Ella Minnow Pea

• Genre: Fiction; literary
• Originally Published: 2001
• Reading Level/Interest: College/Adult
• Structure/Length: 17 chapters; approx. 208 pages; approx. 4 hours, 26 minutes on audio
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: Ella Minnow Pea lives on the island of Nollop, named after Nevin Nollop, the originator of the phrase containing all the letters of the alphabet—“The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” When letters start falling from the memorial statue of Nevin Nollop, the island council begins to forbid their use—and they disappear from the novel. Ella must work to save the island from the totalitarianism of the council.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Alcoholism; ableist slurs; suicide attempt; child neglect

Mark Dunn, Author

• Bio: Born in 1956 in Memphis, Tennessee; American author and playwright; studied film at the University of Memphis; completed post-graduate work in screenwriting at the University of Texas at Austin; worked at New York Public Library while writing plays; playwright-in-residence with the New Jersey Repertory Company; lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with his wife
• Other Works: Welcome to Higby (2002); Ibid: A Life (2002); The Calamitous Adventures of Rodney and Wayne (2009); We Five (2015)
• Awards: Borders’ Book of the Year (2001); the American Library Association’s Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners Award (2009)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit: