadger twitched its large, pointy ears and sniffed around the forest floor until it found the digtoad’s hidden burrow, where it slunk inside without a sound. A moment later, the large rodent appeared with a yellowish egg held carefully in its mouth.3With what Janner could only assume was an angry croak, the digtoad returned, its tongue darting out as it pursued the fleeing ratbadger.In seconds, the forest was quiet again. Janner marveled at the way the forest could hide things. It could seem so innocent and harmless, even beautiful, while beneath its surface prowled such ruthless, deadly creatures. Why was so much in Janner’s world not what it seemed? He thought about his mother, about Oskar, then about Peet the Sock Man. They all had secrets.2The bumpy digtoad has been known to attack humans, though never yet fatally. Victims of a digtoad attack complain of the “squishy, flootchy feeling” of having a sticky tongue violently flapped upon them. Since the bumpy digtoad has no teeth, its bites are said to feel to the victim like being “gummed like a dumpling in an old man’s mouth.”3The ratbadger is dangerous not just because of its long claws or jagged teeth or because of its feisty disposition. The ratbadger’s greatest weapon is its eggish flatulence.
Discussion: Do you have a friend who gets you into trouble, the way Tink leads Janner into unwise situations?What would you do if you found a rope bridge in a dangerous forest?Janner notes here that many of the adults in his life have secrets. We're still talking about secrets in the forum, and you're welcome to join us. And speaking of forum conversations, Leeli's compassion is relevant again this week too.Challenge: Can you write a Dragon Day poem that doesn't include the phrase "best of all"? ;-)Recipe: If you've got Fang you need to bribe, we've got Nia's maggotloaf recipe right here.

BRBC week 5: Stray dog

Is there one character you love most, or connect with more than the others? For me it's Peet. I love the way Leeli sees people—Peet, but also Slarb and lost puppies and others who aren't well-cared for. This passage, including both, tugs on my heartstrings.

When Peet saw Leeli he relaxed and stood up, brushing himself off as if embarrassed. Leeli was still crouched down in the brush at the edge of the trees, looking warily at her rescuer.“Thank you,” she said timidly. “That was very brave.”Peet watched her without speaking, still winded from his struggle.She felt like she was talking to a scared animal, and her heart went out to him, much as it had gone out to Nugget when she’d found him as a puppy. Something about his face looked familiar— a thought that had never occurred to her before. She’d seen him bouncing through town, but she’d never really stopped and looked at the strange man before. She knew that he was prone to speaking gibberish to lampposts and attacking street signs, but she had never spoken to him. No one did. The Glipwood Township ignored him like a stray dog.Leeli felt like she should have been scared, but she wasn’t. Not only was there a Fang that was still alive, lying just a few feet away, but she was at the edge of Glipwood Forest. She was also in the presence of a man who, though he had just saved her life, was supposed to be as crazy as the Dark Sea was dark. Somehow, though, she felt a peace that surprised her. She hobbled from behind the brush. Peet shrieked and scrambled backward.“It’s okay,” Leeli said, again feeling as though she were calming a frightened puppy. Peet’s eyes darted to and fro like a trapped animal. She stopped in front of him and smiled up at the tall, ragged man. “Is your name really Peet?”His wild eyes finally settled on hers. She saw the jittery fear gone for a moment and detected a sorrow in his gray eyes that she hadn’t noticed before.
Discussion: This week in the forum we've been talking about secrets—when they're good, when they're dangerous, what to do with them. Another good forum topic is connected to the passage above—how Leeli's compassion lands differently in different hearts. We'd love to have your thoughts on either of these topics.What was your favorite passage from this week's reading (chapters 23-30)? Share it below!Activity: Nia's roundbread reminds me of a kind of bread my mama used to make. It was round, too, but she included a kind of hard cheese similar to your Parmesan. It was delicious! What dishes stand out to you in the book? Do you wish you had a recipe for any of them? Try coming up with your own! Let us know how your culinary experiments go. :-)

BRBC week 4: Part of being a man

This week we read chapters 18-22 of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. Not for the first time or the last, Janner's heart suggests a way out of danger that goes against what he knows is right.

