Fountains of Silence

Ruta Sepetys

The Boomerang is a monthly digital downloadable product that features copywork and dictation passages from a specific novel. It is geared toward young teens ages 13-14 and is the indispensable tool for Brave Writer parents who want to teach language arts in a natural, literature-bathed context.

This guide contains the following features:

• 4 Passages (one per week) for copywork/dictation
• Notes about punctuation, spelling, vocabulary, literary devices & analysis 
  
• Beyond the Passage and Inside Scoop boxes
• Weekly Reading Guide
• Boomerang Planner and Skills Tracker
• 9 Think Piece questions
• Golden Lines prompt
• Book Club Party Ideas 
• 53 pages
• Publication Date: April 2023 

A Note About Content
Fountains of Silence is set in Spain at a time when the Catholic faith was the main religious practice in that country. If your teen is not familiar with the Catholic church, you may want to spend time learning more about the vocations of nuns and priests in the church and common practices such as confession. This background will help your teen better understand some aspects of this story.

Ultimately, Fountains of Silence affirms family, loyalty, truth, and true love, while also accurately reflecting the kinds of incidents that happened during a troubled time in Spain’s history. Some of the intense events and images of this book may be upsetting. Analyzing the injustices of this time and place opens the door to big juicy conversations about repression, racism, loss, and socioeconomic differences. Parents are encouraged to pre-read Fountains of Silence to be equipped to process reactions and insights together with their teens.

About the book

Madrid, 1957. Under the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, Spain is hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, tourists and foreign businessmen flood into Spain under the welcoming promise of sunshine and wine. Among them is eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson, the son of an oil tycoon, who arrives in Madrid with his parents hoping to connect with the country of his mother's birth through the lens of his camera. Photography--and fate--introduce him to Ana, whose family's interweaving obstacles reveal the lingering grasp of the Spanish Civil War--as well as chilling definitions of fortune and fear. Daniel's photographs leave him with uncomfortable questions amidst shadows of danger. He is backed into a corner of difficult decisions to protect those he loves. Lives and hearts collide, revealing an incredibly dark side to the sunny Spanish city.

Master storyteller Ruta Sepetys once again shines light into one of history's darkest corners in this epic, heart-wrenching novel about identity, unforgettable love, repercussions of war, and the hidden violence of silence--inspired by the true postwar struggles of Spain.

Includes vintage media reports, oral history commentary, photos, and more.―Amazon

Purchase the Fountains of Silence novel here.