Informational Resources:

Author Information:

Aaron Reynolds webpage:

http://www.aaron-reynolds.com

Interview with Aaron Reynolds by Lets Get Busy Podcast (41:12):

http://lgbpodcast.blogspot.com/2014/09/aaron-reynolds-ep-83.html

Activities & Resources:

Pets

Pets for Kids video (34:56):

https://youtu.be/TmXGL4BorBw

Responsible pet owner video series (each video is around 1:00 long):

https://www.gooddoginabox.com/responsible-pet-owner-video-series/

23 Dog Themed “Arfs” and Crafts for Kids:

https://www.kidslovewhat.com/23-dog-themed-arfs-and-crafts-for-kids/

Secret Handshakes

How to use secret handshakes:

https://rockyourhomeschool.net/family-fun/

Secret Handshakes #1 video (1:49):

https://youtu.be/Dv4-Y0uYn9Y

Sarcasm

Can we use this experiment to understand sarcasm? video (1:39):

https://youtu.be/V33Ip8BIRxY

Set up your own experiment to see if students understand sarcasm

A Sarcasm Introduction video (2:39):

https://youtu.be/6QhfeBLIBMc

Poems

Create a rhyming couplet:

https://www.poem-generator.org.uk/rhyming-couplets/

Fact vs Fiction

Fact or Fiction Game for Kids! video (2:18):

https://youtu.be/YfLcPQDeTfE

Camouflage

Critter Camouflage Science Activities:

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/critter-camouflage/

MakerSpace Activities:

Fractions

17 Fun and Free Fraction Games for Kids:

https://www.weareteachers.com/fraction-games/

Glitter

Awesome Glitter Science Experiments for Kids:

https://lifeovercs.com/glitter-fireworks-surprise-kitchen-science/

How to make Glitter or Colored Sand (1:47):

https://youtu.be/RuYp8q2QgiA

Coding

Tynker Hour of Code pet game:

https://www.tynker.com/hour-of-code/pets-game

Ghosts

Ghost science experiments:

https://lemonlimeadventures.com/10-terrifying-ghost-science-experiments/

Discussion Questions:

Have you ever wanted something that you did not get? How did you deal with the disappointment?

Have you ever had a pet that died? How did that make you feel?

What types of pets have you had? Which was your favorite and why?

What is responsibility? In what ways are you responsible?

What is sarcasm? Give examples of sarcasm from the book.

Is Rex a good friend? Explain why or why not.

Why do you think Darvesh does not like it when Rex calls him his “sidekick”?

The Grim Reaper machine curses Rex with the ability to see dead animals. Is this really a curse? Why or why not?

How does Rex react to his new ability to communicate with dead animals? How would you react if you could suddenly communicate with dead pets?

Rex uses the shower as a tranquil space to think. Where do you do your best reflecting? How does this space help you?

What is a Tall Tale? Give examples of Tall Tales from the book.

What is the difference between “book smarts” and “common sense”? Which characters in the story have book smarts/common sense? Which do you have?

Which of Rex’s dead visitors are most like him? Explain who and why?

Which of Rex’s dead visitors are least like him? Explain who and why?

In what ways does Rex’s character change from the beginning to the ending of the book?

Did you find this book scary? Explain your answer.

Which character did you most relate to? Explain your answer.

Is there anything in this story that makes you want to change your life or how you act? What and why?

Were you satisfied with the ending? What do you think will happen next?

What other books written by Aaron Reynolds have you read? Which is your favorite?

Book Talk Teasers:

Read the Reader’s Theater for The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter.

Watch the Texas Bluebonnet book trailer for The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter.

