Host An Unforgettable Book Club Party

I read The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling several times as a young girl and was completely drawn into the classic tale of the man-cub, Mowgli, his kinship with animals and the different rules by which man and animal abide. As I read The Story of Edgar Sawtelleby David Wroblewski I felt that old familiar pull. A young boy with choices, special animals with choices, both caught between two worlds.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelleby David Wroblewski is set in Northern Wisconsin in The Chequamegon National Forest and surrounding area.   Remote and heavily wooded, teeming with wildlife and lakes, The Chequamegon National Forest is the ideal wilderness hideaway for a boy not wanting to be found.

From the Publisher

Born mute, speaking only in sign, Edgar Sawtelle leads an idyllic life with his parents on their farm in remote northern Wisconsin. For generations, the Sawtelles have raised and trained a fictional breed of dog whose thoughtful companionship is epitomized by Almondine, Edgar’s lifelong friend and ally. But with the unexpected return of Claude, Edgar’s paternal uncle, turmoil consumes the Sawtelles’ once peaceful home. When Edgar’s father dies suddenly, Claude insinuates himself into the life of the farm—and into Edgar’s mother’s affections.

Book Club Ideas for The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

Decorations

Music

Music always plays an important role in my party plans, so for your dog friends, Through a Dog’s Ear: Music to Calm Your Canine Companion, and for your human friends Wisconsin Bluegrass.  I didn’t realize there was such a music genre as Wisconsin bluegrass!  The upbeat music offset the somber mood of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.

Book Club Menu for The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

As your guests arrive what better than to have an assortment of  yummy Wisconsin Cheese and crackers laid out.

Get the Old Milwaukee out of the fridge and fire up the pit … tonite’s dinner is Grilled Brats with Red Dog Beer Sauce and Beer Drinking!

I’ll serve up some Wilted Spinach Salad and

Wisconsin Wild Rice to go along with those grilled brats.

While trying to find out more about the State of Wisconsin, I kept coming across references to Wisconsin State Fair Cream Puffs.  I knew I had to give these a try and I wasn’t disappointed.  Be sure to save some room for Wisconsin State Fair Cream Puffs

Bet ya can’t stop at just one, eh?

The work is done, the guests have gone and your belly is full.  It’s time to stretch out your legs, kick back and enjoy this Wisconsin digestif …

Savor this  Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned.

Ahhh… trust me this drink is not meant for the weak of heart.  But, what else would I expect for those stout Wisconsinites.  Here’s to you Scott!

Book Club Resources for The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

Ratings at the time this post was published

Purchase The Story of Edgar Sawtelle at your favorite bookseller

Reviews

• “Edgar Sawtelle is a boy without a voice, but his world, populated by the dogs his family breeds, is anything but silent. This is a remarkable story about the language of friendship—a language that transcends words.”- Dalia Sofer, bestselling author of The Septembers of Shiraz
• “The most enchanting debut novel of the summer….a great, big, mesmerizing read, audaciously envisioned as classic Americana…One of the great pleasures of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is its free-roaming, unhurried progress, enlivened by the author’s inability to write anything but guilelessly captivating prose.” – New York Times
• “Here is a big-hearted novel you can fall into, get lost in and finally emerge from reluctantly, a little surprised that the real world went on spinning while you were absorbed…grand and unforgettable.” – Washington Post Book World

Discussion

1. There are several ghostly apparitions throughout the novel.  What is the significance of the different hauntings?
2. Discuss how Edgar’s inability to speak contributes to the story.  Does it give Edgar a special understanding of the dogs?  What does Edgar learn from the dogs?
3. Edgar has always been curious about the circumstances of his parents’ first meeting.  Why does Edgar decline to hear his parents’ story when finally given the opportunity?
4. Which of the Sawtelles’ dogs is your favorite and why?  Compare and contrast the different dogs.  What does Essay decide at the end?
5. David Wroblewski says that he “…always imagined that Edgar’s story was going to draw heavily from Hamlet.”  Discuss the storyline and character parallels that occur throughout the novel with Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

The Author

Author/Book Awards

• 2008 Oprah Book Club pick
• Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers selection
• winner of the 2008 Colorado Book Award, Indie Choice Best Author Discovery award
• the Midwest Bookseller Association’s Choice award

Recommended Reading

Personal Insights, Favorite Quotes, etc…

(Edgar Sawtelle’s favorite passage from Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book)

…”They fed me behind bars from an iron pan till one night I felt that I was Bagheera the Panther and no man’s plaything and I broke the silly lock with one blow of my paw, and came away; and because I had learned the ways of men, I became more terrible in the jungle than Shere Khan. Is it not so?”

“Yes,” said Mowgli, “all the jungle fear Bagheera – all except Mowgli.”

“Oh, thou art a man’s cub,” said the Black Panther, very tenderly; “and even as I returned to my jungle, so thou must go back to men at last; -  to the men who are thy brothers, – if thou art not killed in the Council.”

“But why -  but why should any wish to kill me?” said Mowgli…

Wisconsin

I’ve never had the pleasure of visiting the State of Wisconsin, even though my brother-in-law Scott is a Wisconsinite.  Other than great cheese, bratwurst, and the Packers, I didn’t know too much about this state.  My lovely nieces shared some photos with me and I was quite impressed by the beauty and verdancy of the landscape.

Off to the Wisconsin State Fair

Dear Lisa brought over some homemade caramel and candy applesand shared her recipe, so with my beautiful creampuffs (and a little help from photoshop,) we were transported to the  Wisconsin State Fair.