Eagle Island

I think, for many authors, one of the most interesting and rewarding things is the research. In her research for The Snow Baby, Katherine Kirkpatrick visited Eagle Island in Casco Bay, Maine, where the Peary's summer home was built in 1904. Robert E. Peary called Eagle Island his "Promised Land," according to Kirkpatrick. The following are photos of Eagle Island from Kirkpatrick's visit:
Katherine Kirkpatrick's Eagle Island Scrapbook

More about Eagle Island:
Peary's Eagle Island

More about Robert E. Perry: Perry Macmillan Arctic Museum

Polar Pairs

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving full of good food! I know that you guys probably haven't had the time to start reading The Snow Baby yet (There are now copies available at the library, by the way). As a warm-up, click on the link below to play Polar Pairs, a matching game using photographs of animals who live in the Arctic. Every time you match a pair, you're provided with information about that particular animal. Also feel free to explore the website of the Arctic Studies Center, where this game is located!

Click here to play Polar Pairs!

Re-Cap of The Chocolate Touch Book Discussion

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to thank those who came and participated in our interesting discussion about The Chocolate Touch. One of the most interesting divides the group had was on the topic of whether or not it was John's fault that he ended up with the "chocolate touch." A majority of you said that it was John's fault. He should have known that there was something suspicious about the store that sold this candy; and if he didn't catch on then, he should have definitely caught on when he opened an entire box of chocolates to only find one piece of chocolate!

Then there were those of you who thought that John couldn't have known that the candy would cause everything he put into his mouth to turn into chocolate. But what about once he realized he had the chocolate touch? Did he turn his mom into chocolate on purpose? I asked you guys if any of you had the habit of nail-biting or biting the end of your pencil. Do you purposely put these things in your mouth?

I think I was most delighted to see what you guys came up for our craft project: your own magic coin! Some of the powers these coins had included: rain-making, ability to shoot money from ones hands, getting a flying car... And as we learned (or I hope we learned), there can be a good side and a bad side to any of these powers. Maybe that's why the use of a two-sided coin in The Chocolate Touch is so appropriate!

For those of you who couldn't make it, hope this gave you some idea how the discussion went. If you have any of your own thoughts, please feel free to add them!

Chocolate Triva Question Answers

The following are the chocolate trivia question answers (and questions, in case you forgot) to the November issue of the Elks Jr. Book Club Newsletter:

1. Two thousand years ago, chocolate came from trees that grew only in what region of the world? (Source: The Field Museum)

Answer: Central and South America
Cacao, the source of chocolate, originally grew in the rainforests of Central and South America.

2. True or False: The Swiss consume chocolate at roughly 22 lbs. per person per year.
(Source: Brickwell's Place)

Answer: True.
The Swiss lead the world in chocolate consumption per capita.

3. Chocolate has not only historically been enjoyed for its flavor, but also for what purpose? (Source: ChocolateSource.com)

Answer: Medicinal

All About Chocolate

Hi Everyone,

So how much chocolate did you guys eat over Halloween? Tell the truth now! And I must know; is chocolate your favorite type of candy? If not, then what is?

I feel like people must be busy, because I haven't received any recipes. Hopefully the previous question will be simpler to answer :)

A few more questions:
In "The Chocolate Touch", John Midas' reflexes get weaker and he develops spots because of eating too much chocolate. Do you think this can happen in real life? What do you know about chocolate (besides that it tastes good, of course!)?

Here is a site all about chocolate, just in case you were curious and wanted to learn more:
All About Chocolate

And here is a Chocolate Manufacture Diagram from the University of Guelph (Please click on the image to enlarge it):