Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Who is King Midas? What lessons should audiences learn from his story?

Teaching Suggestion: Since the novel presents another version of the tale of King Midas, studying this myth before reading will be beneficial. Students might take pre-reading notes on the myth’s plot points and character traits, then look for correlations in the novel. As they read, students may find it interesting to discuss how this novel transforms the original myth and evaluate the author’s style and effects of specific choices. To gain a more nuanced understanding of the myth, students might expand this exploration by acting out the King Midas story in tableaus, which can offer additional ways to interact with and learn from the story visually and kinesthetically. Additionally, this prompt connects to the next question about greed.

• This 5-minute video from Geethanjali Kids presents the story of King Midas.
• This resource from Britannica Kids provides background about King Midas in Greek mythology. It has links with options for different reading levels.