English 321 – Young Adult Masterpieces

Grant T. Smith, Ph. D.

Discussion Questions: The Canning Season

· Why did this book win a major award in young adult fiction?

· How is this book like a fairy tale? What fairy tale conventions are in the book? Why is this significant?

· How is the representation of “mother” different in this book from the representation of mother in Invincible Louisa and Caddie Woodlawn? What do you make of the difference?

· How do you respond to the violence in the book? The grotesque humor?

· When you think of “canning,” what images come to your mind?

· What symbols do you find in the book, and how do they function?

Ø Pensacola Hunt Club

Ø Worms

Ø That Thing

Ø Canning

· What is this story about?