Masterminds by Gordon Korman
Eli Frieden has never even stepped outside of his hometown Serenity, New Mexico… but when you live in a town that is perfect in every way, why would you want to. At least that is what he’s been raised to believe, until one day he bikes to the edge of town and everything changes.
Now Eli is questioning everything that make Serenity what it is, even his own father might be in on it… but in on what? Together he and his friends work together to uncover what secrets a town without secrets is really hiding. And what they found out, will shift the way they think about their world forever.
Once the truth is out, will anything ever be the same?
Discussion Questions:
What is this book about? What are the main themes?
Eli and his friends live in the “perfect” town. What makes Serenity perfect?
In the beginning of the novel, Hector says that he knows his parents care for him, even if they don’t show it, because he heard them say that he was “valuable.” Think about the difference between value and love. Is to be valued enough?
As Eli and his friends start to realize something is wrong in Serenity, the first thing they discover is that their internet, books and basic information is being censored. What is censorship and how would you feel if your internet was censored?
Once the kids realize that they are test subjects and that the town was build for them, the realize that they are being put under “tests of character.” What is this and how would this make you feel?
The big reveal is that the kids find out they are actually clones of criminal masterminds. How would you feel about being a clone and a clone of a criminal at that?
Each of the kids show strengths in an area that might be connected to their criminal genes? What are some examples of this?
One theme in this book is nature vs nurture—is it our genes that tell us who we will be or is it the way we are raised. Let’s discuss this. What do you think?
Each of the kids feel differently when they find out that their parents are in on Serenity’s secret. Can you understand each of their reactions? How would you feel?
Where do you think the story is heading? Will the kids run or will they seek revenge or to out the whole experiment?
STEM Activity: Erupting Lemon
Supplies: Lemons (grab a few!); Baking Soda; Food Coloring; Dawn Dish Soap; Plate, Tray, or Bowl;
Craft Sticks
How To:
Cut one of your lemons in half and place it in a bowl or on a plate with a lip to catch any juices.
Juice the other half of the lemon and put the juice to the side.
Take your craft stick and poke holes in the various sections of the lemon half. This will help spur the reaction along.
If you want to have fun visualizing the reaction, put a few drops of different color food coloring on the sections.
Pour a small amount of dawn dish soap over the lemon to add a fun bubble effect. Have a spare lemon? Try the experiment without the soap and see what the difference is.
Now sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda onto the top of the lemon. To help get the reaction going, you can use your craft stick to push the baking soda down into the sections of the lemon. You can also add some of your lemon juice if you want.
Watch what happens. Be patient, the reaction is a slow one.
What other citrus fruit can you use? Do you think the reactions would be the same? Bigger or smaller?
The Science:
Why did the lemon erupt? Because of a chemical reaction between the critic acid from the lemon juice is reacting to the base of the baking soda creating a gas called carbon dioxide. The dawn dish soap is reacting to the fizz of the carbon dioxide to create bubbles and make the reaction a bit more visible.
Sources:
How’d it go: I’m actually on maternity leave now, so one of my colleagues is running the book club for me for the next few months. So I am just going to leave this here. I am sure it went great!
That’s all for now!
-M-