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"I laughed, cried, felt the urgency . . . the story will take you to another dimension of 'ahhh' moments of reflection and insight that will 'gotcha.' I could read this book again and again and get something more. I enjoyed i from the second I began to read."

"A thick slice of MaryAnn Easley pie. Oozing UFOs, sweet on science, and warm with fantasy. This veteran children's writer's many young fans should be satiated.....for now!"

Sunday, September 13, 2015

BOOK DISCUSSION & STUDY PROMPTS


Book Discussion & Study Prompts

1) Find Hidden Meanings: A literary element often used by authors is symbolism. An object, event, animal, color or words spoken by a story character can have a deeper and more significant meaning. A chain, for example, might mean a union or connection between two people, but it can also mean imprisonment. CHANGED IN THE NIGHT has many such symbols throughout the book.  Find five symbols. Then choose three symbols to analyze and discuss.



2) Forgotten History: Events, like the Holocaust, 9/11, the assassinations of John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., the Sandy Hook school shootings, Hurricane Katrina, ISIS beheadings, and space journeys to the moon fade in memory as time goes on. Using examples found in the CHANGED IN THE NIGHT and other sources, discuss American life during the mid-20th century. Consider how people communicated with one another, prepared family meals, and spent leisure time. Then analyze, compare, and contrast American life in 1952 to the way things are today.

3) Relationships: Everyone handles personal trauma and loss in a different way. Consider the various issues Allana and her mother are each dealing with and select three of the most important. Then analyze, compare, and contrast how Allana and her mother deal with these specific problems in different ways.

4) Truth of Lie: An unreliable narrator does not tell an accurate or credible story, and this might be due to maturity level, past experiences, or mental state at the time of the telling. CHANGED IN THE NIGHT is told in the first-person point of view. Analyze Allana as a narrator. Does she tell contradicting stories or offer incomplete explanations? Or is she completely honest with the reader. Find evidence in the novel to support her reliability or unreliability as a narrator.

5) Beliefs: Each character in CHANGED IN THE NIGHT has a different view about life. Why do you think this is true? Give two reasons. Find an example or provide a quote from the book that demonstrates opposing points of view. Relate a personal experience from your own life where you and someone else had a strong different of opinion. How did it affect your relationship?

6) Energy: Albert Einstein said, "Everything is energy and that's all there is to it. Match the frequency of the reality you want and you cannot help but get that reality. It can be no other way. This is not philosophy. This is physics." What does this quote? How does Einstein's view relate to events that take place in the CHANGED IN THE NIGHT?

7) UFOs: Unexplained phenomena in CHANGED IN THE NIGHT is based on government disclosures, reported events, and interviews with abductees. Some people claim to have been abducted by aliens; others say they have seen UFOs. Many people, however, think such disclosures are bogus or farfetched. What do you believe? Are you for or against the proposition that alien life exists? Based on evidence from at least three reliable sources, prepare an valid argument with three supporting points to prove your thesis.

8) Science 1: Physical laws governing matter, space, and time are discussed throughout CHANGED IN THE NIGHT. Review these scientific theories, and then identify and discuss at least two physical laws.

9) Science 2: The scientific method is a way for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on empirical or measurable evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning. Science, however, can be a double-edged sword. Identify at least three ways science has improved our existence on Earth. Then provide evidence that science has also been detrimental in an equal number of ways.

10) Aliens: Knowing for certain that we are not alone in the Universe would affect our belief systems, politics, traditions, communication, military, education, and global economy. Prepare a Presidential announcement to inform the public without inciting panic about aliens among us and cite three specific ways life will immediately change. Then change your point of view and prepare five pertinent questions for the press conference immediately following the announcement.

11) War: Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows." What did he mean by these words? Starting with the bombing of Pearl Harbor as the cause, list the effects that take place in CHANGED IN THE NIGHT.

12) Story-time: Stories are told and retold to entertain, explain, inform, and teach. We use stories in jokes, poetry, and games. Discuss a story from your childhood that made a lasting impression and explain why. Describe ways stories are being told today. In what ways are stories beneficial? In what ways might they be harmful?



13) Dreams: Dwelling in the past or longing for the future are examples of being in the dream state. Many people, especially in today's media-filled world, seem to slog through life that way. In CHANGED IN THE NIGHT, Allana has her own difficulty separating reality (fact) from fantasy (fiction). There are, however, people who manage to connect to reality and the present moment. Why are they more alive than others in the present moment? Describe three instances when you felt especially alive, and then analyze the reasons why.

14) AIWS: Allana suffers from the Alice in Wonderland Syndrome. If you're unfamiliar with Lewis Carroll's 1865 classic, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, review or research the story, themes, symbols, and motifs. Then compare and contrast similar or common ideas found in ALICE IN WONDERLAND and CHANGED IN THE NIGHT.





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