“Only with twelve in the circle can the simmer succeed,” the maid said. She eyed Trader intently. “But more than one of us is not who she seems.”
“No!” Aubergine’s eyes raged violet. In one swift move, she jerked Trader away from rejoining the circle. The frightened girl stumbled to her side, knocking the dye table. The hourglass upended once more. It tumbled to the floor and the purple shards scattered. Glaring at the infiltrator, Aubergine shielded Trader with a protective arm.
“What in cracked crystal...?” Wheat began. The words died in her throat. As the witches watched, the kitchen maid shifted shape before their eyes, maturing from a servant girl into a regal woman. She grew taller and more imposing. Her gaze turned from reserved hazel to cold green, while her hair darkened to the intensity of coal.
Smokey Jo plucked at Aubergine’s sleeve. “Who is she?”
"You," Ratta uttered, staring at the dark-haired woman in disbelief. In her features Ratta recognized the probing eyes of the man at the stagecoach inn, who had flipped a piece of Lowland gold to a wandering bard for tales of the Twelve.
The stranger’s mouth widened into a cruel smile. It was then that Esmeralde saw something familiar, too. Wasn’t this woman’s profile stamped on the magic coin she’d found at the Banebridge Trading Post?
“Who?” Smokey pestered again.
Sierra looked at Aubergine in disbelief. “Hiding in plain sight,” was all she said.
Without answer, Aubergine crossed possessive arms around Trader’s shoulders. The unknown woman offered them a defiant stare saying, “Mamie may be safe within the Crystal Caves at last, but the path you seek is more impossible than you can imagine.”
This experienced-skill-level shawl has wonderfully intricate stitchwork throughout, and is designed to keep you sane in a world of discordant voices. It measures 75" wide by 41" deep.
The pattern will be available between books for a special Knit Along where you can add your own magical touch to the mix and knit up this gorgeous shawl for yourself or as a very special gift for someone you want to protect.
Sign up for the Potluck Yarn newsletter so you don’t miss our announcement for the Knit Along!
THE BROKEN CIRCLE
Student Workbook
Teacher/Parent Introduction
This workbook contains a single page of exercises for each of the book’s twenty chapters, as well as for the prologue. The goal is to provide readers with a supplementary learning tool and to empower teachers and parents to participate in the reading process. Each individual page contains four sections that challenge the student in the following areas:
Critical Reading – This section includes three questions that can be used to verify that the student has read and absorbed the basic material in the chapter.
Analytical Reasoning – The two thought-provoking questions in this section are designed to elicit subjective, well-considered answers that validate the student’s comprehension of character motivation, intent, and the overall storyline of the book.
Discussion Prompt – There is an open-ended query regarding social, ethical, or moral topics raised in the chapter.
Vocabulary – The vocabulary section lists five words used in the chapter, along with appropriate definitions and the context in which each word appears in the text. The student is asked to use each word in an original sentence. Note that the definitions are mostly taken from WordNet, an open-source lexical database developed by Princeton University. A few are derived from dictionary.com and other resources.
PROLOGUE
THE GATHERING HAS BEGUN...WHO WILL COME?
In the prologue, Aubergine calls the Twelve to Potluck Yarn.
CRITICAL READING
Who is the gnome?
Why does the tinder box fall into the snow?
How many witches does Aubergine believe are left?
ANALYTICAL REASONING
Should Aubergine try to stop the Dark Queen? Why or why not?
Is it too late to summon the Twelve? Answer yes or no, and give a reason for your choice.
DISCUSSION PROMPT
What can happen when people interfere with nature?
VOCABULARY
Marionette: noun; a small figure of a person operated from above with strings by a puppeteer. Chapter sentence: She felt like a marionette whose strings had been cut.
Avalanche: noun; a large mass of snow, ice, and sometimes rocks or mud that slides rapidly down a mountain. Chapter sentence: Clutching each other for balance, the women looked north, unable to see the distant avalanche but not surprised.
Shard: noun; a fragment, especially of broken earthenware. Chapter sentence: The colored shards felt strangely light and alive with cold fire.
Blustery: adjective; characterized by strong winds, blowing in violent and abrupt bursts. Chapter sentence: This blustery morning she felt nothing but sorrow.
Murmur: verb; speak softly or indistinctly. Chapter sentence: “Fire and Ice,” she murmured , tasting the words that had the metallic flavor of war.
Choose one of the words above and use it in your own sentence.
CHAPTER 1
TROUBLE AT THE WORLD’S FAIR
In this chapter, Skye travels to the World’s Fair.
