Discussion questions

7: Does knowing about the JK Rowling controversy impact your view of the Harry Potter books as you are reading? If so, how? If not, why not?

Do you think it’s possible to separate the art from the artist?

Why is this an important conversation to have in a class about children’s literature?

6: I have so enjoyed watching your videos and your engagement with the discussions so far!

This week we will be talking about Brown Girl Dreaming. 

What do you like about this text so far? What similarities or differences do you notice between this and other texts that we have read? How may this story be meaningful to a child reader? Pick a specific passage of the book for your post and discuss why it may be important/ why it stood out to you. Please connect your post with the reading from our Laurel et al text on Biography.

9: This week, we learned all about style, tone, setting, and Harry Potter.

Let’s think about and discuss Rowling’s style and tone in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

For this week’s discussion, please choose a page or chapter from the last half of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Reading that chapter or page closely, take note of Rowling’s style and tone using the strategies we learned about in class, and then analyze how the setting of the story intermingles with the style and tone.

How do they work together in this section to build a world for characters and readers?