This week we read chapters 12-17 of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. A couple of passages stood out to me—the scene on Charney Baimington’s lawn, and the one below. They both seemed to say to me, the stories are true.
Janner remembered with a stab of panic that later that day he and Tink were supposed to help Oskar N. Reteep in the bookstore, which was right across the street from the jail. What if Commander Gnorm saw him and changed his mind? He might send for the Black Carriage after all. What if Slarb attacked again? Then he thought about Books and Crannies, about all the stories on all the shelves in the store, and the warm thrill of being there overshadowed his fear. Janner swallowed the last of his breakfast. “Mister Reteep asked me and Tink to help him with a big shipment today. Is it all right to go into town?”
Nia took her time flipping the eggs and bacon in the frying pan while they waited for an answer. “Not really, no. It’s not all right. It’s never safe for you to go into town, especially after what happened yesterday.” Janner’s shoulders slumped. “But we can’t live in fear,” Nia said. “We won’t live in fear.” She turned and looked hard at her boys, wiping her hands on her apron. “Just be careful, and stay clear of that awful Slurp.”
Discussion: Is there a place for you like Books & Crannies is for Janner—a place that makes you feel safe? Why does it make you feel that way? Why do you think the idea of all those stories helps Janner?
Nia tells Janner that his father loved the same story Janner’s just read. What stories have you read that your parents or grandparents loved?
As in Ships and Sharks, is Podo right that there’s always a way out of a difficult situation?
What would you do if you found a secret map? Discuss this question in the forum.
Recipe: Make Podo’s cheesy chowder! We’ve got the recipe here.
Bonus: Visit Books and Crannies for yourself! You can take a full tour over at our Facebook page. See if you can spot some of the items Janner and Tink saw. 🙂
New music from Andrew! To listen to the new EP, just released today, visit the Rabbit Room Store. Amazon, Spotify, etc. available here. To read more about this project, here’s Andrew’s story.
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