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The Mayor of Central Park by Avi

h2>Summary

Life is pretty good for Oscar Westerwit. The year is 1900, the place is New York City, and Oscar (a squirrel) is the Mayor of Central Park - the best home on the planet for the squirrels, chipmunks, mice and other assorted animals residents. As a huge baseball fan, Oscar is proud to manage the Central Park Green Sox -- and he plays shortstop, too! But all is not well in Central Park. When Big Daddy Duds, head of the notorious downtown rat gang, organizes an invasion of the park with 500 close pals, the mayor is forced to spring into action. The gentle animals of Central Park are sure that Oscar will save them, but can he save even himself?

h2>Booktalk

For the Mayor of Central Park, nothing is more important than baseball. The Mayor, also known as Oscar Westerwit [show picture before dedication page], is the shortstop and manager of the Central Park Green Sox, and they've got a big game this week with the Wall Street Bulls. If the Sox can beat the Bulls, they'll be in first place.

But the Mayor has a bit of a problem: His star pitcher - indeed his only pitcher - Artemus Bigalow, the Big Cat, has gone missing.

It turns out that Big Cat has been "encouraged" to take a fast trip out of town by none other than Big Daddy Duds - head of the notorious downtown rat gang [show picture on p. 56]. See, Big Cat was getting just a little too interested in Big Daddy's beautiful daughter, Maud. And as far as Big Daddy is concerned, nobody is good enough for Maud.

At the same time, Big Daddy is making plans that will create even more trouble for the Mayor: He's decided move his whole operation - kit and caboodle - uptown. Big Daddy always gets what he wants, and what Big Daddy wants is Central Park.

For Oscar Westerwit, having to forfeit a game to the Bulls is one thing. Having to give up his beloved Central Park to a bunch of no-good downtown rats is quite another. The Mayor isn't about to take this lying down. But what happens when some gentle forest creatures go up against a bunch of big, dirty rats?

193 pages, 3rd grade and up

Discussion questions

Warning! Some of the questions contain key elements of the plot. Do not read if you don't want to know what happens!

  1. Do you like the language the narrator uses to tell the story? Why or why not? Why do you think the author decided to write that way?
  2. Why is Oscar called the Mayor of Central Park? Was he elected? What kinds of things does he do that make him like a mayor?
  3. How do the illustrations in the book help create a sense of time and place? How do they add to your impressions and knowledge of the characters? Were there any events that you wished there had been illustrations for?
  4. Why do you think the "good guys" are squirrels and rabbits and mice and the "bad guys" are rats?
  5. Why do you think Maud is so different from her father?
  6. On page 38, Maud asks herself, "How could a babe as smart as me be so dumb?" What do you think is the answer to her question
  7. Uriah Pilwick and others in the book seem to be working for both the good and bad guys. What kinds of things do they do, and why do you think they do them?
  8. Why won't the police help Oscar when the rats invade Central Park?
  9. What is Uncle Wilkie's way of dealing with the rats? Why do you think he does that?
  10. After they first meet and Oscar tells her of his plans for his army, why does Maud vanish without telling Oscar where she lives?
  11. Did you know who was going to be the pitcher for the big baseball game at the end of the story? What were some of the hints that the author gave in the novel?

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Snacks: Oscar's open house hors d'oeuvres: cucumber sandwiches, pickles, pretzels, and peanuts.

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