Questions from Book 1: The Shadow of E. Z.’s Fear

GENERAL QUESIONS

1.       If E. Z. is to survive the journey to his new home, what skills must he develop?   Does E. Z.’s attitude toward learning new skills make it easier for him to learn? How does David’s attitude compare to E. Z.’s? List the skills that E. Z. learned about surviving in the outdoors. What other skills does E. Z. learn from the people he meets?

2.       List the dangers E. Z. was warned to fear and state which of those warnings turned out to be true?

3. How were the Chickasaw boys Samuel and Charles different from the descriptions E. Z. had been given by the people he met?

4.       List E. Z.’s actions that show courage, actions that show recklessness, and actions based on fear. What is the difference between recklessness and courage? Compare the benefits and costs of fear, courage, and recklessness in the situations that E. Z. faces.

5.       In what ways does E. Z. try to protect his brother David?  Do E. Z.’s attempts to protect David help David or hurt him?

6.       If E. Z., Isaiah, and David are a team, what does each boy add to the team to make it stronger and what does each boy take from the team to make it weaker?

7.       What methods did the Baron use to trick the traveling party into paying for Chickasaw land? Were there any facts that should have alerted Captain Stark or E. Z. that the Baron could not be believed?

8.       E. Z. suspects that Mr. Burton is a bandit.  Which of Mr. Burton’s actions should cause E. Z.  to suspect that Mr. Burton might be a bandit?  Are there reasons why E. Z. should question whether he is viewing Mr. Burton’s actions with an open mind?

9.       Mr. Johnson made many trips on the Natchez Trace without being injured.  Why might this trip be different?

10.       What skills does Captain Stark use from his experience as a soldier to help the traveling party?

11.   Was the traveling party correct to vote to continue their trip down the Natchez Trace without Mr. Johnson?

12. In what ways are Jack a bully? Is E. Z. successful in keeping Jack from forcing him to do things against his will, and if so, how does E. Z. keep Jack from overpowering him?

13.   How does E. Z.’s unknown world of The Devil’s Backbone compare to unknowns you face in your own life and what can you learn from E. Z.’s experiences?

LEARN TO OBSERVE. CLUES FROM THE ARTISTS.

1.       Cover Image. What features do you see in the cover image?  What clues does the cover artist give about the story you will read inside?

2.       Map.  Does the map provide a suggestion that the story will be about a journey?  What clues does the map provide about the area where the characters will be traveling?

3.       Snakes. Does the artist provide any clues about what the image of the snakes may suggest about the type of story you will read?  Do you see any comparisons between the image of the map and the image of the snakes?

4.       Boy in the Wilderness.  What features stand out in the image of the boy in the wilderness?  Do those features provide any clues about the story you will read?

5.       In reviewing the title of the book, the cover image, the map and the illustrations of the snakes, and the boy in the wilderness,  can you predict what the story will be about?

CHARACTER STUDY.

1. Is E. Z. your favorite character in the story? What characteristics do you like about that character?

2. Do you see ways that the story is told through E. Z.’s eyes or from his point of view?

3. What does E. Z. want to achieve at the beginning of the story?

4. In what ways does E. Z. change by the end of the story? What has E. Z. learned? Describe the plot of the story that takes E. Z. from the boy he is at the beginning of the story to the boy he becomes by the end.

5. Which characters help E. Z. and which characters present challenges for E. Z.?

6. Does E. Z. discover which characters help him and which characters he should fear?