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The Twelve Dancing Princesses: book club questions by chapter
Meeting 1 of 2
🦉 The Twelve Dancing Princesses · meeting 1 of 2
Read: Part One, “The Worn-Out Shoes”; Part Two, “The Soldier and the Cloak” (pages 1–10, about 6 minutes aloud).
Stop at the end of page 10, and don't read on: the next part is for next time.
- What did the king find every morning?
The story's answer: The princesses' shoes were worn to pieces - Why did the soldier tie a sponge under his chin?
The story's answer: To catch the juice so he would not fall asleep - 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 Soldier and the Cloak". 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
🦉 The Twelve Dancing Princesses · meeting 2 of 2
Read: Part Three, “The Secret Castle” (pages 11–17, about 4 minutes aloud).
Stop at the end of page 17, the end of the story.
- Why did the soldier take the twigs and the golden cup?
The story's answer: To show the king that his story was true - Why did the soldier ask the king to let the princesses dance up in the castle with the doors open?
The story's answer: So they would not need a secret anymore - What helped the soldier solve the mystery when so many princes could not?
The story's answer: He stayed awake and listened to good advice - 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 Secret Castle". 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
- Who in the story was kind, and who was not? How do you know?
Listen for: Ask for the moment in the story that shows it. - Which part would you change, and how would the story end then?
Listen for: There is no wrong ending; ask what else would have to change.
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. The story's club kit has the short version for the leader (it gives the ending away), three facts and an activity.
Read it free: peabody.kids/library/the-twelve-dancing-princesses. Every child in the club can read it on any device, with no account.