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After Hamelin by Bill Richardson

Summary

Penelope is 101 years old, but she can remember the story like it happened yesterday. On the morning of her eleventh birthday, she wakes to discover she can no longer hear. It is on this same day that the Piper returns to Hamelin to spirit the children away in an evil act of revenge upon the townspeople. Spared because she is deaf to the Piper's bewitching tune, Penelope is left to grieve the loss of her friends and beloved sister Sophy until Cuthbert, the wise man of the village, reveals that Penelope possesses the unusual gift of deep dreaming. Armed only with a charm from Cuthbert and her own courage, Penelope enters the land of sleep on a treacherous quest to rescue the stolen children.

227 pages, 5th grade and up

Discussion questions

  1. What importance does skipping play in the story?
  2. Because the mayor decided not to pay the Piper, do you think it was partially his fault the Piper took the children?
  3. During the few last pages, who becomes the narrator? When does it switch over?
  4. Do Penelope's skipping rhymes have any special meaning?
  5. What significance do harps have in this story?
  6. Does Quentin's character seem odd for a dragon?
  7. At the end of the book Penelope decides she wants to keep her scar, would you do the same or would you choose to leave it behind in deep dreaming? Why?
  8. When Penelope begins to deep dream she is joined by her cat Scally. In her dream he talks, has a name for her, and even says he has his own name among other cats. Do you think this is all her imagination, or could it possibly be true?
  9. Penelope acknowledges that she is very different from her older sister Sophy, how? Do you see any similarities in them?
  10. The harp discontinues when Cuthbert dies. Do you think Cuthbert knew that he would soon be dying, and if so do you think he always knew Penelope would be the one to keep the harp playing? Or did he know upon her 11th birthday?

This discussion guide created by Multnomah County Library Teen Intern Makeda Wilson.

Created in part with funds granted by the Oregon State Library under the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the Oregon State Library. Send feedback to Katie O'Dell, Reading Promotions Coordinator