Book guide: Mission: Genie in the bottle
Do you like adventure and solving missions?
Be careful if you find a genie in a bottle. Some are really dangerous - but there are tricks! Join Lina and twelve peppers on adventure!
Questions about the book
1. Lina's mother wonders if Lina has seen a rat. Lina shakes her head, she's lying. Are there any good lies? What lies can be bad?
2. Axel asks if Lina has stolen her mother's perfume. Lina shakes her head again. Do you think Lina was right to take off the perfume without asking?
3. The spirit says she is the kindest spirit of the underworld. Is it true? Why does the spirit say something that is not true?
4. Lina thinks that someone so small cannot be dangerous. Why did Lina trust the spirit? Did you trust the spirit?
5. Lina has promised grandma not to tell anyone about Pepper. Why is Pepper secret, do you think? How would you feel if someone in your family had a secret?
Make secret boxes
Everyone brings a box to school, it can be an old shoe box or a milk carton that is converted into a box. Make secret boxes by painting, gluing, drawing and writing on the boxes. You can then put your secrets in the boxes and hide them in a good place.
Why might it be good to have secrets? Who do you like to share secrets with? Maybe a sibling, an animal, a friend or a parent. What secrets can make one feel bad? Think together about who you turn to and get help with bad secrets.
More questions about the book
6. Lina and Peppar help grandma finish her adventure book, even though the adventures are both scary and dangerous. Have you helped someone with something even though you didn't really dare? How did it feel?
7. Lina and Pepper get help from a beetle. Why do you think the beetle helps them? Have you helped someone you don't know? How was it?
8. Lina and Peppar help each other get through the adventure. Do you think they could have made it without each other? Why? Why not?
Who is evil and who is good?
Norms and expectations create ideas about who is evil and good. If you watch a film, it is often clear from the beginning who the evil characters are. Rarely does a white, young, girl turn out to be the mastermind behind evil schemes (although there are of course exceptions). More often, it is guys and older men with dark skin who are supposed to reflect the bad guys. For example in Disney's version of Beauty and the Beast. Another example of this is The Lord of the Rings where the Orcs who are the bad guys have dark skin and dreadlocks while the Elves are considered the good guys with long fair hair. In this way ideas about who is evil and good and also racist ideas are recreated. In order to change, we need to act anti-racist, highlight different role models and not categorize people as bad and good. Most often, both those who at first glance think they are good have bad sides in the same way that those who are considered evil at first sight also have good sides.
