THE SKY READERS
by Sue Murray
Assignments
Before Reading
1 Read
the back cover.
What sort of book do you think The
Sky Readers is? Write down the genre.
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2 Suppose you could look into the future.
What is the thing you would like to
know about most of all ?
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3 Suppose you could look back into the past and had the power to change
things.
What is the thing you would most like
to change from the past ?
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4 Suppose you could change
the present.
What would you like to change first of
all?
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While Reading
Chapter 1 The gift
1 Who were the Zan?
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2 Who was Gondar
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3 Lewin was the son of a
dairy farmer.
Write down three products
that such a farm produces.
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4 What did Lewin find out on his 16th
birthday?
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5 Explain what is happening in the picture
on page 9. Fill
in the gaps.
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Lewin is using the ........................................... (A)
that Lorca had given him as a ................
.........................(B). However, a
............................................... (A) is supposed to be used to
...........................................................................................................................................
(C).
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6 A What did Lewin’s father suggest they do that day?
B Why did they decide not to do this?
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A
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B
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7 What was Lewin’s father quiet about?
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8 A What did the boys have for breakfast?
B What do you usually
have for breakfast?
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A
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B
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9 Laylan suggested it was time for the boy
to be tested.
What was Lewin to be tested for?
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10 Explain why Lewin’s father did not have the
gift.
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Chapter 2 The test
1 True or False? Circle the
correct answer.
The fact that Lewin knew
it was going to rain that day proves that he is a sky reader.
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True
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False
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2 Why did Lewin’s father not
want his son to be tested?
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3 What can you tell about
Lewin’s mother?
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4 Why can’t Lorca take the
test, too?
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5 How did Lewin pass the test?
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6 How do you know that Gondar
Use the words fire
guide – game – soldier in your
answer.
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7 What did Lewin see in the
present?
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8 How was Lewin going to earn
some extra money that night?
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9 Write about the hardest
test you
have ever done successfully.
Think of swimming tests, skiing tests, traffic tests, ‘CITO’ tests, your
recent Maths test, etc.
A Why was it so hard?
B What had you done to prepare yourself?
C What was the result?
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A
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B
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C
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Chapter 3 The red-haired woman
1 What are wheat and barley? Explain
in English, or translate into Dutch.
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2 What was the fight inside
the inn about?
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3 What was the argument
between Laylan and Lewin about?
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4 A What did Laylan think the red-haired woman was?
B What power did such people have?
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A
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B
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5 A Who won the Battle of Avondel?
B What happened to the Zan afterwards?
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A
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B
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6 A What is a zania? Be precise.
B Why did Laylan possess it?
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A
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B
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7 Why did Laylan fear there were dark days
ahead?
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Chapter 4 The call of the Zan
1
Why was it cruel for Gondar
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2 A What object had Lewin seen that Laylan had not?
B On what occasion had this object played an important part?
C What had happened to it, according to many people?
D What did Laylan think about this?
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A
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B
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C
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D
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3 By what can the future that
sky readers read in the sky still be changed?
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4 What did the light mean
that was glowing from Laylan’s coin?
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5 Write A on the map where the ancient battle between
the Zan and the Banshee took place.
See Before Reading
6 Write B on the map where Laylan must go now, according to his grandfather.
7 What happened in the
picture on page 23?
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Chapter 5 The meeting in the cave
1 A Who is Maximus?
B Why was he killed?
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A
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B
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2 A Why had the wall been built?
B What had been used to shape the wall?
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A
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B
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3 Look at the picture on page 25. Who is
who in it?
4 A What did Mariel wish for because it was so cold in the cave?
B Why did she realise then?
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A
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B
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5 A In which direction should the company go?
B How did they know this?
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A
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B
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6 Look at the cradle song on page 28 and
copy the part that tells you where the square that
was mentioned on the wall can be found. (See: page 26)
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7 Below you see the lyrics of three more
cradle songs.
Fill in the missing words.
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Baa, baa, black .....A.....,
Have you any .....B.....? Yes sir, yes sir, Three bags full.
One for the ......C......,
One for the dame, And one for the little boy Who lives down the .....D.....
Baa, baa, black .....A.....,
Have you any ....B.....? Yes sir, yes sir, Three bags full |
Twinkle, twinkle, little .....E.....
How I wonder what you are! Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the .....F.....! Twinkle, twinkle, little ....E...., How I wonder what you are! |
Good night, sleep .....G.....
