Native Americans Resources: Discussion Questions

Night of the Full Moon, By Gloria Whelan

Book Description for Night of the Full Moon
Discussion Questions for Night of the Full Moon
Related historical fiction books on the same topic, by the same author
Related Non-Fiction Books
Author Info
Links to Information About the Author
Other Books By Gloria Whelan

Book Description:

Libby Mitchell lives with her parents and a brand new baby brother in Saginaw, Michigan in 1840. One day, Libby is visiting a friend in the neighboring Potawatomi settlement and is rounded up and forced to leave the area by U.S. Army soldiers charged with removing the Potawatomis from their ancestral homeland. Libby cant convince the soldiers she is white and is wonders if she will ever see her family again.

1) At one point in the story, Libby wishes she were Native American. Why?

2) How does Libby feel after the soldiers show up in camp?

3) At one point, Libbys father offers to give Sanatuwa land that he can own, so his family will not have to leave. Why does Sanatuwa refuse the offer? Why does he compare owning land to being a dog tied to a stake in the ground?

4) Why does Libbys father think about moving north?

5) Night of the Full Moon describes several ways in which white settlements impacted Native American lifestyles besides forcing Native Americans to move. Can you remember them? (disease, over-hunting, over logging)

6) Westward expansion is one of the great periods in American History. It is one of the many reasons the United States became such a large and powerful country in the world. How do you feel about Westward Expansion now that youve read Night of the Full Moon?

7) The Night of the Full Moon provides a chance to develop an understanding and appreciation of Native American people and their culture. What do the Potawatomis value in their culture? What do the white families value? How about the soldiers?

8) How different is the Native American culture from your own? How about the similarities? What do you like in their traditions or cultural values? Do you have friends whose families come from different cultures than yours? What do you like about their family's cultures or traditions?

Related Books:

1. Next Spring an Oriole, Gloria Whelan.
   Prequel to Night of the Full Moon. Tells how Libby and Fawn meet and become friends.


2. The Shadow of the Wolf, Gloria Whelan.
   Sequel to Night of the Full Moon. In this story, the girls figure out a way to keep loggers from destroying all the forests.


3. The Indian School, Gloria Whelan.
   Lucy is orphaned and goes to live with an Aunt and Uncle who run a mission school for Indian children.

1. Potawatomi.
   James Clifton and Frank Porter.
   Examines the history, changing fortunes, and current situation of the Potawatomi Indians.


2. Indians Of The Great Lakes.
   Mitchell & Woodruff.
   Touches on many facets of U.S. history and the conflict between the Native American and European cultures.


3. Great Lakes Indians: A Pictorial Guide.
   William J. Kubiak.
   Reference book on Native Americans of the Great Lakes region.


4. Website for the Potawatomi people.
   Note its location at Kansas University.

Gloria Whelan was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1923. She began writing and making up stories as a young girl. She graduated from college in the 1940s and became a social worker in Minneapolis, Minnesota after graduating from the University of Michigan. After 30 years involvement in social work, child care issues and teaching, Whelan retired with her husband to the north woods of Michigan. She wrote her first book in 1978 and has written many types of materials since then including children's literature, young adult literature, contemporary fiction, historical fiction, short stories and poems for adults. She received the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 2000 for Homeless Bird, a book about a 13-year-old widow abandoned by her family in India.

This information is adapted from the Gloria Whelan Papers website on March 6, 2005 at http://www.lib.usm.edu/~degrum/html/research/findaids/DG1150f.html?DG1150b.html~mainFrame

1. Gloria Whelan's own web site.


2. An interview with Gloria Whelan and why she writes the books she writes, in addition to biographical information.


3. More biographical information about Gloria Whelan at the Alliance for the Study and Teaching of Adolescent Literature (ASTAL) website at Rhode Island College


4. Biographical information about Gloria Whelan.

1. A Clearing in the Forest, 1978
2. A Time to Keep Silent (New York), 1979
3. The Pathless Woods, 1981
4. Next Spring an Oriole, 1987
5. Silver, 1988
6. A Week of Raccoons, 1988
7. The Secret Keeper, 1990
8. Hannah, 1991
9. Bringing the Farmhouse Home, 1992
10. Goodbye, Vietnam, 1992
11. Night of the Full Moon, 1993
12. A Time to Keep Silent (Grand Rapids), 1993
13. That Wild Berries Should Grow: The Story of a Summer, 1994
14. The Silence Trap (Oxford), 1994
15. Once on This Island, 1995
16. The Indian School, 1996
17. Friends, 1997
18. The Miracle of Saint Nicholas, 1997
19. Shadow of the Wolf, 1997
20. Farewell to the Island, 1998
21. Forgive the River, Forgive the Sky, 1998
22. Miranda's Last Stand, 1999
23. Homeless Bird, 2000
24. Return to the Island, 2000
25. Welcome to Starvation Lake, 2000
26. Angel on the Square, 2001
27. Rich and Famous in Starvation Lake, 2001
28. Are There Bears in Starvation Lake?, 2002
29. Fruitlands: Louisa May Alcott Made Perfect, 2002
30. Jam & Jelly by Holly & Nellie, 2002
31. The Wanigan: A Life on the River, 2002
32. A Haunted House in Starvation Lake, 2003
33. The Impossible Journey, 2003