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Amanda and Leo celebrate their first birthday together here.
What is Mr. McAllister's Magic Castle Birthday Party Palace?
Describe what Amanda's dad looks like at her birthday party. Explain how that's important to the story.
Describe Angelina's personality and her birthmark.
What is mysterious and magical? Angelina inserts herself in the drama of the book. She appears at the very beginning, saying Amanda and Leo must celebrate their birthdays together. She creates enchantments and appears throughout the story in mysterious ways. She has a duck-shaped birthmark on her cheek that appears to waddle.
Is there finality to Amanda and Leo's time loop predicament (difficult situation)? Are they able to solve the problem or are they stuck in the time loop forever? Explain.
What is no? Thankfully, Amanda and Leo escape the time loop. Amanda has to nurture the plant that has grown from Leo's great-grandfather's apple seeds. She repots the plant (that she had thrown out her window) in the wicker basket from her Dorothy costume.
This is the number of times Amanda and Leo celebrate their 11th birthday.
What is 11 times?
What is The Willow Falls Historical Society?
This is the character Amanda helps many times throughout the story. Explain why he is important to the plot.
Who is Bee Boy? Amanda helps him with his periodic table science project. Amanda learns that helping others and being aware of other people's feelings (showing empathy) is important in life. In the story, helping others and showing empathy helps her closer to figuring out how to escape the time loop with Leo.
When Leo reads his poetry, these character traits are easy to see.
What are traits such as creative, kind, empathetic and bold? Leo loves to write poetry which shows the creative side of his personality. He is kind because he shares his poetry at the community center. He is empathetic because he understands how Amanda feels about playing the drums and shows her how to share her talents. He's bold because it takes nerve to read your writing in front of an audience!
This character has the most longevity in the book. Tell us this character's name and explain!
Who is Angelina? She is a magical character who reappears throughout time. First, she was there when Amanda and Leo's great-grandparents lived in Willow Falls and now she pops up in Amanda and Leo's lives. She creates enchantments that teach the characters the importance of friendship and forgiveness.
This is the day that is in a time loop for Rex Ellerby and Leo Fitzpatrick.
What is Harvest Day?
Angelina is a mysterious character in the book who pops up in unusual places. We first meet her in the nursery, when Amanda and Leo are born. Name two of the other places where she "works" in the story.
What is...on the school bus as the bus driver and in the Historical Society?
This is Mrs. Ellerby's (Amanda's mom's) job.
Whst is...Mrs. Ellerby is as an advertising account executive. In the story, she has to give a presentation for her job and is often portrayed as extremely busy.
This character puts on a brave face and acts as if he/she isn't bothered by things. Explain this character's true personality based on diary entries.
Who is Kylie? Amanda's sister doesn't show it much because she is outwardly confident at school but she can be insecure. She writes in her diary about this.
The argument between Amanda's and Leo's great-grandparents was anything but this! Explain!
What is a squabble? The argument between the great-grandparents was quite serious. It was a feud and it negatively impacted the entire town of Willow Falls!
There is a big change for Mrs. Ellerby at the end of the book. Explain.
What is...Mrs. Ellerby is fired! She decides it's for the best so she can pursue other dreams (such as interior design) and spend more time at home.
This is the place Amanda finds a lollipop. Explain the importance of this setting to the story.
What is outside her locker? This is where Amanda thinks a lot about the time loop and how she can manipulate her repeated days.
This character doesn't always tell the whole truth with her friend, Amanda. Tell us who this character is and give an example of something this character doesn't "own up to" related to Amanda's birthday.
Who is Stephanie? Stephanie acts as if she decorated Amanda's locker but it was really Leo.
Amanda and Leo share a character trait with their great-great-grandparents. What is it?
What is stubborn? Like the great-grandparents' feud, Amanda and Leo do not talk to each other for a year because of the fight on their 10th birthday.
Explain the situation where Amanda eavesdrops on one of Leo's conversations.
What is...Amanda hears Leo talking with his friends about the fact that Amanda and Leo celebrate their birthdays together. Instead of admitting to his friends that he likes celebrating with his best friend, who happens to be a girl, he acts as if he has to have his party with Amanda because his mom makes him and because Amanda doesn't have many friends.
Explain the significance (importance) of the apple seeds.
DAILY DOUBLE
What is...the apple seeds are the key to escaping the time loop. Amanda and Leo have to nurture the seedlings that originally came from their great-grandparents. Amanda has the seeds from Leo's great-grandfather's apple tree.
Name three places Amanda and Leo go on the day they "borrow" the scooters.
Where are the diner, the mall, the community center and the music store?
This character visits the guidance counselor to deal with a problem. Explain.
Who is Leo? He sees the guidance counselor to deal with bullying and teasing by other boys in his class.
Describe how Amanda's personality changes throughout the story.
What is shy and insecure but then bold? Amanda starts off as shy and insecure because she doesn't tell Stephanie that she'd rather try out for marching band rather than gymnastics. Eventually, she becomes more bold and even tries out to be the drummer in a rock band!
At Amanda's last solo birthday party, there is a unanimous decision made. Explain.
What is...they decide to go to Leo's 11th birthday party.
Amanda and Leo repair their friendship. Explain how.
What is...Amanda and Leo work together to get out of the time loop? They realize their friendship is too important to give up on. Yes, they want to escape the time loop but they also realize they miss each other and they can bring out the best in each other.