“The land around the village was hard and poor. To coax rice out of the stubborn land, the fields had to be flooded with water.” What kind of conflict does this passage show?

“Bringing fortune to our house! Making Fruitless Mountain bloom! You’re always wishing to do impossible things!” Ma said. “Stories are not a waste of time,” Ba replied. What conflict is shown between them?

After Ma sighs, “What a poor fortune we have!” Minli begins to wonder whether she should set out to change her family’s fortune. What kind of conflict does this begin?

Greedy monkeys guard a peach orchard and have tied Dragon up so he cannot take their fruit. Minli and Dragon must find a way past them. What conflict do they face on the journey?

On the journey, the Green Tiger attacks, and Dragon is hurt by its poison while protecting Minli. What kind of conflict is shown?

“The magistrate was harsh with his subordinates, ruthless to his enemies, and pitiless to his people… they called him Magistrate Tiger.” What kind of conflict does his story show?

The Old Man of the Moon will answer only one question. Minli realizes she cannot ask Dragon’s question for him unless she gives up her own. What conflict is strongest here?

Minli takes the family’s two copper coins and uses them to buy a goldfish that is said to bring good fortune. What does Minli want, and what stands in the way?

When Minli meets Dragon, he cannot fly, though other dragons can. What does Dragon want, and what stands in the way?

After Minli leaves home at night, Ma cries that their only daughter is gone, and Ba warns that it may take time to find her. What does Ma want, and what stands in the way?

“We have clung to it, always afraid of losing it,” the king said. “But if I choose to release it, there is no loss.” What does the king want, and what stands in the way?

Minli leaves home at night, without telling her parents, to find the Old Man of the Moon and ask how to change her family’s fortune. What does this choice show about her character?

At the end of the book, the village has good fortune, and Minli is home again. Ma smiles and welcomes her back. How has Ma’s relationship with her family changed?

At the Old Man of the Moon, Minli realizes that the only way to ask Dragon’s question is to give up her own. How has Minli and Dragon’s relationship changed by this moment?

When Minli leaves, Ma blames Ba’s stories. At the end, Minli comes home safe and the family’s fortune has changed. How does Ma most likely regard Ba’s stories now?

Minli realized “that while she had not asked the Old Man of the Moon any of her questions, they all had been answered.” How has her view of fortune changed by the end?

The twins A-Fu and Da-Fu trick the Green Tiger into falling down a well, and their grandfather A-Gong treats Dragon’s poison. How do the twins and their family affect Minli’s quest?

At the Old Man of the Moon, Minli may ask only one question. What settles Minli’s central conflict, and what does it cost her?

At the end of the book, how is the village’s poverty conflict finally changed?

Early in the book, Ma and Ba argue about whether Ba’s stories are a waste of time. Why is that argument not the story’s central conflict?