DOWNSIDERS READING SCHEDULE
Tuesday, December 6th
Day 1 (12/5): Start with Prologue, p.1.
Finish on bottom of p. 5 with last sentence in last full paragraph: “He stopped moving and stood there, staring into the light, until he knew for sure that the train was on his track, zeroing in on him.” 6 minutes
Questions:
What is the setting of the story? NYC, subways, December, snow is falling, Forty-second St.
Describe the Downsiders. “…strong and noble, for nobility was the only way to save themselves from the despair of a life without sky.” “…potential for profound stupidity ran deep.” “..nurtured in their hearts a bright and untainted innocence.” (p.2)
Describe the young man.
Day 2 (12/7): Start at bottom on p. 5 with last paragraph: “If he stood his ground…”
Finish on p. 9 at squares ( ▪ ). 7 minutes
Questions:
What reason does Robert Gunderson give for why he survived his challenge to the train?
Describe the metallic objects and swords that the three “mole people” have.
What term do they use to describe Robert Gunderson? Topsider
Day 3 (12/8): Start on p. 9 with “This was Talon’s favorite part.”
Finish on p. 13, with the second paragraph, “…Talon had placed on his shoulder with the slightest touch of his tinfoil sword.” 7 minutes
Questions:
What are the names of the 3 Downsiders?
What is the ritual that the 3 make Gunderson go through as a faller?
Day 4 (12/9): Start on p. 13 with 3rd paragraph, “That should have ended a successful evening’s…”
Finish on p. 18, end of chapter. 7 minutes
Questions:
Talon looks up through a grate in the sidewalk gutter on pp. 13-14. What is it that he sees that helps us place this story in a particular timeframe? “…the tops of two tall buildings on the yonkward and batward sides of the street.”
There are 2 made-up words, yonkward and batward, in the above sentence. What do you think they mean?
What is the relationship among the three young people?
Day 5 (12/12): Start on p. 19, “High Perimeters.”
Finish on p. 23, at the squares. 10 minutes
Questions:
Describe Lindsay. Why is she going to NYC? How does she feel about that?
Why does she call Todd her unbrother?
Day 6 (12/13): Start on p. 23, at “In a place where perspective never reached…”
Finish on p. 26, at top of page below squares. 5 minutes
Questions:
How does Talon describe the Topside and its inhabitants to his little sister Pidge?
Does it remind you of any game? Monopoly
What is wrong with Pidge? What medications is she taking?
Day 7 (12/14): Start on p. 26 at the top of the page: “Throughout his Catching…”
Finish on p. 31 at squares. 6 minutes
Questions:
What is a Catching Rotation? Why do you think Talon likes it so much?
What is the Downside view of illness and medications? How would you act in Talon’s situation?
How do Talon and Railborn differ in their views of the Downside and its laws?
Day 8 (12/15): Start on p. 31 below squares: “In a city where things were constantly…”
Finish on p. 36, end of chapter. 5 ½ minutes.
Questions:
We meet several characters herein Lindsay’s life – Todd and his mother, Mark Matthias – what do you think of them?
Who is watching her from between the houses?
Day 9 (12/16): Start on p. 37, “The Champ.”
Finish on p. 45, end of chapter. 9 minutes
Questions:
Why do you think Talon visits the Champ? What is it about him that causes Talon to trust him?
Talon is concerned about cheating death. What does the Champ say about that? Do you agree or disagree?
Day 10 (12/19): Start on p. 46, “Party Uptown.”
Finish on p. 54, at squares. 9 minutes
Questions:
Son of Daedalus who dared to fly too near the sun on wings of feathers and wax. Daedalus had been imprisoned by King Minos of Crete within the walls of his own invention, the Labyrinth. But the great craftsman's genius would not suffer captivity. He made two pairs of wings by adhering feathers to a wooden frame with wax. Giving one pair to his son, he cautioned him that flying too near the sun would cause the wax to melt. But Icarus became ecstatic with the ability to fly and forgot his father's warning. The feathers came loose and Icarus plunged to his death in the sea.
Lindsay and her step-brother Todd attend Icharus Academy. The original Icarus was the son of an architect-craftsman. Lindsay defends her father, an engineer building a huge underground aqueduct, and Todd makes fun of him. Is there any foreshadowing between this and the story of the original Icarus.
