B. The boys first encounter the dragons in an unusual puzzle. Go to the library or online to learn the history of the jigsaw puzzle. If desired, learn about the origins of ancient Chinese tangram, the Rubik’s cube, and other puzzling games. Write a short report based on your research, concluding with your thoughts on why the author chose a puzzle as the means by which the novel’s protagonists take their journeys.
C. Use descriptive clues found in the novel to recreate the Dragon Magic puzzle. Cover a thin sheet of cardboard (such as a side cut out of a cereal box) with a sheet of white drawing paper. Use metallic markers, colored craft paper, or other materials to create your four-dragon image. When the image is dry, cut the puzzle into pieces. Invite friends or classmates to attempt to assemble your puzzle.
D. Outline your own short story in which a magical puzzle brings assistance or insight to several characters. What image or images will be featured on your puzzle? Where will the puzzle be discovered? What seemingly magical properties will it hold? Who are the characters the puzzle will help and how?
E. In the character of Sig, Artie, Ras, or Kim, write a journal entry beginning with the sentence, “Sometimes my life seems like a terrible puzzle . . .”
III. Connecting the Past and the Present
A. The protagonists of Dragon Magic travel to past times related to their own ancestry. Choose one of these times to research at the library or online. Divide a sheet of paper into two vertical columns on which to compare novel elements with research information. Were the heroes and dragons of the novel real historical figures? Have the events of the novel’s stories been recounted in similar ways in folktales or other literature? Were the characters into which the four boys transformed mentioned in these tales? Present your comparison research to friends or classmates.
B. Create a multi-framed, cartoon-style storyboard for an excerpt from the novel. Or write a short essay explaining why you feel Dragon Magic would make a good fantasy film or television series, making sure to describe your vision for the film or show.
C. Connect your past and present. Interview a grandparent or other family member from an older generation to learn more about your family’s heritage. Or create a family tree going back at least three generations.
D. Using information from exercise III.C, above, write a short essay in which you travel back in time to a place from which your ancestors may have come. If possible, research and incorporate a legend from this period and culture into your story.
E. Survey family members, classmates, or friends to learn how much most people know about their family’s past and whether they think family ancestry is important. Compile your survey results in a short report, concluding with your own opinion about the impact of the past on one’s present-day life.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. How many protagonists does the author introduce in the first chapter of Dragon Magic? What do these seemingly very different characters have in common?
2. What is the setting of the opening chapter? How do you feel about your own bus stop experiences? Is the bus stop a fun, friendly, unnerving, or alienating place for you? Can you empathize with the thoughts of the story’s main characters as they wait for the bus? Why or why not?
3. What words, expressions, and references used in Dragon Magic, first published in 1972, seem strange or old-fashioned to you? How does this affect your reading of the story? Despite possible differences in lifestyle and language, do you think kids today have attitudes similar to those of the characters in the novel? Explain your answer.
4. Which character is first to want to explore the soon-to-be demolished house? How does he accomplish this visit and with whom? What are his first impressions of the house?
5. What dragon does Sig assemble? What is the story of Fafnir and in what ancient setting does the tale unfold? How is Sig Claw-hand like and unlike Sig Dortmund?
6. After destroying both Fafnir and Regin-Mimir, what does Sigurd King’s-Son say about the treasure? How do this hero’s words on the final page of Chapter 2 serve as a thematic frame for all of the dragon encounters taking place in the novel?
7. What dragon does Ras assemble? In what place and time does Ras find himself? What is the “sirrush-lau”?
8. With what type of conflict do both Ras and Sherkarer struggle? How is Ras’s understanding of his present-day situation changed by his dragon journey?
9. What character does Artie become as he experiences the Pendragon story? In what way or ways is the dragon represented in this story? In what time and place does his story unfold?
10. Whom does Artie seek out for friendship before he experiences his dragon journey? What lesson does he learn from Arthur Pendragon that changes this action in his modern life? Is this a good lesson for today’s kids as well?
11. Why does Kim feel like an outsider? Does he feel that there is anything he can do about his situation? What does he observe about Sig, Artie, and Ras, when they come together at the bus stop early in Chapter 5? What do their actions inspire him to do?
12. What dragon does Kim assemble and where does his adventure take him? What character does Kim seem to become? What is Shui Mien Lung?
13. How does Chuko Liang defeat Ssuma despite the actions of his general, Ma Su? Why does Chuko Liang still feel he has failed? What lessons does Kim learn from Chuko Liang and the other Chinese warriors that he brings back with him to the present?
14. How, and in what ways, does the ancient dragon puzzle change the attitudes of, and relationships between, Sig, Artie, Ras, and Kim?
15. After their adventures, what does each boy find himself seeking to learn? Do you feel that knowing about your past—your ancestry—is important? Why or why not?
16. With which character in the story did you most identify? Describe the attributes of this character that most reminded you of yourself. Had you gone on this character’s dragon journey, do you feel you would have come away with the same reactions?
17. What do you think happened to the dragon puzzle? Have you ever had an experience which seemed a little bit magical? How did this experience affect you?
18. Does your family have any heirlooms, such as military metals, antiques, books, or old photographs, which help maintain a connection to your heritage? How do you feel about these objects? Do they have an impact on your sense of your own identity?
19. What do you feel is the most valuable lesson of Dragon Magic for contemporary readers? Explain your answer.
20. Do you have a “dragon” to confront in your own life? In what ways may reading Dragon Magic have helped you to better understand your own dragon?
Andre Norton, Dragon Magic
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