Don’t let the little .....H..... bite
But if they do,
Then take your .....I.....,
and hit them
till they’re black and .....J.....
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A
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E
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G
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B
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H
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C
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F
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I
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D
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J
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Chapter 6 Problems and plans
1 Write down the three problems
in finding the stone man, the stone woman and the Zan.
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I
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II
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III
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2 Write down the possible
solutions to these three problems.
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I
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II
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III
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3 A Who did Laylan and Lewin see on Firebird Mountain
B Who was he looking for? Be precise in your answer.
C What did Muriel suggest to do next?
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A
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B
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C
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Chapter 7 Separate ways
1 A What is The Maze of Mazra?
B Why had it been built?
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A
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B
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2
Look at your map and
draw two lines to show how the two groups were planning to
reach Liana from Firebird Mountain
3 What are the two sky readers going to
wear to disguise themselves?
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Lewin
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Laylan
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4 “They’ll
think we’re gypsies, because gypsies always ask to do odd jobs.”
What sort of odd jobs have you done or can you think of to earn some extra money?
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I
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II
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III
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Chapter 8 The greebles
1 How did Mariel know how to
find her way in The Maze of Mazra?
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2 How did Lewin make sure
they could get away quickly from the farmer?
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3 What is happening in the
picture on page 37?
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4 What was surprising about
the creatures’ house?
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5 Which of these statements in this mega
multiple choice question is the only one that is
true? Circle the letter belonging to the correct answer.
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A
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The greebles knew about the sky readers and
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B
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The greebles knew about the sky readers, but didn’t know about
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C
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The greebles knew about
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D
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The greebles knew about the sky readers and
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E
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The greebles knew about the sky readers, but didn’t know about
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F
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The greebles knew about
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G
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The greebles knew about the sky readers and
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H
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The greebles knew about the sky readers, but didn’t know about
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I
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The greebles knew about
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Chapter 9 Trapped
1 Why did Lewin interrupt
Laylan when he said he was worried about their friends?
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2 What two magical powers do
the greebles possess, judging from page 39?
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I
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II
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3 The
nylars, the voomax, the poddlewoppers ….. . Some magical creatures are good. Most are bad.
Do you
know any evil creatures from books, films or television series?
Write them down if you know any. (Think
of the Harry Potter series, the Lord of the Rings,
Doctor Who, etc.)
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4 A What did Laylan and Lewin have to do to avoid becoming slaves?
B Why was this task such a difficult one?
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A
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B
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5 To avoid becoming slaves Laylan tried
asking riddles, like:
“What comes up when the
rain comes down?” (an umbrella)
Here you see some more of these word
riddles that you need to solve.
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riddle
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answer
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A
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What tree can you hold in your hand?
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I
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A candle
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B
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What can still be found in an empty trousers pocket?
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II
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A catcher
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C
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What travels around the world but stays in one place?
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III
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A clock
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D
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What has hands but cannot clap?
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IV
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A hole
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E
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What do you light first in a room with an oil lamp and a fireplace?
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V
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A needle
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F
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What is tall when it is young and short when it is old?
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VI
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A match
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G
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What has one eye but cannot see?
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VII
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A palm
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H
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What becomes wetter when it dries?
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VIII
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A piano
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I
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What has eighty-eight keys but cannot open a door?
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IX
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A stamp
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J
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Richard leaves home, turns left three times and sees a man with a
mask. Who is the man?
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X
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A towel
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A =
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B =
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C =
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D =
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E =
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F =
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G =
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H =
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I =
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J =
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6 What finally ‘did the trick’?
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7 What was the positive effect of this for
the greebles themselves?
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8 Why were Laylan and Lewin afraid Mariel
and her family were in great danger?
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9 Why would it be difficult for Laylan and
Lewin to climb the wall?
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Chapter 10 Through the wall
1 Look at the picture on page
44.
A What is Lewin holding in his hands?
B What purpose did these objects serve?
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A
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B
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2 What was on the other side
of the door?
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3 Write C on your map to show where Laylan and Lewin
should take Finn in case something
happened to Mariel and Olaf.
4 What were the reasons why
Olaf’s parents were not happy with the arrival of Laylan and Lewin?
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Olaf’s father
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Olaf’s mother
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5 Why was the chance of
Laylan and Mariel being caught bigger now?
