Keep in mind that both novels have smaller stories within the larger story...you are going to have to read, track and understand both.

TIPS for completion:

• Your answers can be typed or handwritten - but they MUST USE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL grammar, spelling, punctuation, paragraphs, etc.
• Answer the prompts IN YOUR OWN WORDS. If you plagiarize you will earn an "F" and get to read a different book in order to complete the course.
• Be SPECIFIC and provide details in all of your answers - remember - you are trying to prove you read this book and spent some time thinking about it!

1A. Describe the setting of the main or larger story. (time and place)

1B. Comment on how the setting influences the events of the main or larger story.

2. Name and identify at least 5 characters from the main story (do NOT leave out any major players). For each character provide details about them and their role in the main story.

3. Review the main plot points. Explain the set up, or beginning, of the story. Identify the main conflict(s) and detail how they come to a climax. Finally, discuss how the conflicts are resolved and the story drawn to a conclusion. DETAILS will earn points.

4. Keep a list of the smaller stories told "within" the main story (for Shadow Spinner). Keep a plot timeline for the smaller story being told within the main story (for Briar Rose).

5. Discuss the theme of the main story. This is often thought of as the moral, the lesson or the main point the author hoped the reader would get as you read the story. Provide some details that helped you identify the theme.

6. Evaluate the novel - did you like it or not? Discuss one or two key scenes that you liked or disliked or that do a good job of showing the author's writing style. What do you think other people would like or not like about the book? Did you like the smaller story (or stories) being told? Were they distracting to you?

7. List five, or more, new vocabulary words you learned while reading this novel. Provide a definition and use each one in an original sentence.

8. If you had read this novel with a class or in a book group - What issues do you think would have been discussed? What would you have to say about one or two of those themes? What questions would you ask the group to get them thinking?

9. Explain exactly how the smaller stories connected to and helped the main story "along" towards its conclusion. Use examples to show the links that you see as a reader. In your opinion, are all large stories really a collection of smaller stories? Why or why not?