Caravan to the North is a novel told in verse. We read of Misael’s long and difficult journey through short, fragmentary bursts rather than long and detailed prose. Why do you think the author would use this form to write a story about a refugee caravan? How does the form help convey the meaning of the story? What thoughts and emotions did these short verses inspire as you read the book? How would the book have differed if it had been told through prose? As an optional writing exercise, have students write about a vacation or trip they have taken—first only in verse, then a second time in prose. How do these two accounts convey a different mood and style of the same trip?
