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The Landry News by Andrew Clements

Summary

"New to Denton Elementary, Cara Landry is stuck in a class where no one wants to be. The teachers read the newspaper all day while the children occupy themselves, often with mischief. But Cara, a budding journalist, has an important story to tell about what's really going on in Mr. Larson's class. Her newspaper, called The Landry News, is just a handwritten sheet at first. It soon grows in size and in circulation, transforming Cara and reenergizing a teacher who had long ago forgotten just how much he loved his profession."

Book talk

Do you have a school newspaper? Do any of you write for it? Have you ever made your own newspaper - just for fun? Well, Cara Landry has - she knows she wants to be a journalist, and so that's what she does - she writes her own newspaper: The Landry News. And her newspaper has, of course, an editorial - a column where she can express her views - the way things look to her. When Cara moves to a new school, she ends up with the worst teacher in the school - a teacher who hands out worksheets and then sits back and reads the sports page. So, she decides it's time to puts out a new edition of the Landry News and posts it in class.

Read 1st paragraph of article on p. 10, followed by 1st paragraph following article on p 11.
Now, Cara has made some waves with her newspapers in the past, but she might have just set off a tidal wave with this one.

Discussion questions

  1. Cara is new to Denton Elementary School, but she also wrote a newspaper in her old school. What motivated her to start that newspaper? What was its tone?
  2. "Truth is good," Cara's mother says. "But when you are publishing all that truth, just be sure there's some mercy, too." What does she mean by that? Do you agree that mercy is as important as truth?
  3. Over the years, Mr. Larson became a lazy and sloppy teacher, and students became bored and restless in his classroom. How was the class's atmosphere good for Cara? Would it be good for you?
  4. Mr. Larson was stung by Cara's first editorial, but The Landry News ended up reviving his love of teaching. How?
  5. The Landry News starts small but soon the whole school is reading it. How did Cara's duties change as the newspaper grew? What were the advantages of having a larger readership? What were the risks?
  6. Mr. Larson's students know very little about his life outside of school. How much do you know about your teachers? What do you imagine they do in their own time? Do you believer they have different in-school and out-of-school personalities?
  7. Why was the principal so upset by the "Lost and Found" article in The Landry News? Would you be?
  8. "Some people are newsmakers," observes Cara, "and some aren't". Who are the newsmakers in your school or neighborhood? What makes them so interesting?

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Portions of this guide are credited to the Aladdin Guide for Reading Groups - The Landry News.

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