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Cinderella: book club questions by chapter
Meeting 1 of 2
🦉 Cinderella · meeting 1 of 2
Read: Part One, “The Girl in the Cinders”; Part Two, “The Fairy Godmother” (pages 1–9, about 5 minutes aloud).
Stop at the end of page 9, and don't read on: the next part is for next time.
- How did Cinderella get her name?
The story's answer: She sat in the cinders by the fire - What did the fairy godmother turn into a coach?
The story's answer: A pumpkin - Who have we met so far, and what does each of them want?
Listen for: Make a list together on the board; keep it for next time and add to it. - The part we just read is called "The Fairy Godmother". Why do you think it has that name?
Listen for: Any answer that points to a moment in the part is a good one; ask for the page. - Stop here. What do you think will happen next? Write or draw one guess to check next time.
Listen for: Keep the guesses in an envelope. Don't say whether a guess is right: the next part will.
Meeting 2 of 2
🦉 Cinderella · meeting 2 of 2
Read: Part Three, “Midnight”; Part Four, “The Glass Slipper” (pages 10–17, about 4 minutes aloud).
Stop at the end of page 17, the end of the story.
- Why did Cinderella run out of the ballroom?
The story's answer: The clock struck midnight - How did the Prince find Cinderella?
The story's answer: The glass slipper fit her foot - What does the end of the story show?
The story's answer: A kind heart matters more than a fine gown - Look back at last time's guesses. Which came true, and what surprised you?
Listen for: Read the guesses out. Nobody was wrong: a guess that missed often shows what the author wanted us to expect. - The part we just read is called "The Glass Slipper". Why do you think it has that name?
Listen for: Any answer that points to a moment in the part is a good one; ask for the page. - Now that you know the ending, was it the ending you expected?
Listen for: Ask what in the earlier parts pointed to it, or pointed the other way.
About the whole story
- Who in the story was kind, and who was not? How do you know?
Listen for: Ask for the moment in the story that shows it. - Which part would you change, and how would the story end then?
Listen for: There is no wrong ending; ask what else would have to change.
How these questions are made
The questions with an answer are the story's own, from its page in the library, each at the first stop whose pages answer it and where everyone it names has already come in. The rest are Peabody's, and name nothing but the parts already read. Nothing here is written by a computer model. The story's club kit has the short version for the leader (it gives the ending away), three facts and an activity.
Read it free: peabody.kids/library/cinderella. Every child in the club can read it on any device, with no account.