ShmoopTube

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[Dino and Coop singing]

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Okay, everyone think of your favorite book right now.

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Got it?

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Now even though every single one of you is probably thinking of a completely different [Students thinking of books]

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book, we bet we can name one thing that each and every one of your favorites has in common.

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Pretty impressive, huh?

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Alright, here goes... we bet that your book… [Hand passes over a crystal ball]

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Takes place somewhere.

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Okay, so that might seem a little bit like cheating….okay a LOT like cheating. [Teacher holding her hand up in admission]

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But it's true.

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Every book has what we call a setting.

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And they tend to be pretty important. [Coop pointing at a blackboard]

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The setting is where the story takes place.

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Whether it's Hogwarts in Harry Potter, the Caribbean in Pirates of the Caribbean, or

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Middle Earth in Lord of the Rings, the setting plays a crucial role in the story. [Pictures of the covers]

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Characters without a setting really wouldn't have a whole lot to do.

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Because really, try picturing Harry, Ron and Hermione without Hogwarts. [Harry, Ron and Hermione flying on broomsticks in front of Hogwarts]

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Sure, it would be cool to see them floating in nothingness for the first minute or so, [They are flying with just black in the background]

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but seven whole books about that?

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Things would be a whole lot less exciting if you ask us.

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And the setting isn't just where the story takes place, it's also when it takes place. [Dino pointing at a blackboard]

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Fairy tales, for instance, often take place in magical worlds a long, long time ago. [Fireworks going off behind a lit up castle]

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Take Cinderella, for instance.

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Cinderella would be a really different story if it took place in the future. [Woman cleaning a window]

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Because instead of her mean older step-sisters making her doing all the cleaning....

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They'd probably just get a robot to do it. [Robot mopping the floor]

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…Or…maybe they'd still make her do it and just have the robot maid laugh at her

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while she mops.

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That'd be pretty mean.

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Anyway, the characters may be the heart of every story, but their setting is just [Picture of guy dressed like Indiana Jones zooms out and shows the huge building he is stood on]

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as important.

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Here's a fun activity to try:

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Think of one of your favorite books, movies or TV shows.

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Once you've done that, grab a partner and do-si-do, swing your partner round and round, [Video of people dancing in the street]

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allemande left and…

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…Oh.

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Sorry.

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Sometimes we just start talking about square dancing. [Teacher holding an instrument]

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Anyway, grab a partner or two and discuss the setting of each of your favorite stories.

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Okay, we know that sounds like a boring old every day school activity, but there's probably

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not enough space to square dance in your classroom.

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Plus, there's also a fun part: imagine if the characters in your favorite book, movie

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or TV show switched settings with each other. [Harry Potter swaps with Chewbacca]

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How would that change things?

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What would your characters do?

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How would they cope?

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And most importantly, would Chewbacca be any good at Quidditch? [Chewbacca knocks Ron off his broom]

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