10. What did you think of Char’s purchase of his stolen childhood? Did he get what he paid for? Would Char and Ven agree on the answer to that question? What do you think he was experiencing? And do you think he will ever get the whole memory back?
11. If you were Ida, knowing what would happen when you came back into the Gated City, would you have risked it to help find Saeli? Why or why not?
12. When Ven and Char climb up the ladder to the Skywalk, they discover a whole new world above the streets on the rooftops of the Gated City. How did Ven feel watching the children of the market of thieves playing in the garden, in sight of the sea but unable to go down to it? Have you ever felt trapped, kept away from a place you would like to be, like when you’re inside a classroom on a sunny day?
13. When the Thief Queen is nice to Saeli and offers her food, it puts Saeli in a terrible position. Have you ever been in a situation where someone is being kind to you but cruel to other people? What do you do when a popular kid or an adult likes you but is mean to one of your friends?
14. McLean suggests that if the children need help in the Gated City, they look for a Singer. Why? Would you trust someone in a market of thieves who practiced a profession that required a vow of truth? Is a thief Singer more thief or more Singer? What about the other people Ven chooses to trust in the city?
15. Now that Ven is back home at the Crossroads Inn, do you think he is safe from the Thief Queen? Why or why not?
FREE CURRICULUM
Available now at www.venpolypheme.com.
A free curriculum with integrated subject areas will be available for download upon publication of the book. The series-specific teachers’ materials are cross-curricular, with customizable exercises and lesson plans in varying degrees of difficulty for different grade levels. Subject areas covered include Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, Geography, Science, and Art, with mini-curricula in Nautical Studies, Mythology, Environmental Science, and Music. Also includes comprehension and discussion questions listed chapter by chapter.
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