Dandelion Wine Activities- Test Grade 
DUE: No Later than October 30th.
Choose any 3 of the following. All work must be your own original work. If you DO you use any
outside sources you MUST quote and cite correctly (MLA). I’d rather you grapple with these on
your own.
Proofread your essays! Use Literary Present to discuss the novel! But, make sure it doesn’t turn
into a dry summary that sounds like Cliffs Notes, Sparksnotes, Bookrag, Pinkmonkey etc. UGH.
1. Warn your folks, and get permission: In your own kitchen choose 2-5 edible items that
are not typically used together. (Think of the show Chopped, as well as the chapter on
Grandmother’s Kitchen in the book)
Create something with those items until it tastes perfect! Combine unusual flavors and
textures using your instincts, not expectations. For instance, strawberry sauce on
potatoes. How was it? Were you able to create a food that reflected your mood? Write up
the recipe for your most successful result. Take a photo, and paste it to the recipe. And, of
course, the recipe must be in the tradition of Grandmother- pinches, handfuls, a shake and
mix. Nothing should be exact.
2. “Google” dandelion wine (the wine, not the book). How does knowing the process for
making the wine add to your understanding of Doug’s summer, the values of his family,
his time, and his town? Write a 2-3 paragraph response.
3. Write an essay in which you answer the following questions. Use quotes in your body
paragraphs from the text.
IN the chapter about Bill Forrester and the new grass (that doesn’t need cutting), Grandpa
sees the new grass as a metaphor for the younger generation; how does he explain the
comparison? What is wrong with the new generation according to Grandpa?
Does Doug fit into Grandpa’s image of the new generation? Why or why not?
Does Forrester learn anything from Grandpa? What?
Do you agree with Grandpa? Why or why not?
4. At the end of the book, Douglas returns to the cupola and looks out at the town. List what
he “turns off.” Is there any difference between how and what he turned on, and what and
how he turns these things off? Anything, for example, left out, or put in different order?
Analyze, in a well written essay what these similarities and differences reveal about
Doug’s changes over the summer. Has he matured at all? Does he see the world
differently? Prove your analysis with details and quotes from the text.