"It is finisned..."

"The wheel turns. Blue above, green below, we wander along the way, but love is what the cup of our soul contains when we leave the world and the flesh. This we will drink forever. I know. I am Magda. I am the witch." With these words, the reader leaves the story behind. But yet, there are the themes from the story that keep the wheel turning--the power of memory, the importance and the need for love when experiencing great trauma, the bitter cost of survival and the coming of age [growing up way too soon]. Take one of these themes, and in your own words and with your own hands, explain how this novel brings new life to an old fairly tale.

More answers than questions

"It is finished. The tale is told truthfully, and the truth is no heavier, no more beautiful than lies...I know. I am Magda. I am the witch."After reading this fairytale-like story, what are some of your thoughts about the book?

In addition, can you tell me in your opinion if this book was appropriate for the SLI course--in length, in context, and in interest.

SLI 2010

SLI 2010: "The people of SLI"

...and they lived happily ever after

There have been many interesting quotations throughout the book. Do you have any that you want to explain?

The ending of this piece does conform to the fairly tale ending "and they lived happily ever after..." Explain why this is so in your own way.

Is this a good choice of reading for SLI? Consider the reading level, content and length of the piece.

If you read Of Mice and Men, did you think it was a good choice for SLI?Consider the reading level, content and length of the piece.

Magda...Which is she--good witch or bad witch?

The author begins and ends her fairy tale with the words of the wise witch Magda, who is the children's savior. She is an outsider from the village of Piaski, with Gypsy heritage, but she's also relative to many of the characters.

How is she a traditional witch? What abilities mark her as such? How does she display her unconventional morals when considering the affairs of others? Why does the author make her a narrator?

A modern fairy tale...

In many ways, this novel details a fairy-tale world, one with magical animals, the true love of Nelka and Telek, and a woman known as a witch. A traumatized Gretel spends part of the novel in the realm of madness, and for her it ultimately becomes important that she leaves behind her immersion in fantasy and face reality. Hansel, too, must give up playing war and lead his sister in a very real struggle for survival.

Do you think that the author is suggesting that too much belief in fantasy can be an obstacle to reality, or do you think she shows how belief--in fairy tales, magic, and natural beauty--can help us overcome our trials?

Some words need to be chewed before digested...

"Wasting a little shows you believe in tomorrow."
"The wheel moves on and we must move with it."

One of the students brought up these quotes from the book in their bloggings...I find them fascinating to think about. How would you interpret them? Or have you found some other quote that you would like to share

A fairy tale setting?

Why do you think Louise Murphy chose the fairy tale setting of "Hansel and Gretel" as a parallel setting to her Holocaust story?

Once upon a time...

"This story has been told over and over by liars, and it must be retold."  Magda, the witch...

During our Advanced Reading classes this summer at SLI, I will be posting questions--some easy to respond to and others that will take a little more thought.  Post your answers to the questions, respond to other students' answers, and just have fun speaking to each other about your thoughts on this book.

Question1:  After the first few pages, what are your first thoughts about the writing, the storyline, or vocabulary?