These prompts can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before or after reading the novel.

Pre-Reading “Icebreaker”

Lobo’s Nod is the small town in which I Hunt Killers is set. “Lobo” is the Spanish language word for “wolf.” “Nod” is sometimes used as a word that refers to sleep, but the “Land of Nod” is also where God exiled Cain after slaying his brother Abel. Considering the setting of the book, could the author be trying to make a statement about small town America? Though the author never names a specific state or region of the country, do you think the book is more likely set in a certain part of the United States?

Teaching Suggestion: Encourage students to consider the many layers of potential meaning embedded in the name “Lobo’s Nod.” The wolf reference, for example, could point to some of the motifs of predation in the book. You may also want to briefly review the story of Cain and Abel, another tale of complicated and fraught familial relations, where the “Land of Nod” is considered a place of anguish beyond the reach of God’s jurisdiction in the Bible.

• “Literature Place Names”: a short list of fictional place names and their contextual meanings
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