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Showing posts with label raiders ransom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label raiders ransom. Show all posts

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Flood and Fire: 9 Chapters Down, 32 to Go

Madeline and I are hooked on Flood and Fire. So far, we've not read less than 3 chapters a day. At the close of every chapter Madeline cries, "More! More!"

It's awesome finding exciting new books and authors through homeschool book club! My husband even congratulated me on gifting my daughter with the need to read :)

Starting with the first chapter, the story grips you! Oh, Lilly...out of the pot and into the frying pan. And poor Zeph, having to clean up his father's mess.

Unlike Raiders' Ransom, this second book is fast-paced from page 1.

Reading this book is bittersweet, since the third one {PLEASE let there be a third one} isn't published yet. Write fast, Ms. Diamand ~ we love your books!

Friday, February 14, 2014

Raiders' Ransom: Activities and Discussion Questions


Having a blast with vocabulary bingo ladders at homeschool book club

After searching but not finding a Scholastic study guide for Raiders' Ransom, I made my own! If you find a link to the official study guide, please leave me a comment so I can link to it :)

[Enjoy my book review too.] 

The kids liked all the activities at homeschool book club, but vocabulary bingo was the favorite! It never hurts to have extra activities, but we ran out of time before the character comparison. So Madeline will work that in at home later as one of our writing assignments.


Discussion Questions

Why is Lilly’s boat spared from the raider attack?

Why doesn't the Prime Minister want to give compensation for Lilly's fishing town to rebuild their boats and pay for the raider damage?

Why does Lilly decide to steal the jewel? How does she disguise herself and Cat?

Is the jewel a gem or something else? Why is it so important?

Why does Zeph have to make friends with Lilly in London?

Why does Mr. Saravanan pretend to disown/cast Lilo out of their family?

What is a fill miner? Why are fill miners needed?

Is trial by knife a scientific way to get facts and truth? Why or why not?

If Roba had thrown the knife {instead Zeph} at the trialing wheel, do you think the outcome would have been the same for Lilly? Why or why not?

What secret is Aileen keeping from Angel Isling?

Why does Zeph show kindness to Lexy when she is summoned to the feast? Who does she remind him of?

How does Cat set free Lilly and Lexy from their shackles?

Does the Prime Minister seem happy to see Lexy during the truce? Does he protect her after they are reunited?

Do you think Zeph finds war as wonderful as he imagined it in the beginning of the story? Why?

When Roba is drowning, Zeph helps him by giving Roba a piece of wreckage to use as a float. Is Roba kind to Zeph in return?

During the fleet battle, Lilly has to make a choice to rescue Lexy or Zeph. How does she choose?

Jasper hired Medwin to get the jewel. Did Jasper get what he wanted? Why or why not?


Sail Design Activity

The raider Families used symbols and colors to differentiate themselves from each other. Zeph’s family used the color red and the symbol of the lion.

Design your own raider sail to represent your raider Family!

- Name your raider family
- Choose one or two colors for your sail design
- Choose a symbol for your sail to represent your family

For inspiration and symbol meanings, print/view Common Archetypes and Symbols in Literature and Animals and Their Symbolic Meanings.

Students can draw freehand or use this sailboat template to make a three dimensional boat.


Compare and Contrast Two Characters

Choose from either:
- Roba and Zeph
- Lilly and Lexy
- Medwin the Untamed and Prime Minister Randall

1. List two ways they are the same/similar.

2. List two ways they are different.

3. Which one of the two would you rather be? Why?


Vocabulary Bingo
Provide definition list and have children take turns reading a word and its definition. Fill in blank bingo cards with your vocabulary words and get gaming! Kids can earn extra points by providing synonyms and antonyms for the words.

