Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What fairy tales, legends, or other magical stories do you know? What do they have in common?

Teaching Suggestion: Some fairy tales and legends mentioned in the book are Snow White, Rumpelstiltskin, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Prince Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. If students need help thinking of these types of stories, it may be helpful to brainstorm as a class, discuss modern film adaptations of fairy tales, or read one or more related stories before answering the prompt. This will help students better understand allusions made in the book. The NPR and Teen Vogue reflections on Cinderella in the resources below might be useful in unpacking the qualities of fairy tales and their importance in our society. This prompt transitions directly into the research Activity included in this guide.

• This article from Reader’s Digest summarizes nine of the most famous fairy tale stories, some of which are mentioned in the novel.
• This NPR interview includes a transcript and optional audio of an actor and director reflecting on a modern version of Cinderella.