CILIP CARNEGIE SHORTLIST
TALKING POINTS
Use these questions as starting points to discuss
the merits of the shortlisted books
The Scarecrow and His Servant
by Philip Pullman
1) How many different types of bird can you name in this story?
Why are there so many birds in the story?
2) Can you think of six adjectives (descriptive words) to describe
the Scarecrow? And six to describe Jack? Can you think of any
words that could be applied to both of them?
3) Jack and the Scarecrow make an unusual partnership. Would
you say they were good friends? What do you learn about
friendship from this tale?
4) Are you surprised that a scarecrow can speak? What’s the difference between the kind of
language that the Scarecrow uses, and the language that Jack uses?
5) Jack has all kinds of ideas about the brigands before he meets them. Are they as bad as he
thinks?
6) Despite the fact that he and the scarecrow are outnumbered, Jack manages to scare the
brigands off. How does he do this? And who takes the credit?
7) The Scarecrow can’t bear to see the birds kept in cages. Why is this? Surely the birds should be
his enemy?
8) To what extent does Jack look after the Scarecrow? What does the Scarecrow give Jack in
return?
9) “The planetary fluminations are dark and obscure. The only way of disclarifying the astroplasm
is to cast your horoscope.” [p 87] What is the astrologer talking about? Does it make sense? What
do you think the author is saying about astrology here?
10) Jack often thinks about food and drink. Why is it mentioned so often in the story? Why isn’t it
so important to the Scarecrow?
11) When the Scarecrow and the President fall out at the Congress of birds, how is their argument
settled? What does this tell us about Jack?
12) In court, the lawyers try and argue that the Scarecrow is a totally different person to the
scarecrow created by Carlo Pandolfo. Is this true? He’s changed physically, but has he changed in
any other ways too?
CILIP CARNEGIE SHORTLIST
TALKING POINTS
Use these questions as starting points to discuss
the merits of the shortlisted books
The Star of Kazan
by Eva Ibbotson
1) How does the author build atmosphere from the very first page?
How do we know something significant is going to happen?
2) Is Ellie’s plan to keep the baby a secret a practical one? Is the
professors’ reaction upon discovering the baby what you would have
expected?
3) What do you learn about Austria on the brink of the 20th century
from the story? How much research did the author conduct? How can
you tell?
4) In chapter two, the author introduces the Lippizaner ponies. Why does she do this so early on?
What does this suggest about the rest of the story?
5) By the beginning of the third chapter, Annika is almost 12. How do we learn about her growing
up? Are the intervening years not important?
6) The author gives very detailed descriptions throughout the book, especially about food? Why
does she do this? And why is food so central to the storyline?
7) “I made a new friend, and not many people make friends at ninety-four.” [p 58]
How do Annika and the old lady become such good friends so quickly? Why is their friendship so
special?
8) Why does Annika smile at the old lady’s funeral? Why does Loremarie react in the way she
does?
9) When Annika is reunited with her mother, the chapter is called Happiness. But is Annika truly
happy? And what about her mother?
10) Despite her mother’s behaviour Annika always forgives her and stands up for her. Is she too
understanding? How would you react to Frau von Tannenberg?
11) Zed is prepared to give up Rocco to become the Emperor’s horse. What does this tell you
about his love for the horse? Does it remind you of the sacrifices Annika makes?
12 ) Why does Annika jump from the boat when Herr Eghart shouts at her?[p360] Why is his
message so important to Annika?
CILIP CARNEGIE SHORTLIST
TALKING POINTS
Use these questions as starting points to discuss
the merits of the shortlisted books
Millions
by Frank Cottrell Boyce
1) How can you tell that Damian is missing his mum?
2) Why do you think Damian makes himself a hermitage? Would you
like a hermitage of your own?
3) Sometimes Anthony and Damian tell strangers that their mother is
dead. Why do they do that?
4) Why is money important to the story? Is there a difference between
Damian and Anthony’s attitudes to money?
5) When Damian meets saints, are they real or imaginary encounters? What do they tell us about
Damian?
6) Does Damian change after he’s found the money? In what way?
7) What would you do if you found £229,370 in cash? Would you spend it? What would you spend
it on?
8) People often dream about winning the lottery and having lots of money to spend. But does
Damian enjoy having millions?
9) “And that was the thing that kept happening with the money. People helped themselves and
then no one could help them.” [p 209] How does the money affect people? Does it affect them all in
the same way?
10) Why does Damian dream about his mother? What does she mean when she calls him her
‘miracle’?
11) Is it right that Dorothy and Damian’s dad keep some money back?
12) Damian decides to spend the money on building wells in Nigeria? How would you have spent
the money?
CILIP CARNEGIE SHORTLIST
TALKING POINTS
Use these questions as starting points to discuss
the merits of the shortlisted books
Heartbeat
by Sharon Creech
1) Max tells Annie he is training to escape. What is he training to
escape from?
2) What do you learn about being pregnant from this book? Can you
imagine how Annie’s mother feels?