Day 11 (12/20): Start on p. 54, below squares: “There are a few things in the world that can…”
Finish on p. 62, end of chapter. 7 minutes
Questions:
The encounter between Lindsay and Talon does not go well. She relies on her self-defense “training” and her instincts. What is ironic about this?
What else have you learned about Talon and the Downside world he lives in?
Day 11 is the Tuesday before Winter Break, December 20th.
Day 12 (1/9): Start on p. 63, “Strangers in a Drain.”
Finish on p. 68, at squares. 6 minutes
Questions:
Review what has happened so far.
Does Lindsay’s dad, Mark Matthias, seem truly to be interested in what is going on in her life?
Talon considers the Champ one of the Topside’s Wise Ones. Why is this ironic?
Day 13 (1/10): Start on p. 68, below squares with: “High up, where inferior concrete had…”
Finish on p. 74, “Talon let loose a breath of relief.” 6 ½ minutes
Questions:
Talon thinks that because of her good heart Lindsay deserves the Downside. What is ironic about this?
Why does Railborn attack Talon? Is he justified?
Describe Becky Peckerling. Why are she and Lindsay friends?
Day 14 (1/11): Start on p. 74, with “For an instant Lindsay was furious at him…”
Finish on p. 79, end of chapter. 4 ½ minutes
Questions:
In the last sentence Lindsay “realized that she didn’t care in the least if she ever came back.” What has brought her to this point? Is she wrong in feeling this way?
Day 15 (1/12): Start on p. 80, “Topsider Down.”
Finish on p. 85, at the top of the page with “This way.” 4 minutes
Questions:
Lindsay wonders if Talon has developed echolocation. What does she mean by that? Bats send out sound waves using their mouth or nose. When the sound hits an object an echo comes back. The bat can identify an object by the sound of the echo. They can even tell the size, shape and texture of a tiny insect from its echo. Most bats use echolocation to navigate in the dark and find food.
Who and what does Talon mean when he uses the term “you people”? Why does that bother Lindsay?
On p. 83, Lindsay has come “through the rabbit hole” into a different world. What is the allusion? Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
What is Tagging Rotation? Would that be allowed on the Topside?
Day 16 (1/13): Start on p. 85, at the top of the page: “The air flowing through the tunnel…”
Finish on p. 89, at the bottom of the page. 5 ½ minutes
Questions:
What is the cause of Talon’s unease?
What are the legends that fuel this unease?
Draw a map or a layout of the Downside and its levels and rooms.
Why does Lindsay suggest naming the most recent faller Michelangelo?
Day 17 (1/17): Start on p. 90, at top of the page.
Finish on p. 94, end of chapter. 4 minutes
Questions:
Talon says that no one can go to the Place of First Runes. What is a rune? A type of alphabet used by early Germanic peoples; symbols used in Germanic writing
What do you imagine the Bot to be?
Contrast the attitudes of Talon and Lindsay in this reading.
Day 18 (1/18): Start on p. 95, “The Bot.”
Finish on p. 100, at squares. 4 ½ minutes
Questions:
Downside men consider flashlights to be feminine accessories. How does this show us that some attitudes are the same in the two worlds?
“Talon tried to imagine how an unreachable expanse above one’s head could be comforting, but couldn’t” (p.97) What are you afraid of? What is comforting to you?
What do you think is making the rumbling noise?
Day 19 (1/19): Start p. 100, below squares, “While alligators once had been a legitimate reason…”
Finish on p. 106, end of chapter. 7 minutes
Questions:
How does Railborn feel about Talon? About Gutta?
Day 20 (1/20): Start on p. 107, “Missing Persons.”
Finish on p. 115, end of chapter. 7 minutes
Questions:
Lindsay has a lot of questions about who the Downsiders are, and Talon has a lot of questions about himself. Are these answered?
Is the way Talon and Lindsay move around NYC believable? Why?
What do you predict will happen?
Day 21 (1/23): Start on p. 116, “Low Justice.”
Finish on p. 120, end of chapter. 4 minutes
Questions:
Why has Railborn told on his friend Talon? What is Talon’s sentence?
