Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King

A Teacher’s Guide to

Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King

(part of the Guardians series)

by William Joyce and Laura Geringer

Discussion Questions

• What does Ombric mean when he says, “To understand pretending is to conquer all barriers of time and space?” Is there any practical use for this saying in our own society? If so, who would use it and why? If not, why not?
• Ombric wanted a village that seemed impossible. Discuss with the students their image of an impossible village. After the discussion, have the students write a story about their village and all the impossible things that happen there. Have the students illustrate a scene from their story and then share their story with the class.
• What are some characteristics of a wizard? How does Ombric compare to the list?
• What are nightmares? Have the students ever experienced one? What did they do to stop the nightmare? How do they make themselves feel safe at night? Does anyone use a night-light?
• One of the major themes in this story is good versus bad. Is there any such thing as absolute good or absolute bad? Are people born good or bad?Is goodness or badness something they learn?
• Pitch wants to capture the good dreams of innocent children and turn them into nightmares. How does one protect oneself from having a nightmare?
• What was your first impression of Ombric the Wizard upon reading the description of him and his talents, such as turning lead into gold, being able to walk through walls, his invention of time, and being able to stop time? Of all of Ombric’s fantastical talents, which one would you wish to possess and why?
• Santoff Claussen was an enlightened village where no one would laugh at anyone who dreamed of what was possible. Why was this so important to Ombric? Do places such as Santoff Claussen exist? Was the author suggesting Santoff Claussen was a village free of bullies?
• Santoff Claussen has several defenses to protect the village from outsiders who wish to do harm or to steal their treasures. Discuss the various ways Ombric attempted to protect his village from harm.
• It was learned that Pitch was originally a hero during the Golden Age because he captured the Fearlings and their ilk. He even valiantly guarded the prison. He becomes possessed by the evil shadows. In reality, is it possible for someone who is good to become evil? Is it possible for the same person to be redeemed? Are there various shades of good and evil?
• Pitch’s strength was dependent upon the amount of light around him. The darker it was, the more evil he became. In the daylight he was forced to retreat. What is it about light that affects Pitch?
• How does the spectral boy interact with Pitch? What is it about him that makes Pitch despise him more than everyone else?
• What is so special about laughter?
• Is the Spirit of the Forest really a good spirit? By turning visitors whom she deems unkind and ignoble into stone to protect the village, she then prevents them from ever being able to change their ways. Is this spirit implying that if one has an impure heart it can never be redeemed? What about Pitch, who had a pure heart but turned evil: Will he never be able to return to his old self? Are people either good or bad? Can a person be both good and bad at the same time?
• Does anyone see the irony of the Fearlings whispering for a breath of fresh air when there is no air in space?
• Prince Lunar has never had a nightmare. Since he has never had a nightmare, why does it mean so much to him to protect children from having any? Does he know what he is trying to protect them from?
• If one doesn’t experience unpleasant situations and events, how can one understand when things are good? Is it necessary to have the bad so one can understand the good?
• When the children of Santoff Claussen were surrounded by the shadows, William attempted to scare them away by increasing the amount of light. Why didn’t his action work?
• Ombric provided cookies, chocolate, and warm cocoa to comfort the frightened children. Why do you think he chose these particular items? What do you do to calm yourself down after experiencing a scary event?
• North has a special place in his heart for children. He feels a need to protect them.How has North’s own childhood affected his perception of his role as protector?
• When the village’s bear attacked the children, Pitch had already trapped the parents in their sleep so they could not come to the children’s defense. What fantastical method do you believe Pitch used to trap the parents?
• After Ombric was eaten by the bear and his staff broken, Katherine remembered Ombric’s first lesson. What was that lesson? Discuss other stories that also use this lesson.
• North’s horse Petrov saves North from the hypnotic effects of the Spirit of the Forest. Petrov rears up and slams his hooves against the ground. This actiondraws North’s attention from the treasure and towards the screams from the village children. Only those with a pure heart are able to enter the village. Who had the pure heart—Petrov, North, or both? Can animals have pure hearts?
• How did the Man in the Moon know North would respond to the story dream the moonbeam transmitted to North while he was sleeping? Why was North chosen to assist the villagers of Santoff Claussen?
• Is there any significance to the resurrection of the giant bear with his wounds gone and his fur as white as snow?
• How could Katherine’s steady kindness to North be his greatest comfort and yet at the same time be his worst torment?
• There are many different types of friendships in this story. Have the students discuss the friendships between Ombric and the Man in the Moon, Katherine and Ombric, Katherine and North, Pitch and the Fearlings, spectral boy and Moonbeam, and North and Petrov. What does friendship mean? Are there any similarities between these relationships?
• Discuss the spectral boy and his simplified understanding of good and bad. Riding clouds was good but Fearlings and Nightmare Men were bad. Did his age and his life experiences have anything to do with his understanding of good and bad?
• Discuss with the students which character in the story experienced the most growth in character? Have the students provide examples from the story to support their statements.
• Ombric’s telling of The Story of The Golden Age was printed on black paper with white lettering. What do you believe was the reason for this change?
• North has problems making friends. Friendship requires trust. Why was it so hard for North to trust anyone? Who was able to befriend him? How did this person succeed?
• Ombric states, “Knowledge without wisdom can get a bit messy.” He was referring to North’s attempts at experiments in the lab. What does he mean by this statement? Is it safe or foolhardy to plunge into an experiment without knowing what the results will be?
• North’s ability to entertain the children of the village with his stories worked as a tonic for the frightened children. Besides the soothing effect of the stories, was there any other purpose for the storytelling? What is the purpose of stories?
• When the djinni asked, “What is your command?” what would you ask it to do? Is there a downside to having one’s own djinni? What would it be?
• The djinni misinterprets North’s saying of “Goodnight, Djinni” as a command. Think of other examples of everyday sayings that the djinni might misinterpret.
• Compare and contrast the djinni to robots with artificial intelligence that exist today.
• A compass will always point to north. What is the difference between North’s present to Katherine and a regular compass?
• When Katherine set out to rescue North and Ombric, what methods and items did she use?
• The strength of friendship between Katherine and the spectral boy was very strong. He willingly risked his life to keep her safe. Katherine willingly risked her life to save North and Ombric. Compare the strength of friendship to the control of fear. Which one is stronger?
• Katherine makes a drawing of North and depicts him as grander than life and as having an important place in the world. North is surprised by this depiction of himself. Does Katherine’s drawing change North’s perception of himself and what he will do with his life?
• Katherine’s drawing of North, which was placed inside djinni, commands a strong power. Why can’t Pitch, inside djinni’s body, harm North?
• Who is the spectral boy, and what is his real name? Who has been waiting for his appearance?
• What is the significance of the gong that the Luna Lumas own?
• The weapons the Abominable Snowmen used to fight Pitch and the Fearlings were forged from the dust of fallen stars. What is so important about the composition of these weapons?
• Ombric says, “A daydream properly utilized can be the most powerful force in the universe. One need only dream of freedom to begin to break the spell of enslavement.” Compare this belief in this story to events in our world where the dream of freedom helped escape enslavement.
• Katherine, who collects stories, wishes to ride on the back of a Great Snow Goose from the Himalayas. What other character in literature also enjoys riding on the back of a goose?

