The Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark

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. Ridley Pearson’s novel includes numerous Disney characters, including villains. However, what is a “villain,” and how does a character become one? Is it possible to be both a hero and a villain? Why or why not? If you’re familiar with Disney characters, feel free to include examples.

Teaching Suggestion: Reading The Kingdom Keepers does not require prior knowledge of Disney, but it does help, as most of the novel’s events take place within the Disney parks. Discussing Disney in general ensures that all students have a sense of this context. Competitive classrooms may appreciate the opportunity to divide into groups and list as many Disney characters and/or villains as possible under timed conditions prior to exploring the resources below.

• This resource lists Disney’s many different pieces of entertainment in timeline order, including those associated with studios like Marvel or Lucasfilm.
• This article from Reader’s Digest includes a published list of Disney characters by name in alphabetical order.

2. One of the settings in this novel is Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, a theme park millions of people visit. Let’s brainstorm! What are some of the reasons people might visit a Disney theme park (or a theme park in general)?

Teaching Suggestion: The popularity of Disney forms the basis of the theme of The Magic of Belief. Thinking about the reasons that draw people to theme parks like Disney World can help students understand the sheer enormity and scale of such operations. Depending on class level, it may be beneficial to discuss the ways Disney capitalizes on the nostalgia and excitement associated with theme-park experiences.

• This article from Vox discusses the history of theme parks and why people are drawn to these types of attractions.
• This article considers the practical reasons why visitors are drawn to theme parks in seven categories: economic, educational, emotional, escapist, informative, self-improvement, and social.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

Think of a time when you went to a park or theme park. What do you remember? What did you enjoy about the experience? What didn’t you enjoy? If you had the opportunity to go back, would you? Why or why not?

Teaching Suggestion: Finn, the protagonist, is a huge fan of the Disney theme parks, and as a local Floridian, he frequently goes to the parks before becoming a Disney Host Interactive (DHI). This prompt gives students the opportunity to think of themselves as someone like Finn, who enjoys elements of adventure and the mythologies that theme parks create. If there are students in the class who have not gone or cannot remember going to a park or theme park, you might consider sharing a brief slideshow of images from Disney and amend the prompt to read, “What do you imagine it would be like to go to a theme park? What would you see, hear, smell, or do, and who would you want to go with? Why?”

Differentiation Suggestion: Visual learners, students with artistic abilities, and those who struggle with written expression may appreciate the opportunity to draw an artistic representation of their experience, one that uses more abstract symbolism like colors to denote what parts they did and did not enjoy about their experience.