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6 What did Mariel do just
before she left?
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Chapter 11 The golden sword
1 Why were Laylan, Lewin,
Mariel and Olaf happy it was market day?
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2 Explain why Lewin thought
the Zan would not be part of the statues of rats and rabbits.
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3 What was the huge ugly
creature that was holding a tree branch above its head?
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4 What did Lewin see in the
scene from the past?
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5 Who were freeing the Banshee, according
to Mariel?
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6 What did Laylan think was the reason the
Zan called them?
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7 What did the branch turn out to be?
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8 What made the crowd of people in the
square feel terrified?
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9 What does the word gloat mean?
Circle A, B, or C.
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A
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talk in a loud voice
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B
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look triumphantly
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C
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look angrily
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D
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look around
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10 What statue had Lewin seen in his readings
that he suddenly realised was the Zan?
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11 What did it need Mariel’s stones for?
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12 Look at this picture from page 51.
x
v
w
u
A Put the names next to the numbers
B What is u holding in his hand?
C What is v holding in his hand?
D What is w doing?
E What does w want x to do?
F What will happen to v and w a little later?
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A
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u = v = w = x =
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B
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C
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D
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E
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and
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F
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Chapter 12 Leaving Liana
1 What was the result of the
thunder and lightning?
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2 A What did Lewin want to do to help Mariel and Olaf?
B Why was this not successful?
C Who will be able to ‘release’ Mariel and Olaf later?
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A
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B
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C
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3 How had the Zan saved Avondel?
Fill in the gaps.
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Although the Zan did not get its …………..……. (A), which it needed to
change from stone to
………………………………… (B), it was able to save Mariel and Olaf by turning them
into
……………………………………… (C). It also caused the ………………………………….. (D)
to strike the …………………………… (E), taking away its magical …...……………………
(F).
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4 What will happen to Laylan?
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5 A What were the three objects which were mentioned in the note
that was inside the
bundle of cloth that Mariel had put inside her son’s pocket?
B What must be done with each of these objects
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A
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B
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6 Will Lewin’s brother Lorca become a sky
reader? Explain your answer.
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7 Will Lewin stay a sky reader? Why (not)?
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After Reading
1 The sequel to The Sky Readers is called The Singing Stones and is part of the Avondel Chronicles.
Below
you find the author’s blog about The
Singing Stones ( I ) and a sneak
preview of it ( II ).
Read both and answer the
questions.
I
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I've just received the roughs for The Singing Stones. It's such a joy to see the
illustrations.
I particularly love Sarah Davis's
vision of my fantastical creature, the nylar. It's literally better than I
could have imagined.
That's one aspect of my work that I cherish – in writing you need to collaborate, whether it's a script that is then brought to life or a book that is illustrated or simply brought to life by readers ... after editors, designers and others have worked their magic. |
A Write down the word that tells you that
at the time of the blog the final version was not yet finished.
B Which of the magical figures that was
mentioned in The Sky Readers will
play a part in The Singing Stones?
C Find a word in the text that means the
same as the verb love.
D Find a word in the text that means to work together
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II
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Find the stones... You will find
the way to help all of Avondel.' Finn doesn't understand the note that his
great aunt gave him, but he doesn't have time to think about it. When
soldiers come to his village looking for him, Finn has to escape and go on a
dangerous journey. He soon learns that only he can defeat the evil warlord
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After reading
this sneak preview of The Singing Stones,
would you like to read it? Why (not)?
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2
Mariel and her company
passed The Maze of Mazra on their way to Liana.
Now see if you can find your way
around this word maze by finding and crossing out all 48 words in it. The words can go in every direction
possible: from left to right and the
other way around, from top to bottom and the other way around and even diagonally.
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AUNTTIA GREEBLE MOON STONES
AVONDEL GROLLO NORTH STONE SHAPER
BANSHEE GRONCH OLAF THE GOLDEN SWORD
CAP GYPSY PAST TRAP
COIN LAYLAN PRESENT TUNNEL
CRADLE SONG HEARTLANDS RIDDLE UMBRELLA
EYES LIANA SKY
READERS WALL
FINN LORCA SOLDIER WARLORD
FIRE GUIDE LUKAN SOUTH WEST
FUTURE MAZE OF MAZRA STATUES ZANIA
3 One of the 48 words can be found twice.
Which word is that?
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