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Excalibur and the Lady of the Lake: book club questions by chapter
Meeting 1 of 2
🦉 Excalibur and the Lady of the Lake · meeting 1 of 2
Read: Part One, “The Bridge of Shields” (pages 1–4, about 4 minutes aloud).
Stop at the end of page 4, and don't read on: the next part is for next time.
- Why did Arthur ride out against the black knight?
The story's answer: He felt a king could not allow such an insult to stand - Who have we met so far, and what does each of them want?
Listen for: Make a list together on the board; keep it for next time and add to it. - The part we just read is called "The Bridge of Shields". Why do you think it has that name?
Listen for: Any answer that points to a moment in the part is a good one; ask for the page. - Stop here. What do you think will happen next? Write or draw one guess to check next time.
Listen for: Keep the guesses in an envelope. Don't say whether a guess is right: the next part will.
Meeting 2 of 2
🦉 Excalibur and the Lady of the Lake · meeting 2 of 2
Read: Part Two, “The Lake”; Part Three, “The Sheath” (pages 5–11, about 8 minutes aloud).
Stop at the end of page 11, the end of the story.
- How did Merlin save Arthur from Pellinore?
The story's answer: He cast a sleep spell on Pellinore - What did the Lady of the Lake say was needed to win the sword?
The story's answer: To be without fear and without reproach - What does Arthur's decision about the scabbard show?
The story's answer: He wanted to win fairly, but he also had a duty to his people - What happened to Pellinore after Arthur beat him?
The story's answer: Arthur forgave him and restored his lands - Look back at last time's guesses. Which came true, and what surprised you?
Listen for: Read the guesses out. Nobody was wrong: a guess that missed often shows what the author wanted us to expect. - The part we just read is called "The Sheath". Why do you think it has that name?
Listen for: Any answer that points to a moment in the part is a good one; ask for the page. - Now that you know the ending, was it the ending you expected?
Listen for: Ask what in the earlier parts pointed to it, or pointed the other way.
About the whole story
- What makes the main character a hero? Would you want them as a friend?
Listen for: Heroes of legends are brave but not always kind; ask for both sides. - Which part of this could have really happened, and which part grew in the telling?
Listen for: Legends often start from a real person or place. - How would the story change if someone else told it?
Listen for: Try the villain's side. - Who would you give this story to, and why them?
Listen for: A reader who can name the right person has understood what the story is like. - If you could ask the person who first told this story one question, what would it be?
Listen for: Collect the questions; some have answers on the story's page in the library.
How these questions are made
The questions with an answer are the story's own, from its page in the library, each at the first stop whose pages answer it and where everyone it names has already come in. The rest are Peabody's, and name nothing but the parts already read. Nothing here is written by a computer model.
Read it free: peabody.kids/library/excalibur-and-the-lady-of-the-lake. Every child in the club can read it on any device, with no account.