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Friday, March 5, 2021

The Girl Who Drank the Moon - Discussion questions

 


1.    Yes. There is a witch in the woods. There has always been a witch.” How do these first three sentences of the book set the stage for the rest of the story?

2.    What is the Day of Sacrifice? 

3.    Who is Xan? What is her role in the Day of Sacrifice in this chapter?  What do the preparations that she makes for the baby tell you about her character?

4.    The Free Cities treat Xan’s arrival each year as a holiday.  Why do they celebrate her annual visit?

5.    What happens to the baby’s mother’s when the Elders who took their children for the Day of Sacrifice?

6.    Why does Xan decide to name the baby Luna? Why does Xan decide to bring Luna to her home instead of delivering her to the Free Cities?

7.    Who is Antain? How is Antain at odds with his uncle and the Elders? What does this indicate about Antain’s character?

8.    Who is Glerk? Is Glerk different from traditional monsters found in fairy tales and mythology?

9.    How is Fyrian different from traditional dragons found in fairy tales and mythology?

10. How would you describe Luna’s character as a 5 year old? If Luna were your little sister, would you enjoy have her as part of your family?

11. Xan proposes to keep Luna from using her magic until she turns thirteen years old, so that she and Glerk will have time to educate the child about science, math, poetry, the laws of cause and effect, compassion, curiosity, and awe. Why is education important?

12. To keep Luna under control, Xan for the first time in her life interferes with the will of another person by using her magic. How did this decision affect Xan?

13. Why does Antain care about the madwoman? What Happens to to Antain when he is visiting thw madwoman in the tower?

14.  What is the major consequence of Xan’s spell to keep Luna’s magic contained until she is thirteen? How does this disrupt Xan’s plans to educate Luna about magic?

15. Why do the black boots give Luna a powerful headache when she tries to examine them?

16. Why does Antain want to kill the witch? If you were Antain, would you do the same? Is Antain someone you would choose to be your friend?

17. Why do the madwoman, the Head Sister/sister Ignatia, Xan, Luna, Glerk, Fyrian and Antain all heading into the woods?

18. Who is the Sorrow Eater? How does she live and thrive?

19. The Sorrow Eater and Luna confront each other in the woods, how is Luna able to escape from the more powerful Sorrow Eater?

20. When Luna sees her grandmother in the form of a swallow, does she understand that this bird is Xan transformed?

21. How does Xan know the consequences of her years of saving babies and bringing them to the Free Cities? How does she react to this revelation?

22. How Fyrian is changing from a Perfectly Tiny creature into quite a large and mature dragon

23. The Sorrow Eater and the madwoman confront each other over the magic boots. The madwoman tells her that “the impossible is possible.” Give some examples from the madwoman’s experience that support this statement.

24. How the Sorrow Eater is finally defeated? Why does Glerk hold Fyrian back from destroying her?

25. Xan, Luna, and the madwoman work together to protect the people from the volcano’s destruction. What do they do to shield the Protectorate?

26. Ethyne tells the Grand Elder that he needs to apologize for healing to take place. What is the Grand Elder’s reaction? What is the consequence of his decision?

27. At the end of the story what changes take place in the Protectorate?

28. Glerk comes to Xan in the Tower to take her with him to the Bog. He leaves behind a poem on a piece of paper tucked under Xan’s pillow. What do you think is the main message of the poem? What lines or images in the poem support this message?


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