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    Raymie Nightingale Book Group Guide

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    Candlewick Press
    Raymie Nightingale (Hardback) author: Kate DiCamillo Two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo returns to her roots with a moving, masterful story of an unforgettable summer friendship.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Raymie Nightingale Book Group Guide

    Uploaded by

    Candlewick Press
    426 views4 pages
    Raymie Nightingale (Hardback) author: Kate DiCamillo Two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo returns to her roots with a moving, masterful story of an unforgettable summer friendship.

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    © © All Rights Reserved

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    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

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    Raymie Nightingale (Hardback) author: Kate DiCamillo Two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo returns to her roots with a moving, masterful story of an unforgettable summer friendship.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    426 views4 pages

    Raymie Nightingale Book Group Guide

    Uploaded by

    Candlewick Press
    Raymie Nightingale (Hardback) author: Kate DiCamillo Two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo returns to her roots with a moving, masterful story of an unforgettable summer friendship.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 4
    At a glance
    Powered by AI
    The key takeaways are that the story is about an unlikely friendship that develops between three girls - Raymie, Louisiana, and Beverly - over the course of a summer as they each deal with challenges in their personal lives and try to overcome feelings of loneliness and loss.

    The document text suggests that friendship plays an important role in helping the three girls deal with loneliness and loss. It allows them to support each other during difficult times and helps transform their lives.

    The document text mentions that both Raymie and Beverly use 'magical thinking' in their relationships with their fathers. It seems they both have problems with or related to their fathers leaving/not being present.

    BOOK GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE

    Two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo returns to her


    roots with a moving, masterful story of an unforgettable
    summer friendship.
    Raymie Clarke has come to realize that everything, absolutely
    everything, depends on her. And she has a plan. If Raymie can
    win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition, then her
    father, who left town two days ago with a dental hygienist,
    will see Raymies picture in the paper and (maybe) come
    home. To win, not only does Raymie have to do good deeds
    and learn how to twirl a baton, she also has to contend with
    the wispy, frequently fainting Louisiana Elefante, who has a
    show-business background, and the fiery, stubborn Beverly
    Tapinski, whos determined to sabotage the contest. But as the
    competition approaches, loneliness, loss, and unanswerable
    questions draw the three girls into an unlikely friendshipand
    challenge each of them to come to the rescue in unexpected
    ways.
    HC: 978-0-7636-8117-3
    Also available as an e-book

    Illustration copyright 2016 by Lucy Davey

    Kate DiCamillo is one of Americas most beloved storytellers.


    She is the former National Ambassador for Young Peoples
    Literature and a two-time Newbery Medalist. Born in
    Philadelphia, she grew up in Florida and now lives in
    Minneapolis, where she faithfully writes two pages a day, five
    days a week.

    Raymie Nightingale Book Group Discussion Guide www.candlewick.com page 1

    BOOK GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE

    Discussion Questions
    Youve got to have friends. . . .
    What role does friendship play in the lives of Raymie, Louisiana, and Beverly?
    What do the three girls have in common? How are they different?
    What are some of the life-changing transformations that take place in the story as a result of friendship?
    Does the friendship of Raymie, Louisiana, and Beverly remind you of any friendships that you know?
    Have you ever experienced this kind of friendship?
    Are there any characters in this book whom you would like as a friend? Why or why not?

    Do you believe in magical thinking?


    Magical thinking is the belief that a thought, action, or event can cause something else to happen
    without any logical reason for that to be truefor example, the belief that wearing a certain shirt will
    make your favorite sports team win a game, or that avoiding stepping on cracks will keep something
    bad
    from happening. There are many examples of magical thinking in Raymie Nightingale. How many
    can you identify?
    Raymie hopes to win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition so that her father will return. Do
    you think her winning will bring her dad back?
    Louisiana and her grandmother are living on the edge and barely surviving, but they also are dreaming
    of better things. Do you see magical thinking at work in their lives?
    Beverly and Raymie both use magical thinking in their relationships with their fathers. What problems
    do they have related to their fathers? How do the solutions they come up with involve magical thinking?

    What a character!
    What three words would you use to describe Raymie? Louisiana? Beverly? Describe how the traits of
    these characters come to life in the book.
    Over the course of the story, each of the Three Rancheros has the opportunity to move from being
    powerless to taking action. How do Raymie, Louisiana, and Beverly each take charge in their lives?

    Illustration copyright 2016 by Lucy Davey

    Which character seems to be the most changed by the storys end?


    The secondary characters in Raymie Nightingale are beautifully portrayed. What are your impressions of
    Mrs. Borkowski, Mrs. Sylvester, Louisianas grandmother, Raymies mother, Alice Nebbley at the
    nursing home, Ruthie, and Ida Nee? Why are these characters important? What do they bring to the
    story?
    There are a number of memorable relationships between the characters in Raymie Nightingale. Pick one
    relationship that you like and explain its significance to you.
    Is there a scene in Raymie Nightingale that captures the essence of a character for you?
    Are there heroes in this story? Who do you think they are, and why?

    Raymie Nightingale Book Group Discussion Guide www.candlewick.com page 2

    BOOK GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE

    The big questions


    A question that echoes throughout Raymie Nightingale is What is life all about? Does the story
    give us answers?
    Raymie often describes having the feeling that her soul is shrinking. What do you think she means
    by this? What do you think she feels in those moments when she says her soul is inflating or
    growing bigger?
    Death and what it means are explored through the characters of Mrs. Borkowski, Louisianas parents,
    Archie the cat, and Clara Wingtip. Discuss how Raymie, Louisiana, and Beverly understand death. Do
    you agree with them?
    Can you relate to the girls thoughts and fears? Do you think the kids in this story see life and death
    differently than the adults do?
    Life can offer other types of loss as wellthe ending of marriages and families, hopes and dreams.
    Discuss the ways the girls understand these kinds of losses.
    What is the saddest part of the story for you?

    Hope (and humor) springs eternal


    One of Kate DiCamillos signature themes is hope. How is hope explored in this story?
    Compare the role of hope in Raymie Nightingale with the use of the theme in other books by
    Kate DiCamillo.
    Who do you think is the most hopeful character in the story? What passages describe this persons
    hopefulness? Who else is hopeful?
    What do you think are the funniest moments in Raymie Nightingale?
    How did you feel at the end of the story?

    Activity Suggestions
    Raymie believes that learning to twirl a baton is a way to win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire
    competition. Do you know how to twirl? If not, set up a baton lesson with some friends. You can find
    videos online on how to twirl and throw them.

    Illustration copyright 2016 by Lucy Davey

    For Raymie and her friends, reading to the elderly at the nursing home is an act of kindness, a good
    deed to put down in their applications for the competition. Have you ever read to someone? Try it! Find
    someone you would like to read to, whether a pet, a friend, a younger sibling, or someone elderly.
    Choose a book that you think your listener would like, practice reading it out loud, and offer to read to
    your selected listener for twenty to thirty minutes.
    Raymie gained a great deal of confidence from taking a lifesaving classsomething that everyone could
    benefit from. Classes in junior lifesaving as well as CPR or first aid/defibrillator training are a great
    opportunity to gain important life skills. Find a class in your community or at your school and sign up
    for it with your friends.

    Raymie Nightingale Book Group Discussion Guide www.candlewick.com page 3

    BOOK GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE

    Other Perfect Book Club Selections from Kate DiCamillo


    Because of Winn-Dixie
    Poignant and delicately told.
    The New York Times Book Review
    DiCamillo doesnt shy from bad things, and
    while she validates a childs sense of grief and
    loss, she also holds open lifes possibilities.
    Minneapolis Star Tribune
    An exquisitely crafted first novel. Each
    chapter possesses an arc of its own and reads almost like a short
    story in its completeness, yet the chapters add up to much more
    than a sum of their parts. . . . This bittersweet tale of contemporary
    life in a small southern town will hold readers rapt.
    Publishers Weekly

    The Tiger Rising


    The author delves deeply into the psyches
    of her cast with carefully choreographed
    scenes, opting for the economy of poetry
    over elaborate prose. . . . DiCamillo
    demonstrates her versatility by treating
    themes similar to those of her first novel with
    a completely different approach. Readers will
    eagerly anticipate her next work.
    Publishers Weekly (starred review)
    Together [the characters] learn about trust, friendship, and feelings
    as they plot to set the tiger free. In the process, they learn another
    valuable lesson, one that readers wont soon forget.
    Dallas Morning News
    The brief novel, which features a well realized setting and an almost
    palpable aura of sadness, has a certain mythic quality.
    The Horn Book

    The Tale of Despereaux

    Illustration copyright 2016 by Lucy Davey

    [DiCamillo] sets the stage for a battle


    between the forces of Darkness and Light in
    The Tale of Despereaux, and the book is a terrific,
    bravura performance.
    The New York Times Book Review
    Unexpectedly complex in the relationships
    between its characters, DiCamillos fable,
    engagingly illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering,
    delivers a carefully orchestrated, but not overstated, testament to the
    power of love and forgiveness. San Francisco Chronicle

    The Miraculous Journey of


    Edward Tulane
    One reading is hardly enough to savor the
    rich philosophical nuances of DiCamillos
    story. I think I will go read it again right
    now. The New York Times Book Review
    This choice is destined to become a classic.
    Dallas Morning News
    When Edwards journey ends, the reader will be wishing this story
    could go on and on. The Washington Post

    The Magicians Elephant


    With its rhythmic sentences and fairy-tale
    tone, this novel yields solitary pleasures but
    begs to be read aloud. Hearing it in a shared
    space can connect us, one to one, regardless
    of age, much like the books closing image:
    a small stone carving, hands linked, of the
    elephants friends. Washington Post Book
    World

    Reading like a fable told long ago, with rich language that begs
    to be read aloud, this is a magical story about hope and love, loss
    and home, and of questioning the world versus accepting it as it is.
    Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

    Flora & Ulysses


    Full of Ms. DiCamillos dry, literate wit and
    bursting every so often into action-packed
    comic-strip sequences illustrated by K. G.
    Campbell . . . a funny, eccentric novel.
    The Wall Street Journal
    Kate DiCamillos newest book . . . is that
    rarest of all treasures, a truly inventive and appealing childrens
    middle-grade novel. Boston Globe
    As with her previous big-hearted novels, DiCamillo proves once
    again that astonishments are hidden inside the most mundane
    being, and gives us another fantastic story. The Washington Post
    Beautifully written. . . . The accompanying illustrations
    and cartoons are enchanting, and the remarkable DiCamillo
    demonstrates she has storytelling power to spare. Chicago Tribune

    The author of Because of Winn-Dixie and The Tiger Rising here shifts
    gears, demonstrating her versatility while once again proving her
    genius for mining the universal themes of childhood. . . . I must tell
    you, you are in for a treat. Publishers Weekly (starred review)

    Raymie Nightingale Book Group Discussion Guide www.candlewick.com page 4

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