CRITICAL READING
Who travels to the World’s Fair with Skye?
What happens to Skye’s mother at the fair?
Who agrees to help Skye get away from the fair and across the river?
ANALYTICAL REASONING
Should Skye keep her promise to her mother or return to her father, and why?
Should Skye trust Niles? Why or why not?
DISCUSSION PROMPT
Is it ever okay to break a promise?
VOCABULARY
Absentmindedly: adverb; in a manner produced by being unaware of one's surroundings or actions. Chapter sentence: Absentmindedly she twisted her corn-silk hair into a bun and turned in the doorway…
Freshet: noun; a great rise or overflowing of a stream caused by heavy rains or melted snow. Chapter sentence: Swollen with the spring run-off from the colored freshets…
Discernment: noun; the ability to grasp and comprehend what is obscure. Chapter sentence: Only recently had she been blessed with the discernment to tell the difference between the old and the new.
Provisioned: adjective; prepared beforehand with supplies. Chapter sentence: …Kendrick had set out fully provisioned to hunt elk…
Hank: noun; a coiled or looped bundle (as of yarn). Chapter sentence: She watched as the taller guard unlatched the top of one of the twig baskets, spilling hanks of lavender and blue yarn...
Choose one of the words above and use it in your own sentence.
CHAPTER 2
THE ROAD TO BANEBRIDGE
In this chapter, Esmeralde travels to Banebridge.
CRITICAL READING
Who is Esmeralde going to visit in Banebridge?
What does Esmeralde have to trade to Ozzie for the Dark Queen’s coin?
Which fossicker is Esmeralde looking for?
ANALYTICAL REASONING
Should Esmeralde believe the signs from her Possibles Bag? Why or why not?
If Esmeralde discovers there is a traitor among the Twelve, what should she do?
DISCUSSION PROMPT
Why would someone disguise his or her identity?
VOCABULARY
Prattle: noun; idle or foolish and irrelevant talk. Chapter sentence: She could do without the affectionate prattle of Chloe the button lady…
Numerous: adjective; amounting to a large, indefinite number. Chapter sentence: Numerous others along the muddy track had glanced her way to
inquire about stronger remedies, but she had averted her eyes and feigned ignorance.
Infiltrate: verb; enter a group or organization in order to spy on the members. Chapter sentence: In addition to assembling the remnants of the Twelve, Esmeralde sought to discover who had infiltrated their broken circle and was now informing the Northlanders.
Fossicker: noun; a person who searches for gold or precious stones. Chapter sentence: Ever hopeful, Esmeralde scanned the opposite bank for her favorite fossickers.
Penchant: noun; a strong liking for something or a tendency to engage in a particular activity. Chapter sentence: He had a penchant for hard cider and mind-numbing herbs to counteract the eyestrain he caused himself by going over ledgers in poor light.
Choose one of the words above and use it in your own sentence.
CHAPTER 3
THE RIVER RUNS HIGH
In this chapter, Skye begins her journey to find her mother.
CRITICAL READING
Which of Skye’s brothers almost drowns in the river?
Whose potluck hat do the fossickers find in the river?
How do Skye and her brother catch the ponies?
ANALYTICAL REASONING
If their parents are gone, are Skye and her brothers still a family? Why or why not?
Should Skye go to the Dell with Trader? Why or why not?
DISCUSSION PROMPT
What does it mean to be a family?
VOCABULARY
Determination: noun; the quality of being set or focused to do or achieve something; firmness of purpose. Chapter sentence: She had a feeling that she would need both ponies if she came upon the soldiers who had arrested her mother, so she plodded on with determination.
Infirm: adjective; lacking bodily or muscular strength or vitality. Chapter sentence: Most of the men looked old or infirm and the boys very young…
Torrent: noun; a violently fast stream of water. Chapter sentence: The ponies snorted and backed away from the roiling torrent.
Outpost: noun; a station or settlement located at a distance from a main center of civilization. Chapter sentence: As important as it was in their lives, Banebridge was in truth nothing more than a small outpost, its defining feature a large trestle bridge that crossed the River Runne.
Crick: noun; a painful muscle spasm, especially in the neck or back. Chapter sentence: She had used her mother's bundle of garments as a pillow and something lumpy inside had given her a crick in the neck.
Choose one of the words above and use it in your own sentence.
CHAPTER 4
THE KILLING FIELD
In this chapter, Warren trails one of the witches.
CRITICAL READING
Who is the best sledder in all the lands?
What is Lavender Mae doing in the killing fields?
