Mockingbird

There's a national program to get as many libraries & their patrons, to get as many citizens of the country reading. Not only reading, but thinking about what they've read. The idea is that they/we should share some common books and then discuss them with each other.

Our library has decided to share Harper Lee's TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD with the community. We've got teen art contests and reading groups, a parade float and large displays, crafts and contests and ads. Our whole system is involved with this and some of what has been offered has been spectacular indeed. We've even got a letterbox hunt in several libraries, a scavenger hunt and some mockingbird coloring pages to involve even our smallest patrons.

I read the book for the second time in my life last month. What an incredible creation. In high school I'd hated every word of the story and dragged through it. THIS time I hated every interruption that dragged me away. I saw it as a wonderful story of growing and learning and maturing. Yes, there are some very ugly parts to the story. But in seeing the world through Scout's eyes I learned a lot. I re-thought a lot about things I'd taken for granted. After reading the book I went to the internet and spent hours researching what had been written about Scout, about the book and about Harper Lee. THAT was a very enjoyable time and was what led to the creation of the scavenger hunt. I watched the To Kill A Mockingbird film and that turned out to be incredible too. (But then I'm a huge Gregory Peck fan anyway.) And the additional disk with the long feature "Fearful Symmetry" is well worth watching. That feature talks about not only making the movie & its cast, but about the book and Nelle Harper Lee herself. It's fascinating. I wish I could find the words to describe how both the book & film have enriched my life.

(while looking up the book I also looked for the book covers. And film covers. And play jackets. I found more than a hundred! Of all sizes & descriptions. The covers alone create wonderful art!)

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD: the Scavenger Hunt

Where would you find To Kill A Mockingbird in Spanish?

What town was To Kill A Mockingbird set in, and what real town was it based on

Where would you find non-fiction books about trials like the one that Atticus Finch defended?

What other books has Harper Lee written?

What treasures did Jem & Scout find in the live oak’s knot hole?
Extra credit: What was in the children’s cigar box in the TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD movie?

Is there anything in the Virtual Library about “racial prejudice” or “racism”?

What actual trial was very like that of Tom Robinson’s?

What famous author was Harper Lee’s childhood playmate?

When was Harper Lee’s novel published and what award did it win a year later?

Why is it a sin to kill a mockingbird?

USEFUL WEBSITES:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Kill_a_Mockingbird Wikipedia – To Kill A Mockingbird

http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Belmont_HS/tkm/ The Student Survival Guide – TKAM

http://www.neabigread.org/books/mockingbird/ The Big Read – To Kill A Mockingbird

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB0sjVN2Pic UTube –To Kill A Mockingbird title sequence

http://www.tokillamockingbird.com/ Monroe Co., AL Heritage Museum

http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/resources/lessonplans/amlit_lp_lee1.htm History of Jim Crow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfSVkDjnsnU UTube – To Kill A Mockingbird (extended trailer)

http://library.thinkquest.org/12111/SG/SG5.html Historical Background To Kill A Mockingbird

http://google.com/ Google search “To Kill A Mockingbird” or “Harper Lee”