Day 22 (1/24): Start on p. 121, “Dead Man Flushing.”
Finish on p. 124, at squares. 4 minutes
Questions:
On p. 124, Downsiders don’t go to Talon’s trail because “to look upon someone else’s misery was to increase their own.” What does this mean? Do you agree? Why?
Have you ever hear “because I say so” from an adult? How did you feel?
Day 23 (1/25): Start on p. 124, after squares: “As everyone knew, death’s first stop was Brooklyn.”
Finish on p. 127, at squares. 4 minutes
Questions:
What is the Downside funeral siphon?
Did you expect this to happen?
What will happen next?
Day 24 (1/26): Start on p. 127, below squares: “With his world and his life behind him, Talon flushed…”
Finish on p. 134, end of chapter. 6 minutes
Questions:
An epiphany is a sudden realization of knowledge…an “Aha!” moment. What is Talon’s epiphany, one that changes everything he has learned? How do you feel about his reaction?
Day 25 (1/27): Start on p. 135, “Surface Tension.”
Finish on p. 141, bottom of page. 7 ½ minutes
Questions:
Have you ever been in a strange or different place and felt like you stood out from everyone else? How does Talon stand out from the crowd?
In describing Coney Island and Manhattan, what is it that tells us this story is pre-2001?
Why does Lindsay enjoy being in the ranks of prep-school freakdom? What does she do to encourage this perception?
Day 26 (1/30): Start on p. 142, top of page.
Finish on p. 148, end of chapter. 6 minutes
Questions:
Why has the hole been torn in the World? Why has the dump truck fallen through?
Talon and Lindsay kiss, and all seems right with their world. Is it?
Day 27 (1/31): Start on p. 149, “The Null Tunnel.”
Finish on p. 157, end of chapter. 7 minutes
Questions:
Is this collision of worlds Talon’s fault? Why does he say that it is?
Why does Talon tell Lindsay they must never see each other again? Do you agree with him?
When Lindsay decides to seek the truth about the Downside, she believes it will set them both free. What do you think about this?
Day 28 (2/1): Start on p. 158, “Countermeasures.”
Finish on p. 164, end of chapter. 6 ½ minutes
Questions:
The Advisors have decided that Railborn will be the Most Beloved. Why? How does he feel about this?
Is Lindsay right in thinking she can save Talon and the Downside? Why?
Day 29 (2/2): Start on p. 165, “Twenty-thousand Leagues under the Earth.”
Finish on p. 170, end of chapter. 6 minutes
Questions:
What epiphany does Lindsay have? What leads her to her discovery? What is she going to do with this discovery? Do you agree with her?
When did Alfred Beach die?
Day 30 (2/3): Start on p. 171, “Who Died and Left You Most-Beloved?”
Finish on p. 175, at bottom of the page. 5 minutes
Questions:
“Wisdom is knowing when to keep your mouth shut.” Do you agree or disagree? Why?
What do you think of Railborn’s advise? What will happen?
Day 31 (2/6): Start on p. 176, top of the page.
Finish on p. 180, end of chapter. 4 minutes
Questions:
Have you ever turned on a friend like Railborn did? How did you feel? How does Railborn feel?
Is this scene realistic?
What do you think the Chamber of Soft Walls is?
Day 32 (2/7): Start on p. 181, “The Festival of Outages.”
Finish on p. 187, top of page at squares. 6 ½ minutes
Questions:
Could and would you have done what Lindsay did? Enter the Library and find the opening to the Downside?
Day 33 (2/8): Start on p. 187, below squares: “Just like anywhere else in the world…”
Finish on p. 192, at squares. 5 ½ minutes
Questions:
Lindsay observes that there is dissent in the Downside where there has never before been any. What is dissent? In such a small society, how can dissent be both good and bad?
The last line in this reading says that Talon will “…impale himself on this truth that Lindsay had so kindly given him.” That sounds gruesome. Does Lindsay mean for this to be a problem for Talon?
Day 34 (2/9): Start on p. 192, below squares: “Elsewhere, in too many locations to count,…”
Finish on p. 195, end of chapter. 3½ minutes.
Questions:
How is what Gutta says about the World coming to an end prophetic?