The Ghost of Spruce Point

By Nancy Tandon

Informational Resources:

Author Information:

Nancy Tandon Website:

https://nancytandon.com/

Activities & Resources:

Chocolate Cake Recipe

Make this delicious chocolate cake recipe so guests will return again!

https://nancytandon.com/books/#foobox-3/1/Come-Again-Cake-1.png

Secret Code:

Want to learn a secret way to communicate with your friends? Use Morse Code of course!

https://nancytandon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Morse-Code.pdf

Meet Nancy Tandon!

Learn all about Nancy Tandon’s new novel:

https://writersrumpus.com/2022/07/19/something-spooky-comes-our-way-nancy-tandon-talks-about-her-new-mg-novel-the-ghost-of-spruce-point/

Explore Maine:

Visit Maine with National Geographic Kids to see where the Home Away Inn might have been!

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/geography/states/article/maine

Lobsters:

Learn about one of the important food staples of the state of Maine:

https://www.maine.gov/sos/kids/about/wildlife/lobster

More Facts Mentioned in the Book:

Camp Sundown: Meet children who are allergic to the sun and a fun place they can visit! (4.53)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-uvqCd4wxU

Explore Sea Shanties or songs sung by sailors long ago:

https://www.rollandgoseasongs.com/

Characteristics of Mysteries:

Plot the elements of the story by breaking them down. What were the clues? How did they solve the mystery?

https://school.teachingbooks.net/content/Mystery_Multi-Leveled_Lesson_1_sample.pdf

Take an in depth look at the characters in the story and how they “drive” the outcome of the story:

https://school.teachingbooks.net/content/Mystery_Multi-Leveled_Lesson_3_sample.pdf

Reading Activities:

Flashlight Fridays Reading: Have a fun day of turning the lights down and enjoying flashlight reading with students:

https://www.weareteachers.com/flashlight-fridays/

MakerSpace Activities:

Build a “treehouse” or other structure like the kids built in the woods:

https://stemtropolis.com/stem-projects-using-popsicle-sticks/

Invent and solve secret codes and ciphers:

https://www.wikihow.com/Create-Secret-Codes-and-Ciphers

Create an outdoor lantern for nighttime reading or activities (1:53)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUTUH7rHyKg

Rock Craft:  just as the kids found structures outside built with rocks, create and decorate your own!:

https://igamemom.com/awesome-rock-paining-stem-project-ideas-for-kids/

Make a balloon zip line to send messages to someone else! (1:57)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZETFC8-Khk

Discussion Questions:

Who is your favorite character in "The Ghost of Spruce Point," and why?

Can you describe the setting of the story? How does it contribute to the mood of the book?

What do you think the title "The Ghost of Spruce Point" means? Who or what do you think the ghost might be?

Did anything surprise you in the story? What was it, and why did it surprise you?

How would you describe the main problem or challenge the characters face in the 

Book?

What do you think the author wants you to learn or understand from reading this book?

If you could be friends with one of the characters, who would it be, and why?

How does the author create suspense in the story? Were there moments when you couldn't wait to find out what happened next?

Can you relate to any of the characters in the book? How are they similar to or different from you?

What emotions did the story make you feel? Why do you think the author included those emotions in the book?

How does the author use descriptive language to help you imagine the scenes in the story?

Do you think the characters made good choices in the story? Why or why not?

If you were in the same situation as the characters, what would you have done differently?

How does the story teach us about friendship and teamwork?

Did the book remind you of any other stories you've read or movies you've seen? How are they similar or different?

What lesson or moral do you think the characters learned by the end of the story?

If you could change the ending of the book, what would you change and why?

How does the cover of the book relate to the story? Does it give any hints about what might happen?

Were there any parts of the story that made you laugh or feel happy? What were they, and why did you find them enjoyable?

If you could ask the author one question about the book, what would it be?

Book Talk Teasers:

Read the reader’s theater for The Ghost of Spruce Point by Nancy Tandon.

Watch the book trailer on the Texas Bluebonnet Award website.

Read Alikes: 

Acevedo, Chantel, The Curse on Spectacle Key.  When his family moves into a lighthouse in Spectacle Key, Florida, where strange things begin to happen, Frank Fernandez meets a mysterious girl who needs his help with lifting the island's dark curse. (NoveList Plus)

Arden, Katherine, Small Spaces.  After eleven-year-old Ollie's school bus mysteriously breaks down on a field trip, she has to take a trip through scary woods, and must use all of her wits to survive. She must stick to small spaces. (NoveList Plus)

Brandt, Juliana, Monsters in the Mist. When Glennon McCue moves into a lighthouse on a mysterious island not found on any maps, he must figure out why those who visit are never heard from again before he and his family fall victim to the island's curse. (NoveLIst Plus)

Hahn, Mary Downing, The Thirteenth Cat.  Unnerved by the overgrown forest near her aunt’s house and the wild black cats that live there, Danni encounters a mean old woman who claims to be their owner and makes a discovery that places her life in danger. (NoveList Plus)