Nausicaa and the Stranger: book club questions by chapter

🦉 Nausicaa and the Stranger · meeting 1 of 2

Read: Part One, “The Raft”; Part Two, “The Princess” (pages 1–7, about 7 minutes aloud).
Stop at the end of page 7, and don't read on: the next part is for next time.

1. Why did Ino give Odysseus her veil?
   The story's answer: So he could not drown
2. Why did Nausicaa not run away like her maids?
   The story's answer: She was braver than them, and the goddess had put courage in her heart
3. 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.
4. The part we just read is called "The Princess". 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.
5. 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.

🦉 Nausicaa and the Stranger · meeting 2 of 2

Read: Part Three, “The Stranger's Name” (pages 8–10, about 3 minutes aloud).
Stop at the end of page 10, the end of the story.

1. Why did Nausicaa tell him to enter the city alone?
   The story's answer: She wanted to avoid gossip about her bringing a strange man home
2. What do the Phaeacians' welcome and Nausicaa's kindness show?
   The story's answer: Strangers deserve help, whoever they are
3. What made Odysseus cry at the feast?
   The story's answer: The minstrel's song about the wooden horse and Troy
4. 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.
5. The part we just read is called "The Stranger's Name". 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.
6. 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

1. What does this myth explain, or try to explain?
   Listen for: Many myths explain how something came to be: a season, an animal, a name.
2. Was the main character right or wrong? Was the ending fair?
   Listen for: Myths are often hard on people; let the group disagree.
3. If you could ask one character a question, who and what would it be?
   Listen for: A good last question: it shows what puzzled each reader.
4. 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.
5. 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.