Activities

• Ombric was the last survivor of the Lost City of Atlantis. Have the students research the story of the Lost City of Atlantis.

• Moonbeams are very important in this story. Have the students research moonbeams on the Internet or in their school library. How fast do moonbeams travel? Do they really return to the moon after making their way to earth?
• Using a chart have the students write down the different characteristics of North, Pitch, Ombric, Katherine, and spectral boy. Do any of them have only good characteristics? Do any of them have only bad characteristics?Are some characteristics that are good in one person bad in another person?
• Some cultures, such as the Native American culture, have devices called dream catchers, which are supposed to catch allbad dreams before they reach children. Have the students research dream catchers. They are easy to make. Have the students make dream catchers for themselves.
• Have the students choose a fantastical talent they wish they had. Have them create a story about themselves using this talent. Would the student use the talent for something good for society, for his/her self-gain, just for fun, or for something evil?
• Pitch’s heart is described as “cold, colder than the darkest regions of space.” Have the students research various temperatures of space. What is the coldest temperature they find?
• There are studies concerning people’s emotions depending upon the amount of light they are exposed to.SAD, seasonal affective disorder, causes depression due to the lack of light. Have the students research what can be done to counteract the effects of this disorder.
• Laughter is a useful tool to counteract many problems. Research what effects laughter has on the human body.
• Have the students research hand shadows. Allow them to make shadow creatures using an overhead projector or a large flashlight. Have the students recreate the scene where the children are surrounded by the shadows, using shadow puppets on sticks and a light source. See if the students can make only the Fearlings shadow puppets get larger and scarier and not the children puppets.
• During the Golden Age, criminals were kept in a lead prison where they were entombed in eternal darkness until they because little more than shadows. Research the history of prisons. Have prisons changed over the years? Has the philosophy of prisons changed over the years?Are all prisoners doomed to the fate of becoming shadows?
• Life on the moon has its ups and downs, thanks to the benefit of little gravity. Research gravity and have the students do experiments to understand the concept of gravity. Research the effects of no gravity on astronauts.
• Have the students imagine they are invited to visit the Man in the Moon. Discuss with the class what things they might do on the moon. Have the students each write a story about their adventures on the moon, including meeting the Man in the Moon, the moonboots, and the moonmice. Share the students’ stories with their classmates.

Visit TheGuardiansofChildhoodBooks.com for downloadable activities, videos, and more.

Guide prepared by Lynn Dobson, librarian at East Brookfield Elementary School, East Brookfield, MA.

This reading group guide has been provided by Simon & Schuster for classroom, library, and reading group use. It may be reproduced in its entirety or excerpted for these purposes.