A Reading Group Guide to

Once Upon Another Time

By James Riley

About the Book

Twelve-year-old Lena wants everyone in the village of giants to know that she, too, is a giant, even though she’s no bigger than many human children. Jin, a genie who’s also twelve, wants to get away from the clutches of the evil Golden King. But instead of succeeding, the two keep getting into trouble and clashing with each other in dangerous situations. Why does Jin, who despises everyone, want to impress Lena? Why does Lena keep helping the magical people of the Cursed City even when they reject her? Jin needs to attain humility to escape the king, and Lena needs to recognize her true self to save her friends. Could it be that, in a land where magic is everywhere, friendship and courage are more important than magical powers? Follow Lena and Jin from one breathtaking adventure to another as they try to figure it all out.

Discussion Questions

1. Describe Lena and why it’s so important to her to participate in the Ritual of the Spark. Why does she often feel left out? What reasons does Lena have to believe she’s a giant? What is the evidence against it?

2. Discuss the opening chapter and what it shows about the relationship between Lena and her parents. Why doesn’t her mother want Lena to participate in the Ritual of the Spark? Why do you think her mother worries about Lena?

3. In what ways is Rufus important throughout the story? What is he like? How does Lena feel about him, and how can you tell? How does he help her?

4. The author has created a world that includes the giants’ home among the clouds, the Cursed City, and the palace of the Golden King. Describe each of those settings and where they are in relation to one another. How important is setting to the story? Could this story have taken place somewhere else?

5. Identify some of the residents of the Cursed City whose names you recognize from fairy tales or nursery rhymes, explaining what you know about them. For example, what rhymes are connected to Mrs. Hubbard and Peter? What stories are connected with the gingerbread man and the Frog Prince?

6. Why does King Denir hate humans? Why are humans afraid of giants? Discuss the scenes in which King Denir, his guards, and Creel try to destroy the Cursed City. Why do they want to destroy it? What effect does the change of altitude have on the giants? Why does Lena surround them with Rufus’s collar, and what happens when she does?

7. How do Lena’s actions cause problems for those around her? Why do so many in the Cursed City turn against her? How does she try to save them and the city? Talk about her fighting ability and when it matters in the story.

8. Who is Jin and what are his powers? How does the Golden King control him? What could set Jin free? Talk about his personality, giving specific examples. Why does he seem to dislike almost everyone?

9. Jin hears two voices in his head, starting with the cosmic knowledge. What sort of advice does the cosmic knowledge give? Find scenes that show that the cosmic knowledge has a personality and a sense of humor, even though it apparently has no body.

10. What does the voice of cosmic knowledge mean when it says that Jin needs to learn humility? What is humility? What would Jin have to do to show he has learned it?

11. The other voice Jin hears is that of the Spark. What emotions does it convey? What is its main message? What does it want Jin to do? What is Jin’s reaction to the voice and its orders?

12. What does the voice of cosmic knowledge say about Jin’s feelings for Lena? Describe when Jin and Lena first meet and when they encounter each other later. Why does Jin, who dislikes almost everyone, like Lena? What does he admire about her?

13. What makes the Golden King such an effective villain? What are his powers? What are his goals? How does he treat those around him, including Jin? Discuss his insistence that “I’m the most beloved chancellor to rule these kingdoms!” (Chapter 24)

14. What clues do you get during the story about the identity of the Last Knight? Describe his appearance, including his sword. What powers does he appear to have? How does Lena feel about him? What do you learn about him in the last chapter?

15. The Last Knight has what the Invisible Cloud of Hate calls the Cauldron of Truth. She also labels it “old magic.” What does it do? Why is Lena worried about drinking from it? Why does she still go ahead and try?

16. What do you learn about the Invisible Cloud of Hate in the last chapter? Describe earlier scenes when Jin encounters her. Why does she call the citizens of the Cursed City a mob? Discuss her comment when she says of the Golden King, “'He’s almost as bad as the knight is. . . . And I’ve hated the knight for half my life, so that says something!'” (Chapter 30).

17. Talk about the first encounters that Jin and Lena have with the Faceless. What can the Faceless do to harm Jin? Why is Lena effective in fighting them? What does she discover about the Faceless when she’s trying to save the Cursed City? What more do you learn about them in the last chapter?

Activities for Further Learning

Rufus the Charming

Near the end of the story, Lena’s dream to have an epithet bestowed on her comes true. As a class, make a list of epithets in the story such as Ferdinand the Enormous and King Denir the Raging. Then have each student choose five characters from the novel who don’t have epithets. They should decide on a good epithet for each of those characters, and write a few sentences about each choice. Share the results as a class.

Fractured Folklore

While many characters from fairy tales and nursery rhymes are mentioned in the story, many are not. Ask each student to think about the folklore they know, and find a character who is missing from Once Upon Another Time. The student should write a short story that sets that character in the Cursed City and has the character interact with some of those mentioned in the novel.

Acting Out

Once Upon Another Time is perfect for Reader’s Theater because it has many scenes with dialogue. Explain the concept of Reader’s Theater, in which groups of students choose a scene from the novel and turn it into a script for performing. The script combines narration and dialogue, with a narrator supplying background and setting, and with characters interacting with one another. Typically, students read parts rather than memorizing them, with costumes and props as optional.

King Midas and the Golden Touch

Read the Greek myth of King Midas to the class, asking the students to take notes about the story’s details. Then have them gather in small groups to compare and contrast the kings in the myth and the novel. How are they the same? How are they different? Does the ending of the King Midas myth foreshadow what might happen to the Golden King in the future? (Good source: The McElderry Book of Greek Myths.)

Once Upon a Board Game

Have students discuss different aspects of board games they’ve played, including ways to move around a board using cards with questions and directions, spinners, dice, and other similar devices. Ask students to work in pairs or small groups to create a game based on Once Upon Another Time, incorporating the novel’s settings and obstacles that characters face. Once the board games are constructed, have students exchange games to play. (Find tips at www.readwritethink.org/sites/default/files/resources/lesson-docs/NovelBoardGameRubric.pdf)

Guide written by Kathleen Odean, a former school librarian and Chair of the 2002 Newbery Award Committee. She gives professional development workshops on books for young people and is the author of Great Books for Girls and Great Books about Things Kids Love.

This guide has been provided by Simon & Schuster for classroom, library, and reading group use. It may be reproduced in its entirety or excerpted for these purposes. For more Simon & Schuster guides and classroom materials, please visit simonandschuster.net or simonandschuster.net/thebookpantry.