Peter Pan book club questions

The reading plan

Meeting 1: Chapters 1 to 5

1. How fair is it to doubt Wendy's accounts before the unexpected arrival confirms them?
2. How should responsibility be shared when an argument leaves the children without Nana nearby?
3. How does cannon fire change what the children's flight seems to promise?
4. What does Tinker Bell's use of a false command suggest about the power of words?
5. How much responsibility should Tootles bear for attacking Wendy after being tricked?

Meeting 2: Chapters 6 to 11

6. Is asking Wendy to become their mother a welcome, a burden, or both?
7. How does the fading memory of their parents change the meaning of the children's domestic games?
8. What would be a fair way to decide who escapes when two children have only one escape available?
9. What does protecting the eggs while escaping suggest about Peter's priorities?
10. What difficulties can arise when Wendy and Peter play parents but feel differently about it?

Meeting 3: Chapters 12 to 17

11. What makes a false signal a powerful trap after the pirates have already won a victory?
12. How does Tinker Bell's rescue of Peter complicate your judgment of her earlier attack on Wendy?
13. What does giving a dying fairy another chance through belief suggest about the power of belief?
14. How does Peter's use of the pirates' greatest fear change the balance of power?
15. What does Peter's victory suggest about the relative power of secrecy and direct confrontation?

Themes to talk about

Tips for the host

1. Open each meeting with one question everyone can answer, then go deeper.
2. Anyone who fell behind can catch up with the 15-minute summary.