Book Club discussion questions for "Alice," by Christina Henry

I found no readymade discussion questions for "Alice."  It made a fun book club selection though.  It was fast-paced and fun (albeit a bit horrific.) Here are some reading group questions to help others along.

Here are the "Alice" questions we used.

1) Women victims, are there too many? Is there a lesson about woman power? Who is the most powerful person in this world?

2) Did anyone read the original? If so, was it helpful? If not, are you inspired to?

3) Discuss the irony of a "grown up book" using child characters. Is there a difference these days? Compare your comfort level of reading a kid story with adult themes compared with adult story based on child book.

4) Alice grows up and becomes increasingly self sufficient in this book.  Discuss how? Readers of the "Alice" story grow up too.  Is it a natural thing to want a more grown up version?  What other childhood books would be good candidates? 

5) Who is Hatcher? Is he the Mad Hatter? Are Tweedle dee and Tweedle Dum Theodore and his brother?

6) Are we supposed to learn lessons about New town versus Old Town? What are they?

7) If conformity is rewarded, what is lost?

8) Eating and drinking are a powerful theme in the book? Why? What do they signify?

9) Is there a Queen of Hearts anywhere?

10) Alice locked away jabberwocky as she was locked away? Was this a satifying end?

11) What lesson is there in the mermaid's tale?

12) Throughout the book self interest is generally punished except in the case of Cheshire. Why?

 

Reading Group Discussion Questions for "The Oath," by Frank Peretti

Here are the book club discussion questions we used for "The Oath," by Frank Peretti.

Once again our book club selected a book without readily available discussion questions online. Im jotting down the ones we used because "The Oath" made an incredible book pick!  It's an oldie but a goodie.  It's fast-paced enough to get readers to finish it.  It's meaty enough to provide at least two solid hours of discussion.  Lots of good stuff here!

1) What do you think the dragon was? Sin? Hell? Satan? A demon? Did you think it was a real, living creature as you read the book or something else?

2) What do you think the black, oozing rash was? What changed in the lives and minds of the residents of the town as the black rash progressed?

3) It appears that Frank Peretti had a checklist of the 7 deadly sins next to his typewriter as he wrote this book.  What characters and behaviors can you think of that demonstrate:
-- envy
-- gluttony
-- greed or avarice
-- lust
-- pride
-- sloth
-- wrath

4) Why did the dragon grow over the 100 years?  What changes in his behavior as he grows? How does the dragon's life mirror sin?

5) The town charter signed in 1882 is a declaration of what?  What sin is represented in it? Did The Oath create the dragon or did the first Hyde merely discover it?

6) Why didn't the residents want the dragon killed if it was killing them?

7) Why was Jules Cryor eaten by the dragon?

8) What sins did Steve show?

9) Alexander Pop in his "Essays on Man" wrote:
Vice is a monster of so frightful mein,
As to be hated needs but to be see;
Yet, seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace.

Can you see this description of behavior in the book?

10) What was Ron the pastor guilty of?

11) Did you chafe at the seeming incongruity of the order in which the dragon selected his victims?  Weren't Harold Bly's sins worse than others?  What does the say to you about the nature of sin and it's punishment?