Crying Rocks

A Simon Pulse Guide for Reading GroupsThe Crying RocksBy Janet Taylor LisleAbout the BookThere isn't a lot known for sure about Joelle's life before she was found-brought in from the railway depot, a scrawny five-year-old child."And don't ask me! I can't remember anything," she snaps at anyone who pries, including the quiet boy named Carlos who sits in the back row in Spanish class. But when Carlos tells her she looks like a girl in an old painting of Rhode Island's Narragansett Indians, a flicker of recognition surprises Joelle.Carlos leads her through the forest to the ancient Crying Rocks, where howls on windy days are thought to be the spirit voices of children long ago, flung from the boulders to early death. The terrible story sparks memories and leads Joelle toward the history of a lost American people, and to her own past as well.Discussion Questions1. What does Aunt Mary Louise tell Joelle about her past? How does this make Joelle feel? Why?2. "If you're related to someone, by blood, do you have feelings for them that you can't help, that are just built in?" Joelle wonders. "Is there some genetic thread that keeps you connected?" What do you think? If, in fact, Joelle believes this to be true, how might this affect her relationship with her uncles?3. Joelle gives Carlos a hard time when they first meet to go to the woods, but she decides to "put him back in charge" when she realizes his feelings are hurt. "When you look too smart, ask a question," Lisle writes. "Every girl knows this." Why would Joelle believe this? Support your answer with examples from your own life.4. Why does Uncle Vernon keep Joelle's past a secret? Was it fair of Vernon to hide the truth from Aunt Mary Louise and from Joelle? Why? What impact does this secret have on Joelle? In what ways do you think Joelle might have been different if she knew the truth all along?5. What do Joelle and Carlos have in common? How does their friendship help each of them come to terms with the past?6. As they research the history of the Narragansett tribe in Rhode Island, and trek deeper into the forest in search of the Crying Rocks, Joelle and Carlos begin to learn more about their personal history as well. What experiences do they have in the forest that bring them closer to the truth?7. Joelle says she has trouble remembering anything before age five, yet throughout the book memories keep cropping up. What triggers these memories? What does Joelle remember? What images does she see? Why do you think she does not remember her early childhood?8. Joelle develops a friendship with Misti, the little girl that lives down the street. They grow closer over time. Writes Lisle: "Misti has found a place in [Joelle] that, mysteriously, and inexplicably, needed filling." What need does Misti fulfill? How does Joelle's relationship with Misti help Joelle to heal old wounds and reconnect with her past?9. "One of Lisle's underlying themes in the novel is how cultures blend in our society so that surface appearance often no longer tells the true story of identity. Misti looks Asian, though she is only half Japanese and has lived her whole life in America. Carlos looks American but his name is Spanish and he is partly of Sioux heritage. What other cultural combinations appear in the story, not only of personal identity, but in food, in language, in religions, among others?"10. How does Joelle's relationship with Uncle Vernon change after the death of Aunt Mary Louise?11. In the book's final scene, Joelle spots Queenie walking up one side of the Crying Rocks, but Queenie soon disappears. "I couldn't tell if she was listening or crying," Joelle says to Carlos. What do you think Queenie was doing? Explain, using details from the story.12. What research do you think Janet Taylor Lisle had to do in order to writeThe Crying Rocks?How does she integrate historical fact into a work of fiLisle, Janet Taylor is the author of 'Crying Rocks', published 2003 under ISBN 9780689853197 and ISBN 068985319X.