SuitabookThe Thing About Giants
Christopher Galvin
- Reading
- Before reading, explain that the story involves giants being hunted and a child who has lost a parent. During or afterwards, discuss whose account of events is trusted and whether friendship changes power between groups.
- Themes
- Friendship across division: Jacq, a human giant-hunter’s daughter, and Corman, a giant, come from populations that regard each other as enemies. The friendship is presented as a means of seeing beyond inherited divisions and discovering concealed truths.
- Power, exploitation and place: Humans hunt giants for their bones and use them in homes, buildings and the walls of Fathach. The premise shows humans hunting giants for their bones and using them to build homes, buildings and the walls of Fathach, inviting consideration of unequal power.
- Courage and moral choice: The story is described as showing how friendship and courage can help set right a world that has gone astray. Courage and empathy are treated as important responses to a hostile social order, rather than merely personal qualities.
- Worth knowing
- The premise includes giant hunting, a child losing a parent, and buildings made from giant bones. These elements may merit attention if a reader is particularly affected by harm to families or living beings.