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When Hadley accuses Ivo publicly for the theft of the swan photograph, she receives DMs calling her an art groupie. She thinks "they're all things I've called myself." What do you make of her statement? Are we often our own harshest critic?
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0
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7
|
September 16, 2026
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Anatole sees himself as a dignified, brilliant, and much underappreciated magician/physician/scientist. How much of that is true, and how much is self-delusion and boastfulness?
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5
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42
|
September 16, 2026
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All in all, did Anatole's tamperings make things better or worse?
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5
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49
|
September 15, 2026
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When Pito is facing impending execution and Anatole tells Pito he's there to help him, why do you think Pito cuts him off, rejecting "false hope" (p. 32)?
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6
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47
|
September 15, 2026
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When Anatole first asks Pito if he's in love with Tullia, his answer is, "How could I be?" The second time he's asked, he says, "How could I not be?” (p. 33). Are these answers contradictory? What does Pito mean?
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10
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64
|
September 15, 2026
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What did you think of the book’s ending? What do you think the future holds for Tullia and Pito?
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9
|
64
|
September 15, 2026
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Overall, what did you think of The Cloak and Dagger Club? (No spoilers in this topic, please.)
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38
|
247
|
September 17, 2026
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Princess Tullia has one brown eye and the other blue. Why do you suppose the author chose to depict her this way? Why do you think Anatole attributes different emotions or feelings to Tullia's brown eye versus her blue eye?
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8
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57
|
September 14, 2026
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The book opens with Anatole in the present day, but most of the book takes place five hundred years in the past. Why do you think the author included the first chapter? What does it convey that would be lost if the novel just began with chapter 2?
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8
|
52
|
September 12, 2026
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Anatole, Tullia, and Pito spend some time in a monastery. What do you think of the abbot's assertion that it is only through an ordinary and dull routine that true enlightenment can be achieved?
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9
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64
|
September 12, 2026
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Does Anatole's experimentation on a prisoner seem ethical? If not, why do you think we root for him anyway? Does it make a difference that Pito agreed to them if it will help Tullia? How do these actions make us feel about him as a character?
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4
|
37
|
September 12, 2026
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At one point in the monastery, Tullia tells Anatole that she fears Pito has fallen in love with her (p. 227). Has he? Or is it wishful thinking on her part? When do you think Pito and Tullia truly developed feelings again for each other?
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|
5
|
37
|
September 12, 2026
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After escaping the castle, Pito and Tullia ask Anatole what his experiments were about. He lies to them, saying he was working on a treatment for the Blue Death. Why doesn’t he tell them the truth? What would have occurred if he’d been honest with them?
|
|
4
|
28
|
September 11, 2026
|
|
Why couldn't Anatole tell Tullia about the memory potion? If he could have told her, do you think she would have agreed to it?
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|
3
|
33
|
September 11, 2026
|
|
Tullia spends the night sobbing over her father's death, but the next morning, she tells Pito, “He wasn’t my father…He was King Sandro.” What did you think of this scene? Why did she mourned him even though she was a "disappointment" to him?
|
|
10
|
59
|
September 10, 2026
|
|
Anatole drank a potion that enabled him to live forever. If offered such a potion, would you drink it? Why or why not?
|
|
20
|
129
|
September 10, 2026
|
|
13-year-old Tullia tells Anatole, “Only peasants can afford to marry for love.” (p. 16). What did you think of this scene? Do you think marriages are still made for reasons other than love?
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|
9
|
59
|
September 10, 2026
|
|
To what audience would you recommend The Magician of Tiger Castle? Is there another book or author you feel has a similar theme or style?
|
|
14
|
82
|
September 10, 2026
|
|
Anatole notes that during the Renaissance, perspective and symmetry were “essential” to defining a woman as beautiful (p. 15). In what ways have beauty standards changed over time, and in what ways are they the same?’
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|
4
|
34
|
September 10, 2026
|
|
The author sprinkles little-known details about the era throughout novel. Did you learn anything new? What surprised you?
|
|
6
|
50
|
September 10, 2026
|
|
Do you remember reading Louis Sachar’s best-known novel, Holes, as a child or reading it to a child in your life? If so, are there memories about the experience you’d care to share?
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|
7
|
43
|
September 7, 2026
|
|
To what audience would you recommend The Vanishing Place? Is there another book or author you feel has a similar theme or style?
|
|
10
|
89
|
August 25, 2026
|
|
Effie is obviously hesitant to return to New Zealand, so why does she go? Have you ever felt compelled to do something you dreaded?
|
|
14
|
109
|
August 25, 2026
|
|
What echoes of young Effie do you see in her as an adult?
|
|
9
|
78
|
August 25, 2026
|
|
How did the last lines make you feel? Did they make you keep thinking about what would happen next for the characters?
|
|
14
|
95
|
August 25, 2026
|
|
There is a powerful pull on each character to return to their place of origin. Have you felt such a pull in your own life?
|
|
10
|
91
|
August 25, 2026
|
|
For the most part, technology doesn't intrude on the characters' lives. Does that strike you as appealing?
|
|
14
|
115
|
August 25, 2026
|
|
Should Effie trust in Lewis more and accept his help, or would that undermine her own strength? Are you frustrated by her self-reliance, or do you feel sympathetic toward her?
|
|
11
|
83
|
August 25, 2026
|
|
Did learning about Adam's childhood affect the way you felt about him? To what extent are we responsible for our adult actions, and how much is an unavoidable consequence of our childhood?
|
|
11
|
73
|
August 19, 2026
|
|
Children view the world differently than adults. They place an importance on different things and interpret situations differently. In which moments do you get a sense that Anya is seeing a different world than the adults around her?
|
|
6
|
44
|
August 19, 2026
|