The Magician's Elephant Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Houdini and his Vanishing Elephant and our BookBrowse Review of The Magician's Elephant.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. An author makes a very important choice with the first line of any story. This story begins: "At the end of the century before last, in the market square of the city of Baltese, there stood a boy . . ."
   • Why do you think that Kate DiCamillo made this choice?
   • How long ago is the story set?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Candlewick Press. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.