M.C. Higgins, the Great Theme of The Supernatural

In M.C. Higgins, the Great, the supernatural is literally super-natural—it takes the characters' relationships with nature and turning them into super powers. No one flies or magically disappears in this book, but you do have a guy who can talk to animals and friends who are practically telepathic. Where do these powers come from? Nature, of course. Being close to nature comes with some serious benefits, though one question remains: Are these really powers? Or are they just the result of really knowing where they live? Over to you, Shmoopers.

Questions About The Supernatural

  1. Are the Killburns' magical powers for real?
  2. What's the point of making these characters supernatural?
  3. What's the relationship between the super and the natural in this book?
  4. What kind of relationship do the female characters in the book have with the supernatural?

Chew on This

Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.

The stuff in the book isn't actually magical; it just seems magical because we're so not used to being close to nature.

The Killburns and the magic they have are definitely freaky and spooky; the Higgins have a good reason to stay away from the Killburns.