3) Anne’s Grandpa stopped running when he was 15 years old.
Why did he stop? Why did he start running again?
4) Have you ever run barefoot like Max? What would be the
advantages? And the disadvantages?
5) This novel is written as a poem with its own unique rhythm. Why does this suit the story? Would
it have been different if Sharon Creech had written it in prose style like most novels?
6) Max calls his feet ‘my tickets out of here’ [p18]. Why? Why does he hate his hometown so
much?
7) What does Annie’s Grandpa mean when he says he should just get on with it and ‘kick the
bucket’? Does he mean what he says?
8) When Annie leaps from the swing, she asks herself the question, why are we here? Why does
she ask this at that moment?
Is there an answer?
9) Annie‘s teacher Mr Welling asks them to make a list of the things they fear and the things they
love. What would you put on your lists?
10) Annie says she loves running and goes drawing because it feels ‘like running in your mind.’
What does she mean?
11) Why is it important to Grandpa that he finds the recipe for fried chicken? If he made it so often,
why can’t he remember it himself?
12) Does this story change your attitude towards running? Does it make you want to get up and
run?
CILIP CARNEGIE SHORTLIST
TALKING POINTS
Use these questions as starting points to discuss
the merits of the shortlisted books
Al Capone Does My Shirts
by Gennifer Choldenko
1) “Today I moved to a twelve-acre rock covered with cement, topped with
bird turd and surrounded by water.” From the very first sentence, what do we
learn about Moose and his attitude? How would you feel in his position?
2) All the action in the book takes place between January and June 1935.
Why is every chapter dated? Why is this relevant to our understanding of the
story?
3) People’s ages are very important to the story. Why is Natalie permanently
10? Are you surprised that Moose reveals Natalie’s real age to Piper? [p191]
Why does the word ‘we’ buzz round Moose’s head when Piper says “That’s
what we figured.” [p191]?
4) How do your attitudes towards different characters change throughout the course of the story? How does
your attitude change towards Moose and his family? How does your attitude change towards Piper?
5) How does Natalie’s behaviour affect the people closest to her? They all cope with her behaviour in
different ways. How do they differ?
6) Piper is full of plans to make money. What kind of a business person do you think she’d make? What
special skills does she have that might help her?
7) In the author’s note at the end of the book, Gennifer Choldenko writes, “The character Natalie Flanagan
would probably be diagnosed with autism.” What does this book teach you about attitudes towards this
condition in 1935 in the USA? How do you think attitudes have changed since then?
8) As the story progresses, Moose spends more time with Natalie. How does this affect their relationship?
Why is this a positive move for both of the children?
9) ‘Eye want to go outside,” she says finally [p170] What do we learn about Natalie from this episode? We
know a lot about Moose’s feelings as he narrates the story, but how much do we know about Natalie’s
feelings?
10) What is your reaction when Moose’s father opens the letter and discovers that Natalie has been rejected
by the Esther P. Marinoff School? What is the significance of the two words, ’Not ready’? [p 198]
11) Did you know who Al Capone was before you read this book? How much do you learn about him from
the story? How much is that altered by the author’s notes at the end of the story?
12) Although the book is fictional, much of the story is based upon fact. Why did the author do this? How
does it change your attitude towards the story?
CILIP CARNEGIE SHORTLIST
TALKING POINTS
Use these questions as starting points to discuss
the merits of the shortlisted books
Looking for JJ
by Anne Cassidy
1) Jennifer Jones – JJ – wants to leave her past behind her. Why does
it keep catching up with her?
2) In a controversial story like this, it’s tempting for the author to take
sides, but we never find out what she thinks of Jennifer. Why not? Why
is this important to the reader?
3) Why does the story begin seven years after Jennifer murdered
Michelle? Why didn’t the author begin the story when Jennifer was a
little girl?
4) Is Alice a very different person from Jennifer? Has Jennifer disappeared for good, or are they
still the same person? Can the two be separated?
5) Some readers might claim that Jennifer is as much of a victim as Michelle. Do you think this is
true? In what ways do you think Jennifer is a victim?
6) Should child murderers such as Jennifer be held responsible for their own actions? Once
they’ve been punished, should they still be held to blame?
7) The book looks closely at the way the media deals with child killer stories. Is it hypocritical for
them to condemn Jennifer and pay her mother for an interview?
8) What do you think of the reporter, Sara’s behaviour? Does she betray Alice? Does she have
Alice’s best interests at heart?
9) To what extent is Sara ‘just doing her job’? Is that an excuse for the way she behaves?
10) Author Anne Cassidy is a big fan of adult crime writers such as Ruth Rendell. Can you tell this
from the story? How does the author build the suspense?
11) Are you surprised by Frankie’s reaction when Alice tells him the truth? Why is he so angry with
her?
12) “We can still be friends,” Rosie said. Alice didn’t look around. “Course we can,” she said, even
though she knew it wasn’t true. [p 286] Why can’t Rosie and Alice remain friends? Why can’t Rosie
have a proper friendship with Kate Rickman?