fury:  extreme anger

sly:  smart in a dishonest way, hiding your true reasons

ruins:  remaining pieces of something that has been destroyed

projection:  creating an image on a surface from somewhere else, an image that can be seen but isn’t a real object {like a movie on a movie screen}

swift:  very fast or quick

lassie: a young girl

malfunction:  to not work properly/correctly or to fail to work

sterile:  without germs or other microorganisms

scabbard:  protective case for a sword, knife,  or blade

kinship:  being related to other people

loyal: complete support for someone or something

arrogant:  believing or acting more important, smarter, or better than other people

activate:  to turn something on or make it active

antiquarian:  a person who collects, studies, or sells valuable old things

rudimentary:  the most basic or simple

artificial intelligence:   the power of a machine/computer to act and think like a person

delinquent:  a young person who regularly breaks the law or misbehaves

plead:  to ask for something in a serious and emotional way

unfurl:  to cause a folded or rolled up item to open

tattered:  old and torn

vital:  extremely important or necessary

traitor:  a person who is not loyal to their friends, family, or country

duress:  when someone is forced or threatened to do something they don’t want to do

kindling:   lightweight and dry objects that burn easily and are used to start a fire {like twigs or paper}



Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Book Review: Raiders' Ransom by Emily Diamand

It's officially finished!
Madeline LOVED Raiders' Ransom, but I had mixed feelings about it.

PROS
It's fast-paced with tons of action once you get past the first few chapters. The conversations with the talking jewel are hilarious. Madeline even fell off the bed because she was laughing so hard!

There are so many different topics you can springboard onto -- English geography and landmarks, English history, climate change, recycling, living without technology. More things to learn more about!

CONS
Amazon has this book marked as recommended for ages 8-12. However, this has some very mature themes including child abuse, slavery, war, underage drinking...well, you get the idea. Most of the reviews talk about how funny the book is, but there are just as many intense moments. The graphic description of corpses from battle could be disturbing to children aged 8-12.

RATINGS
Madeline, 5 Stars
She enjoyed this book as much as Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. When we had 10 chapters to go, she wanted to read it straight to the end. She begged every night to read more!

Mom, 4 Stars
I thought it mas a bit mature and maybe is better suited to more of a young adult {YA} audience. The story was great, but started off slow and depressing. There were even some in our book club who just could not get past the first few chapters and gave up {ages 8-10}. The aftermath of the fleet battle was a bit gruesome for younger readers. More of the talking jewel, please!

Will we continue with the series? Absolutely!
Onto Flood and Fire. Even though some to the themes are a bit mature, they do precipitate many good discussions with my daughter. And to me, that is one of the marks of a really good book!

Enjoy these extra resources to further learn about the setting and themes in Raiders' Ransom.
Madeline is having a blast comparing the book vs. real history and places.

ONLINE FREEBIES
- Games and activities for English, British, and Scottish history via the BBC
- View photos and videos of historical landmarks referenced in the book like the Thames River and Big Ben via National Geographic Kids
- Climate change videos, games, and activities via NASA's Climate Kids
- Free Activity Book: Discover Your Changing World with NOAA includes 10 activities to introduce the principles of climate science

ADDITIONAL READING
- English folklore/ Young Guinevere by Robert D. San Souci
- Famous authors/ Charles Dickens: Scenes from an Extraordinary Life by Mick Manning
- London's historical landmarks/ A Walk in London by Salvatore Rubbin
- English theater history/ Tudor Theatre (Building History) by Gillian Clements
- English monarchs / Good Queen Bess : The Story of Elizabeth I of England by Diane Stanley
- Climate change/ The Magic School Bus And The Climate Challenge by Joanna Cole
- Climate change and the polar ice/ Waiting for Ice by Sandra Markle

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Beginning Raiders' Ransom

Madeline and I are reading Raiders' Ransom by Emily Diamand for our homeschool book club. My expectation based on the reviews and description was Pirates of the Caribbean, kids version. It is so not that!


This book is a bit schizophrenic. It starts out as a real downer, then turns into absolute hilarity. So far we are hooked!