But their way was barred. Standing in the doorway from which they had come was the dim shape of a horned hound. The only sound in the room was the creature’s panting. Its hungry eyes glistened in the dark, and a low growl filled the room. The hound stepped forward and two more of the horned beasts appeared in the doorway behind it. ...Janner thought about his duty as the eldest. Only days ago, Leeli nearly died at the hands of a Fang because he hadn’t paid attention. Now this. Why can’t I be like our father, he wondered. He died in the Great War, trying to protect those he loved. For one shameful moment Janner felt a flash of anger at Tink for talking him into coming to Anklejelly Manor in the first place. Why should I be the one to risk my life for my little brother when it’s his fault we’re here in the first place? Janner was tired of bearing the responsibility for his brother’s folly, and he wanted to forget Tink and run for his life. Maybe he could push his way past the hounds and find a better place to hide in the mansion. Maybe—The idea to flee was only a brief thought. Janner knew he wouldn’t—couldn’t—leave his little brother behind. He could hear Podo’s raspy voice in his mind. “Part of being a man is taking much care of those you love.”The first hound in the doorway twitched.
Discussion: If protecting those you love is part of being a grownup, what are the other parts? What are good examples of the kind of adult you want to be? How do you get there?There are a lot of secrets in this book, and it's not always easy to tell what to do when you're faced with one. When are secrets helpful? When are they hurtful? Come to the forum and discuss with us.What do you think is behind the door?Do you have a favorite excerpt from this week's reading? I'd love to hear it—leave it in the comments!

BRBC week 3: "We won't live in fear."

This week we read chapters 12-17 of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. A couple of passages stood out to me—the scene on Charney Baimington's lawn, and the one below. They both seemed to say to me, the stories are true.

Janner remembered with a stab of panic that later that day he and Tink were supposed to help Oskar N. Reteep in the bookstore, which was right across the street from the jail. What if Commander Gnorm saw him and changed his mind? He might send for the Black Carriage after all. What if Slarb attacked again? Then he thought about Books and Crannies, about all the stories on all the shelves in the store, and the warm thrill of being there overshadowed his fear. Janner swallowed the last of his breakfast. “Mister Reteep asked me and Tink to help him with a big shipment today. Is it all right to go into town?”Nia took her time flipping the eggs and bacon in the frying pan while they waited for an answer. “Not really, no. It’s not all right. It’s never safe for you to go into town, especially after what happened yesterday.” Janner’s shoulders slumped. “But we can’t live in fear,” Nia said. “We won’t live in fear.” She turned and looked hard at her boys, wiping her hands on her apron. “Just be careful, and stay clear of that awful Slurp.”
Discussion: Is there a place for you like Books & Crannies is for Janner—a place that makes you feel safe? Why does it make you feel that way? Why do you think the idea of all those stories helps Janner?Nia tells Janner that his father loved the same story Janner's just read. What stories have you read that your parents or grandparents loved?As in Ships and Sharks, is Podo right that there's always a way out of a difficult situation?What would you do if you found a secret map? Discuss this question in the forum.Recipe: Make Podo's cheesy chowder! We've got the recipe here.Bonus: Visit Books and Crannies for yourself! You can take a full tour over at our Facebook page. See if you can spot some of the items Janner and Tink saw. :-)
New music from Andrew! To listen to the new EP, just released today, visit the Rabbit Room Store. Amazon, Spotify, etc. available here. To read more about this project, here's Andrew's story.

BRBC week 2: Dragon song

This week we read chapters 6-11 of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. Chapter 10, "Leeli and the Sea Dragons," is my favorite chapter to read aloud. I think today I'll introduce you to the dragons.

