Words on Fire
by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Informational Resources:
Author Information:
Jennifer Nielsen website:
Author interview with Booktopia (43:30):
Activities & Resources:
Discussion Guide
http://jennielsen.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Words-on-Fire-Discussion-Guide.pdf
Lithuania
What is Lithuania? Video (10:41):
Matt Visits Lithuania video (2:54):
Smuggling/Spying
Book Smugglers of Lithuania:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/lithuanian-book-smugglers
Spy Museum disguise video (3:46):
Disguise lesson plan:
https://spy-museum.s3.amazonaws.com/files/resources/disguise-for-cover.pdf
Midsummer Traditions
Summer Solstice traditions:
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/articles/top-10-summer-solstice-traditions-from-around-the-world/
Summer Solstice activities:
https://rhythmsofplay.com/ways-to-celebrate-the-summer-solstice/
Metaphorical Poetry
Simile and metaphor poetry lessons:
http://www.poetry4kids.com/news/simile-and-metaphor-poetry-lesson/
Siberia
Wild Russia – Siberia video (47:33)
MakerSpace Activities:
Invisible ink formulas:
https://spy-museum.s3.amazonaws.com/files/resources/invisible-ink.pdf
Moon Phases:
https://www.teachjunkie.com/sciences/21-super-activities-teaching-moon-phases/
River crossing team building:
https://www.eteambuilding.org/river-crossing/
Bridge building:
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities/bridge-building-designs
Summer Solstice science activities:
https://www.science-sparks.com/what-is-the-summer-solstice/
Place one book in a backpack and weigh it. Have students take turns wearing the backpack. Gradually add books to the backpack and continue to weigh it. See how many books students can carry before the backpack becomes too heavy.
Discussion Questions:
Audra believes her parents are keeping things from her. How does this make her feel? How does it make you feel when your parents keep things from you?
Tradition was strong in the Lithuanian community. What traditions are observed in your community or family?
Have you ever had someone protect you or stand up for you? How did that make you feel?
What did you think would happen to Audra’s parents when they were taken away by the Cossacks?
Have you ever been lost? What happened? How did you feel?
What makes up a people’s culture?
Is having to ask for help a good or bad thing? Why?
Where is the farthest you have traveled from home or from your family? How did you feel?
Do you think that books are dangerous? Why or why not?
Was it better or worse for Audra that her parents protected her from their activities? Why?
Have you ever done something wrong but for a good reason? Explain.
Are there parallels between the characters in the story and the characters in the fable Lukas tells Audra? How so?
What does Lukas mean when he says, “The moment we start to choose what’s easy or safe, instead of choosing what’s right, we start to become like the snake.”?
Were you surprised to find out why Officer Rusakov wanted to find Lukas so badly? Did this change the way you felt about either of them?
What is something you have done that made you feel brave?
Do you think Audra would have treated Ben differently had she known about his connection to her family? In what ways?
Did you relate more to the book smugglers or to the Cossacks in the story? Why?
What lessons can we learn from the history of Lithuania? How can we apply these lessons to our current lives in the United States?
How do you think Audra’s life would have been different if her parents had not been caught by the Cossacks?
What books would you be willing to smuggle and why?
Book Talk Teasers:
Read the Reader’s Theater for Words on Fire.
Book trailer (2:12):
Read Alikes:
Soviet Union
Barrow, Randi G. Saving Zasha. World War II has just ended when Mikhail finds a dying man and his German shepherd, Zasha, in the woods. It's dangerous, some say traitorous, to own a German dog after Germany attacked Russia, so Mikhail must keep Zasha a secret in order to keep her alive. (NoveList Plus)
Maguire, Gregory. Egg & Spoon. In 1905 czarist Russia, an impoverished country girl Elena and the aristocratic Ekatrina meet and set in motion an escapade that includes mistaken identity, a monk locked in a tower, a prince traveling incognito, and the witch Baba Yaga. (NoveList Plus)
Rundell, Katherine. The Wolf Wilder. In the days before the Russian Revolution, twelve-year-old Feodora sets out to rescue her mother when the Tsar's Imperial Army imprisons her for teaching tamed wolves to fend for themselves. (NoveList Plus)
Yelchin, Eugene. Breaking Stalin’s Nose. In the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union, ten-year-old Sasha idolizes his father, a devoted Communist, but when police take his father away and leave Sasha homeless, he is forced to examine his own perceptions, values, and beliefs. (NoveList Plus)
Historical
Gratz, Alan. Allies. It is June 6, 1944, D-Day, and Dee Carpenter (true name Dietrich Zimmermann), an underage private in the United States Army, is headed for Omaha Beach, seeking revenge for his uncle, who was arrested by Nazis when Dee was a little boy; meanwhile, Samira Zidano, an eleven-year old French-Algerian girl is looking for the French resistance, desperate to deliver the message that the invasion is about to begin, and get their help in freeing her mother--this is the most important day of the twentieth century, and both children want to fight, and survive. (NoveList Plus)
Lowry, Lois. Number the Stars. In 1943, during the German occupation of Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie learns how to be brave and courageous when she helps shelter her Jewish friend from the Nazis.
Nielsen, Jennifer. Resistance. After a smuggling mission to an isolated Jewish ghetto goes wrong and her colleagues are arrested, Chaya Lindner, a Jewish girl living in Nazi-occupied Poland, decides to go to Warsaw, where an uprising is in the works. (NoveList Plus)
Park, Linda Sue. Prairie Lotus. In 1880, a half-Chinese girl and her white father try to make a home in Dakota Territory, in the face of racism and resistance.
Reviews:
Words on Fire. Nielsen, Jennifer A. Scholastic. 2019.
Booklist
Words on Fire (Starred)
Nielsen, Jennifer A. (author)
Oct. 2019. 336p. Scholastic, $17.99 (9781338275476). Grades 4-8.
REVIEW. First published October 1, 2019 (Booklist).
Set in the 1890s, this compelling and thoughtful novel examines pre-Soviet Russia’s occupation of Lithuania. By order of the tsar, all Lithuanians must assimilate into Russian culture because as far as the tsar is concerned, Lithuania has ceased to exist, along with its books, traditions, schools, culture, and language. The people of Lithuania, however, are not going to give up without a fight; indeed, uprisings are nearly a historical tradition. Audra, 12, knows little about this, because her parents have sheltered her from their activities. One night, everything changes when the Cossacks come to the door to arrest her parents—for book smuggling. Audra flees with a package to deliver and finds herself abruptly involved in the world of book smuggling. At first terrified and tempted to try to trade information for her parents’ safety, Audra commits herself fiercely to the cause. Her transformation from a shy, retiring child to a courageous and creative young woman as she employs her father’s magic tricks to help her work is marvelous to see. She is surrounded with complex and well-rounded characters, including the “big bad” Officer Rusakov, and the plot is gripping and moves swiftly. Audra’s story deserves a place on the shelf next to Lois Lowry’s Number the Stars and Marcus Zusak’s The Book Thief. — Donna Scanlon
Reprinted with Permission of Booklist https://www.booklistonline.com/
Book Trailer & Author Interview
Jennifer Nielsen.mov