Read Alikes:

Endangered Animals

Cousteau, Phillipe. The Endangereds. Nukilik, a polar bear, joins Wangari, a pangolin with a genius for engineering, Murdock, an extremely sarcastic narwhal, and Arief, an orangutan with a big dream, to safeguard other endangered animals. (NoveList Plus)

Gibbs, Stuart. Big Game. Someone is trying to hunt FunJungle's Asian greater one-horned rhinoceros, and twelve-year-old Teddy Fitzroy is on the case. (NoveList Plus)

Humor

O’Hara, Mo. My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish. When Tom's big brother decides to become an Evil Scientist, his first experiment involves dunking Frankie the goldfish into toxic green gunk. Tom knows that there is only one thing to do: Zap the fish with a battery and bring him back to life! But there's something weird about the new Frankie. He's now a big fat zombie goldfish with hypnotic powers and he's out for revenge! (NoveList Plus)

Tankard, Jeremy. Yorick and Bones. Yorick is a skeleton who was just dug up after a few hundred years of sleep. He speaks like it too. 'Forsooth, my joy, I barely can contain!' Bones is the hungry dog who did the digging. Though he cannot speak, he can chomp. What will become of these two unlikely companions? Will Yorick ever find the friend he seeks? Will Bones ever find a tasty treat that does not talk back? The course of true friendship never did run smooth. (NoveList Plus)

Mystery

Johnson, Varian. The Parker Inheritance. Twelve-year-old Candice Miller is spending the summer in Lambert, South Carolina, in the old house that belonged to her grandmother, who died after being dismissed as city manager for having the city tennis

Turnage, Sheile. Three Times Lucky. Washed ashore as a baby in tiny Tupelo Landing, North Carolina, Mo LoBeau, now eleven, and her best friend Dale turn detective when the amnesiac Colonel, owner of a cafe and co-parent of Mo with his cook, Miss Lana, seems implicated in a murder. (NoveList Plus)

Reviews:

Reynolds, Aaron. The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter. Little Brown. 2020.

Booklist

The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter

Reynolds, Aaron (author)

Apr. 2020. 224p. illus. Little, Brown, $13.99 (9781368051835). Grades 3-6.

REVIEW. First published February 15, 2020 (Booklist).

As the name of the town suggests, life in Middlington Falls is unremarkable. That is, until Rex Dexter tangles with a wish-granting grim reaper, in the form of a vintage arcade game. Unfortunately, Rex loses the game, and instead of walking away with a real live pet (please be a chocolate Lab!), he is cursed with the ability to see and speak to dead animals—including his rooster “practice pet,” which just got flattened in the parking lot. Narrating with unchecked confidence and sarcasm, Rex comes to understand that the incorporeal zoo animals now appearing in his bedroom—a charred rhino, a drowned gorilla, a squashed elephant, and a zapped panda—need his help to solve the mystery of their untimely deaths. Picture-book author Reynolds brings his knack for off-kilter comedy to his first novel in a gleefully entertaining fashion. While Rex recklessly leads with self-ascribed “charm,” he is balanced by his intelligent, good-natured friend Darvish. The zany animal cast adds to the fun of this series starter, perfect for fans of Stuart Gibbs’ FunJungle mysteries. — Julia Smith

Reprinted with Permission of Booklist https://www.booklistonline.com/

School Library Journal (April 1, 2020)

Gr 3-6-Sixth-grader Rex Dexter desperately wants a dog, but his parents have deemed him too irresponsible. When he loses an old-fashioned Grim Reaper carnival game, he is cursed with the ability to see and communicate with dead animals who passed away with unfinished business. The first one he sees is his own pet chicken, which died moments before in a steamroller accident while Rex wasn't paying attention. Soon after, he starts seeing the ghosts of animals from a local zoo, all of whom died under strange circumstances. Rex must solve the mystery of who is killing off rare animals so that the victims can move on to the afterlife. And if he does, maybe he can convince his parents that he is responsible enough to own a dog, too. Hapless Rex follows in the footsteps of characters like Timmy Failure, who think they are much cleverer than they actually are. His hijinks will amuse those who enjoy slapstick humor just a little on the dark side. The mystery has a twist ending that will surprise and satisfy readers who thought they knew what was coming. VERDICT Purchase where funny books are popular-that's everywhere, right?-Misti Tidman, Mansfield/Richland County Public Library, OH © Copyright 2020. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Reprinted with permission from School Library Journal, 2020. http://www.slj.com.