Batina’s Book Club
QUESTIONS AND TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION
CONVERSATION STARTERS
The beauty of a book club is that it gives you a chance to examine your own life experiences through the characters in the books you read. You get an opportunity to discuss and share what you learn with your book club members. These discussions allow the book to take on a new life.
For example, the Tooth Collector Fairies books are more than just a couple of books about tooth fairies. Each book contains little nuggets of life experiences. Let’s take a deeper look at each book and the messages that are presented.
1. In the beginning of “Batina’s Best First Day” you learn that Batina has oversized wings that make her feel insecure. She is a tooth collector and must fly to pick up lost teeth. She is afraid her wings will get in the way of her completing her mission. In the end it is Batina’s wings that help her get her mission accomplished. Is there anything about you that you thought was a negative attribute that turned out to be positive?
2. The subject of bullying is addressed in this story. Jolene makes fun of Batina and her friends because they are different. Have you ever been bullied? How did you handle that? Do you think Batina handled it well?
3. Teamwork is a common thread in both books. In “Batina’s Best First Day,” Batina relies heavily on the help of her friends. For example, in the beginning they help her search for her lost tooth. In the end Batina asks all of the fairies to join hands and help produce fairy power with their wings. When you have worked on a project and faced a challenge did you ever ask for help from friends?
4. After reading “Batina’s Best First Day” would you say you are more a Batina or were you more a Jolene?
5. Do you remember losing your first tooth? Or when your child lost their first tooth? How did they lose the tooth? What did you do? What type of gift did you get? Did this ritual affect you in your life?
6. In the book, teeth must be inspected by Mr. Gizmo. Has anyone ever reviewed your work? What is the highest praise you have ever received?
7. At the end of the story Jolene confesses to her sabotage attempt and asks for forgiveness. In your experiences, have you ever had to ask for forgiveness? Was it difficult to ask for forgiveness? Have you ever been asked to forgive by another? Which was more difficult?
Denise Ditto – denise@toothcollectorfairies.com
www.toothcollectorfairies.com
Home From Decay Valley Book Club
QUESTIONS AND TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION
CONVERSATION STARTERS
The beauty of a book club is that it gives you a chance to examine your own life experiences through the characters in the books you read. You get an opportunity to discuss and share what you learn with your book club members. These discussions allow the book to take on a new life.
For example, the Tooth Collector Fairy books are more than just a couple of books about tooth fairies. Each book contains little nuggets of life experiences. Let’s take a deeper look at each book and the messages that are presented.
1. “Home from Decay Valley” starts out with Batina being banished to Decay Valley. Was this fair? Has anything ever happened to you that you thought wasn’t fair? How did you handle that? How would you have rewritten this story?
2. The Tooth Collector Fairy books stress the importance of following the rules. Batina is a rule follower. Jolene, on the other hand, is not. Are you typically a rule follower? Are you a rule examiner, a person who will examine and consider a rule first before following? Or are you a rule breaker? Have you ever followed the rules even when it caused you personal hardship?
3. Teamwork is a common thread throughout this series. For example, in “Home from Decay Valley,” Batina wouldn’t have been able to return to Brushelot if she didn’t have help from her friends. She had faith that they were aware of the rules and she trusted that they would know what to do to get her home from Decay Valley. Have you ever had to blindly trust in your team to get the job done? How did it feel?
4. From the beginning this book shows disappointments in Batina’s life. She was disappointed that Scooter didn’t brush his teeth. She was disappointed that Jolene tried to cover up the truth. Have you ever had a big disappointment in life? How did you overcome? Did someone come to your rescue? Did you discuss your disappointments with a best friend or colleague?
5. At the end of the book Jolene steps up and takes Lucas’ place to help Batina even though the outcome could have caused her to be banished, too. Have you ever stepped up to help a friend when it could have turned out badly for you? How did it turn out?