The Sign of the Beaver – by Elizabeth George Speare

Would your parents leave you in the woods alone for several months? Why, in our culture, do we treat children differently than they did in Matt’s time?

Matt agrees to teach Attean to read, and chooses Robinson Crusoe, a novel about a white man and his native slave. What, if any, is the relationship between the characters in Sign of the Beaver and the characters in Robinson Crusoe?

Who is better prepared for life in the woods, Matt or Attean? Who would fare better in a city, Matt or Attean?

Why do the two boys dislike each other, initially? What happens between them?

What do you think about Attean’s perception of women and the work they do?

Matt lived alone with few possessions in the wilderness. If you were in a survival situation, and could only have ten possessions, what items would you choose? Why?

Matt's family had only two books in their home. If you could have only two books, which two would you choose, and why?

If Attean’s Grandmother did not like Matt, why did she clean and wrap his injured hand?  Why did they later invite Matt to the village?  Had their opinion of Matt changed?

There are times in the novel when Matt is quite fearful. Matt also might be called courageous. How are fear and courage related? Does a person have to experience fear before he can demonstrate courage?

Matt believes his dad would really like Saknis, and wants his sister to meet Attean’s sister.  Do you think that Matt’s family would have understood and liked the Indians as Matt did?

Would you have gone with Saknis and the tribe, or would you have stayed at the cabin?