This month’s FYA Book Club selection is In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan. Check out the discussion questions below! (Slight spoilers ahead.)
P.S. If you’ve already read the book, feel free to add any other discussion questions of your own in the comments!
Icebreaker
When visiting the Sunborn family, Elliot eventually (and surprisingly) feels at home. Did you have a similar experience with a friend’s family in high school? Was there a house where everyone hung out, and/or parents who sort of adopted you and your friend group?
Questions
1. Although this book is written with a lot of wit, it tackles heavy topics: parental abandonment, sexuality, leaving home, gender stereotypes, and more. Did you think Sarah Rees Brennan’s humor helped or hurt?
2. Were you expecting more fantasy from the description? If you’re not a fantasy fan, did you find that the book was grounded enough in the real world to keep you interested?
3. Elliot thinks no one likes him (possibly for good reason). Did you? Did your opinion change throughout the book?
4. Serene’s culture subverts a lot of misogynistic rhetoric about women in our world, and turns it on men. Do you think it was effective satire?
5. How did you feel about the tangled relationships between the three main characters and their classmates?
6. Who was your favorite group of magical creatures?
7. How did you feel about the portrayal of developing/changing sexuality in this book?
8. There is no shortage of humor in this book. What moment/line made you laugh the most?