Hidden in their cleft of rock, Janner forgot about the Fangs. He forgot about their desperate need to find their grandfather and mother. And, like Tink, he forgot the precariousness of the edges of the high cliffs as he leaned out over the empty air and felt his heart ache. ...In the churning white waters at the base of Fingap Falls, a long, graceful shape burst from the surface. Its skin caught and magnified the light of the moon. The sea dragon was easily twice the height of the tallest tree in Glipwood Forest. Its reddish body glimmered like a living fire. The head was crowned with two curved horns and its fins spread out behind it like wings. Indeed, it looked as if it might actually fly, but the dragon wheeled in the air and crashed into the sea with what must have been a sound like thunder but was inaudible over the constant roar of the waterfall.At that moment, the dragon song rose into the air on a bright wind and filled the people gathered on the cliffs with a thousand feelings—some peaceful, some exhilarating, all more alive than usual. ...The song continued, and more dragons exploded out of the water. They spun in the air and hung there for a moment before slamming back into the sea. Scores of horned bull dragons, amber and shimmering gold, swam circles around the thinner and more sleek mares that burst out of the water and over them in an intricate pattern. Now even the roar of Fingap Falls was not as loud as the crash of the many dragons into the Dark Sea. The strains of the song entwined and followed one another until a haunting melody emerged. Janner thought, as he thought every summer the dragons came, that there could be nothing more beautiful in all the world.

Discussion: Janner sometimes feels something he thinks of as homesickness, a joy that hurts. Have you ever felt that? What made you feel that way? (You may answer this here, or in the forum.)

Who do you think threw the rocks at the Fangs? What do you think will happen next?

What was your favorite snippet of this week's reading? Post it in the comments!Activity: Make up your own version of handyball or another of the games played at Dunn's Green and play it with friends.Bonus: Listen to the beginning of "The Ballad of Lanric and Rube" right here. :-)

BRBC week 1: Excerpt and discussion

Welcome, readers! Before we dive into this week's book club conversations, I thought I'd answer a couple of questions about how the book club works.

  1. "How do I sign up?" No need to sign up! The book club is open to anyone who wants to pop in and participate at any point this year.
  2. "How do I participate?" Every Monday I'll let you know what chapters we're reading during the upcoming week, and on Fridays I'll post an excerpt or other activity right here on the blog. You're welcome to chime in right here in the blog comments. We also have a discussion forum, and you're welcome to post new threads or respond to existing ones.
  3. "How does the forum work?" The forum is divided up into subforums, which is where all the conversations happen. For right now most of our conversations will happen in the Book One subforum, but there are also subforums for the other books, for the whole series, for the animated series, for Wingfeather Tales, and for other conversations. Some of the discussions started a long time ago, but you are welcome to post anywhere.

Please let me know if there are any other questions! I want to make sure everything is clear. Sorry for any confusion. Now, onward to this week's excerpt!I really enjoy the introductions, and the last two paragraphs of the first one especially stood out to me this time around. If you've seen the animated short film, you'll probably hear these words in Oskar's cheerful and dramatic voice. He is such a good reader. :-) Here is the entirety of "A Brief Introduction to the World of Aerwiar."

The old stories tell that when the first person woke up on the first morning in the world where this tale takes place, he yawned, stretched, and said to the first thing he saw, “Well, here we are.” The man’s name was Dwayne, and the first thing he saw was a rock. Next to the rock, though, was a woman named Gladys, whom he would learn to get along with very well. In the many ages that followed, that first sentence was taught to children and their children’s children and their children’s parents’ cousins and so on until, quite by accident, all speaking creatures referred to the world around them as Aerwiar.On Aerwiar there were two main continents divided by one main ocean called the Dark Sea of Darkness. By the Fourth Epoch, the harsh land east of the sea had come to be known as Dang and has little to do with this tale (except for the Great Evil that came to exist there and waged a Great War on pretty much everybody).That evil was a nameless evil, an evil whose name was Gnag the Nameless. He ruled from high atop the Killridge Mountains in the Castle Throg, and of all the things Gnag despised in Aerwiar, he most hated the High King Wingfeather of the Isle of Anniera. For some reason no one could guess, Gnag and his wretched hordes had marched westward and gobbled up the Shining Isle of Anniera, where fell the good king, his house, and his noble people.Unsatisfied, the Nameless Evil (named Gnag) built a fleet that bore his monstrous army westward across the Dark Sea of Darkness to the continent of Skree. And he ravaged that wide land, nine long years before our adventure begins.
Discussion:Where are you in your family? Oldest? Youngest? Middle? Have you ever felt like Janner does in chapters 3-5?Janner wants to see the world. If you could go anywhere, where would you go? (Followup question here.)What was your favorite part of this week's reading? Post it in the comments! And then come introduce yourself in the forum. :-)

The stories are true.