How did Averill die?
ANALYTICAL REASONING
Should the sledder have left his unit without telling anyone? Why or why not?
Does anyone need to save Mae? Answer yes or no, and give a reason for your choice.
DISCUSSION PROMPT
When is it okay to abandon a group to which you belong?
VOCABULARY
Scavenger: noun; someone who collects things that have been discarded by others. Chapter sentence: Although they called the scavenger an old witch, the sledder was certain that no one else in his unit had any idea who it was.
Mercenary: noun; a person hired to fight for a country or group other than their own. Chapter sentence: …his so-called hunting parties consisted of mercenary road crews who risked their lives for newly minted Lowland coin.
Innards: noun; internal organs, collectively. Chapter sentence: Taking slow, deep breaths to still his innards, he focused on the torn banner flapping in the breeze partway down the slope.
Garishly: adverb; in a tasteless and overly showy manner. Chapter sentence: Pins and medals the old woman had foraged were arrayed down one sleeve of the coat, where they winked garishly in the sun.
Haunch: noun; in human beings, the hip and buttock and upper thigh. Chapter sentence: Rocking back on her haunches, she sniffed the air like a wild dog…
Choose one of the words above and use it in your own sentence.
CHAPTER 5
THIEVES OF THE FROZEN TOMBS
In this chapter, Winter Wheat returns from the Western Highlands.
CRITICAL READING
What kind of spotted sheep is Tracks?
Who does Wheat meet at the Crossings?
Which insects are encased in Wheat’s magical amber crystals?
ANALYTICAL REASONING
Does Tracks have animal instincts that can help Wheat? Answer yes or no, and give a reason for your choice.
Should Wheat follow the soldiers or warn the witches, and why?
DISCUSSION PROMPT
What are some warning signs that something might be dangerous?
VOCABULARY
Plunder: noun; goods or money obtained illegally. Chapter sentence: They strained to haul a load that looked like plunder encased in ice.
Disdainfully: adverb; in a proud and domineering manner. Chapter sentence: One of them hooked it on his pike and sniffed it disdainfully before he swung it around as an offering to the leader of the group that followed.
Dismissive: adjective; showing indifference or disregard. Chapter sentence: Out of the corners of her eyes, she noticed a few dismissive hand gestures.
Labyrinthine: adjective; resembling a maze in form or complexity. Chapter sentence: All beings encased in ice while they lived were hidden in unnamed, labyrinthine caverns that had formed beyond the Crystal Caves in the thousands of years it took for the world to wake again.
Trek: verb; make a long and difficult journey on foot, especially in the mountains. Chapter sentence: They could have trekked around the back of the glacier, known as the Blind Side.
Choose one of the words above and use it in your own sentence.
CHAPTER 6
THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
In this chapter, Lily leaves Middlemarch.
CRITICAL READING
Who is Lily’s sister?
Where does Lily see Sierra?
How does Lily leave Middlemarch?
ANALYTICAL REASONING
Should Lily leave her sister in order to answer Aubergine’s summons? Why or why not?
Should Lily keep secrets from the witches? Answer yes or no, and give a reason for your choice.
DISCUSSION PROMPT
Is it okay to tell secrets?
VOCABULARY
Stoneware: noun; ceramic ware that is fired in high heat; the result is vitrified and nonporous. Chapter sentence: Lilac Lily filled the stoneware pitcher with fresh-cut daffodils to set on the harvest table.
Avarice: noun; extreme greed for material wealth. Chapter sentence: She knew of Tasman's consuming avarice for the power held by the twelve rare jewels.
Demise: noun; the time when something ends, often by death. Chapter sentence: Lily blamed no one but herself for the Potluck’s demise.
Devoid: adjective; completely lacking or free from something. Chapter sentence: Lily had lived these past years imprisoned in a foreign landscape, devoid of magic.
Boisterous: adjective; noisy and lacking in restraint or discipline. Chapter sentence: Helping her sister run a country inn was a far cry from managing the large and boisterous household of the Potluck Twelve, but it kept her busy.
Choose one of the words above and use it in your own sentence.
CHAPTER 7
LOST WITHOUT MAMIE
In this chapter, Ratta leaves home with Mamie.
CRITICAL READING
What secret language do Ratta and Mamie share?
Where is Ratta taking Mamie?
ANALYTICAL REASONING
Should Ratta do anything to keep Mamie alive? Why or why not?
Why is Ratta afraid to let Mamie go?
The Broken Circle: Yarns of the Knitting Witches Page 32
