Literature Circle Questions
| 1. Where did Joey and Mary Alice go
for the summer? Why?
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| 2. Is it true that Grandma Dowdel
doesn’t ‘give two hoots about the town?’ Why or why not?
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| 3. Who won the blue ribbon for the
best gooseberry pie? Explain.
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| 4. Who is the ‘One Woman Crime Wave?’
Why is she described this way?
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| 5. How do Joey and Mary Alice change
during The Day of
Judgement? What do they
believe at the beginning of the chapter? What do they believe at the
end?
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6. List all the things (activities, money, tools, etc.) that were different in the 1930’s from today. Then make a list of things that are the same.
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| 7. When do you think Joe stops
thinking of Grandma Dowdel as a bad influence? Why? Does Mary Alice have
different ideas about Grandma Dowdel? Why?
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| 8. Describe how Grandma Dowdel goes
about getting justice from the Cowgills? What do you think would be
Grandma’s definition of justice?
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9. Do you notice any different rules or expectations for men and women in Grandma Dowdel’s town? Are there things men can do that women can’t? Are there things that women can do that men can’t? How do you think Grandma Dowdel would have behaved differently if she were a man?
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10. How does Joey feel about Grandma Dowdel’s fish trap? Does he have any problems with it? What does he like about it?
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| 11. Even though they never appear in
the story, what do you think Joe’s and Mary Alice’s parents are like?
What clues can you find in the story to their personalities?
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| 12. Explain what Grandma Dowdel means
by ‘apart from its historical significance’ on page 117.
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13. Who is the better role model for the kids: O.B. Dickerson or Grandma Dowdel? Why? What is a role model supposed to provide?
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14. Look at young Weidenbach’s song at the end of the book. What is its message? Is it the same message of the book?
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