Excerpt

"..he wondered how he would subdue the Librafly once they reached the ground. In a sudden movement and puzzling way, the creature gathered enough strength to fly upward again. It was headed straight to the hallway at an amazing speed. At the end of the hall was a painting representing a 19th century street of Washington, D.C. The bird seemed to have taken the canvas as a target." (Excerpt from "The Smithsonian Librafly") 

 

 

 

The Smithsonian Librafly

Synopsis: The sudden and inexplicable disappearance of the word “liberty” from his dictionary and the presence of a strange shadow on the Capitol’s and the White House’s paintings spark James’s curiosity. With the knowledge he acquires from an ancient encyclopedia, combined with his wits, James navigates through Washington, D.C., with his best friend Diego, to try to stop the word-eater from causing further damage to Literacy. 

 

Book Club

 

 

Themes: the importance of words and the need to reach out to the ones in need

The importance of words

•         What word could you not live without?

•         What do the words “liberty” and “freedom” mean?

•         What does the Declaration of Independence hold?

•         What slang or foreign languages do you know? How and when do you use them?

 

The need to express feelings                                                                

•         What would have prevented Louis Portel from becoming a Librafly?

•         How do you deal with sadness, frustration, or anger? Where do you go and to whom to you talk?

Reaching out to the ones who need it

•         What privileges do you enjoy that others don’t? (USA versus developing countries  OR your community versus less fortunate ones)

•         What do you do or what could you do to help others? (soup kitchen, giving away used clothes, participating to rivers clean up, etc…)

19th century life

•         The place of children in society

•         Child labor (in 21st century, way of life in some countries, but outlawed in others)

References

•         Washington, D.C.

•         The White House

•         The U.S. Capitol

•         The Smithsonian Institution

•         The Jefferson Memorial