Transmogrification of Roscoe Wizzle by David Elliott

Transmogrification of Roscoe Wizzle by David Elliott
Parent-Child Book Discussion Grades 2-3 June 2008

Snack idea: couscous salad; gummy hamburgers; fast food of some sort; gussy's trading cards with gorilla clipart?

1. General thoughts about the book. Favorite parts.

2. SPOILER ALERT:
This book had a lot of coincidences in it. What are some that you remember?
--Kinchy was tutoring Agnes Bean and had been born in Africa
--Agnes Bean had always dreamed of going to Africa
--Roscoe was kidnapped and taken to the home of lost children where his mother grew up
--Mrs Wizzle happened to be trying to turn said building into an orphan museum.
--Cecil Geed liked to beep the horn of his red car and made Agnes listen
--Edna's nephew Sherman liked to ring the bell of his red bike and make Mrs W listen.

3. Mr. Pinchbeck doesn't like how smart Kinchy is with words. How smart are you? Play a "Balderdash" sort of game with some words and have children choose what they think is the correct definition. Use these sites for inspiration:

Alphadictionary
http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/100_funniest_words.html

Merriam-Webster
http://www.myspellit.com/need2know.html

My choices--real definition is first/fake definitions
dibble-drink like a duck/half dribble/paint dots/try something
bamboozle-cheat/scare someone/dive/eat bamboo
rhinorrhea--runny nose/place where rhinos cross a river/arthritis of the knee/diaper rash
wabbit-tired or worn out/type of rabbit/unsturdy/colorful

4. Gussy moves their headquarters to Roseville. What company headquarters are in or near your town?

5. Mr Wizzle has a really funny job. What other funny jobs can you think of?

--odor judger, smells people's armpits to help develop better deodorants
--gum buster, removes gun from park benches and at zoos, etc.
--flavorist, a chemist to comes up with artificial flavors for gum and candy
--fortune cookie writer, someone has to decide what they'll say!
--furniture tester, makes sure recliners and couches are comfortable
--cartoon colorist, colors in the lines for animation and/or comic strips
(Columbus Ohio has the American Whistle Corporation--hand out whistles)

6. Before Gussy's opened, what did the Wizzles usually have for dinner and why? What other foods do you think might appeal to Mr and Mrs Wizzle?

7. Kinchy said she was waiting for the right time to mention the changes she was seeing in Roscoe. Why do you think that is? There are some things that are polite to comment on and others that are more difficult... What would you do in the following situations? Does it make a difference WHO the situation deals with?

--Friend has food in their teeth
--Classmate got a silly haircut
--Teacher has bad breath
--Brother's zipper is down
--A stranger is getting sunburned
--Your dad is putting on some weight
--Sister has a stain on her shirt

8. Adults ate at Gussy's too. Why do you think only kids changed?
--talk about medicines/chemicals and how children are more affected...

9. What do you think will happen to the lot where Gussy's stood?
--talk about toxic waste and proper disposal
--real animal mutations in amphibians, etc.

10. How did characters change after Gussy's shut down?