Fiction: Beatrice and Croc Harry

Annotation:

Beatrice has woken in a strange land without memories in a treehouse magically stocked with supplies and  a set of helpful books. Her curiosity and compassion lead her to explore the land and meet its talking animal inhabitants. Among these is Croc Harry who seems equally eager to eat her and converse with her. He shares her love of complicated vocabulary yet can she trust him not to give in to his predatory instincts? Another more frightening enemy is a man who comes into her in her dreams, threatening to take over her mind. Croc Harry, the rabbit Horace Harrison Junior the Third  and Fuzzy the blue spider are just some of the fascinating animals she meets. With her cleverness and compassion, Beatrice learns to navigate the strange rules of this world and follow clues that will lead her to recover her past. 

Questions:

  1. What would you do if you woke up with no memory but surrounded by talking animals?
  2. What are the three characteristics of Beatrice that most help her to adapt to her surroundings?
  3. Which was your favorite animal character and why?
  4. Why do you think the author made Beatrice’s dictionary and wordplay such a big part of the story?
  5. As part of her memory loss, Beatrice does not recognize that she is Black. Why do you think this is?

Curriculum Connections:

  • Personal and Social – Social Awareness and Responsibility

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