Sign+of+the+Beaver

//The Sign of the Beaver//

=Why did you select this book?=
 * ===title?===
 * ===cover?===
 * ===preview?===
 * ===Do you like adventure stories?===
 * ===Does the outdoor setting appeal to you?===
 * ===Are you intrigued by the relationship suggested with Native Americans?===

=Predictions...=

=Let's start a discussion....=

Here are Adam's questions taken from the discussion. I am responding and invite all to participate!
**1. Near the begining of the book, when Matt goes to the beehive, falls aff the tree, and lands in the freezing lake, why did he want to get to the beehive so much?** Matt was running out of food and he was so sick of plain fish. He was hoping to get some honey. On p. 22 it says he was even willing to get a sting or two just to get a taste. I don't think he expected soooo many stings!

I guess it depends on the perspective. The Indians were losing their livelihood or way of living. They were being pushed off their land. The white people felt that they weren't doing anything wrong. They felt there was plenty of land and they wanted to build a community. The story helped me understand the Indian point of view so I tend to think it was a bad thing. What do you think?
 * 2. Could it be a bad thing that the white people are doing, building a town in the woods in that area?**

3. **Why did the auther make it so the baby dies at the end? That was a sad thing, but it was common back in the early days. I think it made the story more realistic (realistic fiction). It helped us to really "feel" the story. **

4. **Matt sees Indian marks all over the place. Why does he not ever see any one from any other Indian tribe, only the beaver tribe?** This is an interesting question. I'm wondering if the Indians were around, but hidden. Remember he didn't notice the Beaver tribe. They noticed him.

5. **The author gives us clues that the setting is about 300 years ago. (examples: near the end, Mark tells the reader that his sister in't allowed to go to school,and whenever the author mentions Maine [where the story takes place], it's said as "the colony of Maine", never as "the state of Maine", ext.) Why did the author do that?** Nice job picking up on the author's clues. I think, again, that the author's style makes the story believable and it comes alive for the reader.

6. **Was it the right choice to whait for his family to come when he was asked to stay with the tribe, or should he have gone North with the Indians?**  My opinion is, "yes, it was the right choice." Matt had learned how to survive (thanks to his Indian friends) and he had to wait for his family. It was the brave thing to do...at the beginning of the book, before he learned so many things, he might have had to go North with the Indians to survive. What do you think?