About the Book
Alex knows that when he turns thirteen, he’ll be officially categorized as a Wanted, a Necessary, or an Unwanted. And since he’s been caught showing a creative skill, he dreads the inevitable—being labeled an Unwanted and sent to his death along with the other Unwanted children from the grim country of Quill because they have broken the law by drawing, singing, or writing. But instead of dying, Alex and the other children find themselves in the secret haven of Artimé, a joyful place where people celebrate the arts and practice magic. He and his new friends revel in their music, art, drama, and writing classes, and their newfound freedom. But the ominous shadow of neighboring Quill still hangs over them—especially when Alex secretly tries to convince his twin brother, a rising star in Quill’s tyrannical government, to join him in Artimé
Why do the arts, such as music, visual art, drama, and writing, matter? What would our society be like without them? What
would your life be like without them?
The following questions contained in this section particularly address the following Common Core State Standards: (RL.4–
7.1, 2) (RL.5.5)
1. Describe the worlds of Quill and Artimé. How are they different? Do they have anything in common? Which one comes across as a better place? How can you tell? Give specific details and find specific words that describe each.
2. Look at the book’s structure in terms of how the settings of Quill and Artimé are developed. Does each chapter focus on just one of the two settings? Or do some chapters include both? Do you learn about Quill in the chapters set in Artimé? Look at the structure also in terms of how the characters of Alex and Aaron are developed.
3. The arts are at the heart of life in Artimé. Find details about the role that arts play there. How are the arts used in Artimé as weapons for fighting Quill? Are there ways that the arts are powerful in our society?
4. Quill is said to be a world that discourages creativity. Yet Aaron is working hard to solve problems about poor food and lack of water. Can this be considered creative? What other areas in life show creativity besides art, drama, music, and writing?
The following questions contained in this section particularly address the following Common Core State Standards: (RL.4– 7.1, 3) (RL.5–7.6)
1. Quill has three categories of thirteen-year-olds: Wanteds, Necessaries, and Unwanteds. The Wanteds and Necessaries go on to become adults in Quill. Find details about different roles of the Wanteds and Necessaries in Quill society. Why do the Necessaries accept their roles? Why do they let their children be removed? What would the Necessaries think of Artimé if they knew about it? Give specific details to back up your thoughts.
2. What does it mean to be an Unwanted? How does it make each of the four children—Alex, Lani, Meghan, and Samheed—feel? How does each of them deal with those feelings? Give examples about each of the four children, considering their similarities and differences.
3. Alex, Lani, Meghan, and Samheed become friends in Artimé. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each one? In what ways is each one creative? Do their special areas of creativity reflect their personalities? If so, how? Find specific details to support your views.
4. How does being in Artimé change each of the four newcomers? Give specific examples. How do their relationships with one another change? What incidents in the plot affect the characters and their relationships? For example, Lani starts teasing Alex. Why does she do that? How does it affect their friendship?
5. Samheed feels the most divided between the two worlds. How does this show in his actions? Why does he feel that way? Why does he eventually change his mind about where his loyalty lies? Cite specific examples.
6. Twins play an important role in this book. How do Alex and Mr. Today represent Artimé? How do Aaron and Justine represent Quill? What does Alex have in common with Aaron? How are they different? What does Mr. Today have in common with Justine? How are they different?
7. Although Alex’s and Meghan’s parents play minor roles, Lani’s father, Haluki, turns out to be important. What clues in the text foreshadow that Haluki is working with Mr. Today? Give details about his role.
8. Describe the narrator’s point of view in this novel. Besides describing events, does the narrator reveal the characters’ emotions and thoughts? If so, which characters? How does this point of view influence your understanding of the characters and events?
The following questions contained in this section particularly address the following Common Core State Standards: (RL.4.9) (RL.6–7.3)
1. Summarize how the battle between Artimé and Quill unfolds in a series of episodes. How do the four children respond to the fighting? How have they changed throughout the story to be prepared for their role in the fight?
2. In a school play rehearsal, Alex plays the role of Perseus fighting Medusa, a story from Greek mythology. What details are mentioned in the book? Find the myth and read it. Are there parallels between Alex and Perseus? If so, when do they occur in the novel?
The following questions contained in this section particularly address the following Common Core State Standards: (RL.4–7.1, 2)
1. Secrecy is a theme throughout The Unwanteds. Make a list of the secrets that different characters are keeping and why they’ve chosen secrecy. Would the outcome have been different for some of the characters if they’d known the truth? For example, Lani doesn’t understand her father’s role, Alex doesn’t confide in anyone about his hopes for Aaron, and Mr. Today doesn’t tell the children about his relationship to Justine or Claire.
2. Mr. Today says of Justine, “Her power is the fear she instills in people. She hides behind the palace so that Quill can’t see that she is afraid too.” Fear is a pervasive part of life in Quill; give details that show this. How does fear affect Alex and his friends in Artimé during the fighting? Describe what you think the future of Quill might be without the people’s fear of Justine and the government.
3. Mr. Today talks about not punishing anyone for their thoughts, only for their actions. Read the First Amendment to the US Constitution and discuss how it relates to Mr. Today’s ideas. Do you think Mr. Today makes the right decision? Why or why not?
4. Mr. Today decides to open the gates permanently between the two worlds. What is the symbolic role of the gates? How does he justify opening them? What are the arguments against doing it? Do you think he makes the right decision?
Use of Language
The following questions contained in this section particularly address the following Common Core State Standards: (RL.4–7.4)
1. Have students make note of unfamiliar words as they read, first trying to understand them from clues in the text. A second step would be to look the word up in a dictionary. Here are some words that may be unfamiliar:
2. Although McMann emphasizes dialogue and plot, she occasionally uses figurative language.
• “bland looks of sleeping fish on their faces”
• “his heart fell like a cement block”
• “pealed like a pleasant-sounding bell”
• “a prune of a woman”
• “to run Quill like a puppet show”
• “like a flouncy skirt”
• “Aaron’s face looked like a troubled sea”
• “like a swarm of bees was trapped inside his head”
• “watched Aaron like a dog watches a gopher hole”
• “like an empty paper cup”
Artimé Creatures: Artimé has creatures which combine two animals in their names and features. Have students find them in the novel. They include the following:
• Rabbitkeys—rabbit and monkey
• Squirrelicorns—squirrel and unicorn
• Owlbats—owl and bat
• Beavops—beaver and opossum
• Girrinos—giraffes and rhinos
Have students, alone or in small groups, brainstorm a creature that combines two other creatures. They should consider how it might look, sound, and move. Then have them write a four-line rhyming verse about the creature modeled on Mr. Appleblossom’s rhymes in The Unwanteds. After they’ve written the verse, have them draw a picture or create a painting of
the creature and incorporate the verse in the artwork. Create a wall or bulletin board that’s an Artimé menagerie.
School Brochure: The Artimé that Alex and his friends experience is very much like a boarding school. At the end of the novel, children from Quill may have a choice of going there, too. Have students (alone or in small groups) design a brochure with text that describes the school, its classes, and its grounds. Have them draw or paint pictures to illustrate the brochure. Word processing programs, such as Microsoft Word, have brochure templates as does NCTE’s ReadWriteThink website. Text and images can be uploaded, and the brochure printed out.