100 Cupboards

• Genre: Fiction; middle grade action/adventure
• Originally Published: 2007
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 650L; grades 5-8
• Structure/Length: 17 chapters and epilogue; approx. 320 pages; approx. 6 hours, 23 minutes on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: Twelve-year-old Henry York discovers 100 portals to other worlds in the form of cupboard doors hidden beneath the plaster of his bedroom wall. When his daring cousin travels beyond the doors, Henry must find the courage to follow her.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Witchcraft; violence

N.D. Wilson, Author

• Bio: Born in 1978; attended a K-12 classical-emphasis school; attended Saint John’s College; is a Fellow of Literature at New Saint Andrews College; married with five children; counts Flannery O’Connor, G.K. Chesterton, and C.S. Lewis as writing influences
• Other Works: Dandelion Fire (2009); The Chestnut King (2010); Ashtown Burials series
• Awards: Book Sense Children’s Pick List (2008)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• The Lure and Danger of Adventure
• Creating Your Own Family
• Solving the Puzzle with Both Logic and Chance

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the characteristics and common themes of the bildungsroman—or “coming-of-age” story—and make predictions about 100 Cupboards based on this text feature.
• Read/study short, paired texts and other resources to deepen understanding of the themes of The Lure and Danger of Adventure, Creating Your Own Family, and Solving the Puzzle with Both Logic and Chance.