The Broken Circle: Yarns of the Knitting Witches
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DISCUSSION PROMPT
What are some ways to capture and hold onto great memories?
VOCABULARY
Reverberate: verb; ring or echo with sound. Chapter sentence: When Mamie directed her gaze at Ratta, Ratta could hear the old woman's slow, careful words reverberating with the wisdom of the legends.
Banish: verb; expel from a community or group. Chapter sentence: Would they banish her from the cottage where she had cared for Mamie these twenty years past?
Baleful: adjective; menacing or sinister. Chapter sentence: The baleful hate in her watery eyes needed no translation into words.
Dismount: verb; get down from something one is riding, like a bicycle or a horse. Chapter sentence: Ratta watched him dismount, balancing on his good leg…
Palatial: adjective; spacious and splendid, as a palace is. Chapter sentence: There were still tales to be told, tales of vast icy graveyards and of frozen dead entombed in palatial caverns.
Choose one of the words above and use it in your own sentence.
CHAPTER 8
THE FOSSICKERS SCATTER
In this chapter, Trader decides to travel north with Skye and Garth.
CRITICAL READING
Where do Sky and Trader go?
What is hidden inside Sierra’s bundle of garments?
Why do the fossickers have to scatter?
ANALYTICAL REASONING
Does Trader need to hide as a boy? Why or why not?
Should Trader stay with the fossickers or leave with Skye and Garth?
DISCUSSION PROMPT
What does it mean to “hide in plain sight”?
VOCABULARY
Threadbare: adjective; worn thin through overuse. Chapter sentence: The heavy oiled canvas stretched over the notched wood frame was soiled and threadbare, likely from having been broken down and moved in haste so many times.
Mismatched: adjective; not matched, or incorrectly or unsuitably matched. Chapter sentence: Trader pulled the kettle off the fire and poured the tea into mismatched mead cups.
Surplus: noun; a quantity greater than what is needed. Chapter sentence: He nodded toward a corner with a pile of surplus bedrolls.
Encumbered: adjective; restricted so that free movement is difficult. Chapter sentence: …Trader was quicker than she, and would catch her easily if she tried to flee, encumbered by her skirts…
Forage: verb; collect or look around for (generally used with reference to food). Chapter sentence: Afraid to light a fire, they put up their hoods and huddled against a piling while the ponies foraged nearby.
Choose one of the words above and use it in your own sentence.
CHAPTER 9
PLAYING WITH FIRE
In this chapter, Esmeralde and Indigo try to summon the Twelve with fire in the sky.
CRITICAL READING
Where are Esmeralde and Indigo?
What color is the chimney fire?
Which visitors arrive on the ponies?
ANALYTICAL REASONING
Should Esmeralde and Indigo, instead of Aubergine, summon the other witches? Why or why not?
Do the young people really know who the witches are? Answer yes or no, and give a reason for your choice.
DISCUSSION PROMPT
What are some ways to get to know your friends well?
VOCABULARY
Tincture: noun; a substance that colors or dyes. Chapter sentence: Esmeralde had asked Indigo not to smoke in the cottage while they were steeping tinctures…
Threshold: noun; the bottom of a doorway. Chapter sentence: Wisps of smoke seeped under the threshold …
Swig: noun; a large and hurried swallow. Chapter sentence: Finding no mead cup, she took a swig directly from the earthenware vessel.
Peculiar: adjective; odd; beyond or deviating from the usual or expected. Chapter sentence: The stopper fell out of one, which emitted a peculiar odor.
Tendril: noun; a slender stem-like structure by which some twining plants attach themselves to an object for support, or anything that resembles a plant tendril. Chapter sentence: Hastily she threw the remains into the fireplace as tendrils of the burgeoning emerald flame licked the hearthstones…
Choose one of the words above and use it in your own sentence.
CHAPTER 10
VOICES OF THE ANCIENTS
In this chapter, Warren and Mae hide inside the glacier.
CRITICAL READING
Who steals Warren’s sled?
Where does Mae live?
What does Warren find?
ANALYTICAL REASONING
Should Mae trespass into the Crystal Caves? Why or why not?
Is Mae robbing or protecting the ancients’ tombs? Why did you choose the answer you did?
DISCUSSION PROMPT
How do we treat people that are different?
VOCABULARY
Smolder: verb; burn slowly and without a flame. Chapter sentence: Great chunks of smoldering black rock rained across the valley …
Ocher: noun; any of various earths containing ferric oxide; used as a pigment. Chapter sentence: Although the red ocher used to paint the suns’ rays had faded, he could see remnants of it in the grooved limestone.
Expectantly: adverb; in eager anticipation. Chapter sentence: Glancing down at Mae, who watched him expectantly, Warren grimaced.
Pantomime: verb; act out without words but with gestures and bodily movements only. Chapter sentence: Then she pantomimed filling the wooden barrow and dumping the load.
Anecdote: noun; short account of an incident (especially a biographical one). Chapter sentence: His mother had a series of anecdotes she called Woolgathering, about how mere schoolgirls became the Potluck Twelve.
Choose one of the words above and use it in your own sentence.
CHAPTER 11
THE DERVISH AWAKENS
In this chapter, Wheat follows the Lowland raiders.
CRITICAL READING
How is the dervish imprisoned?
What does Wheat do to free the dervish?
Where does the dervish go?
ANALYTICAL REASONING
Does Tracks know the best path? Why or why not?
Should Wheat awaken the dervish? Why or why not?
DISCUSSION PROMPT
What can we do to help when there is a sudden change in plans?
VOCABULARY
Chatter: verb; click repeatedly or uncontrollably. Chapter sentence: Her grunt of surprise was buried beneath the sound of his teeth chattering.
Cabochon: noun; a gem that is cut and highly polished but not faceted. Chapter sentence: The twin cabochon crystals tied to its end burned with renewed vigor, as she had hoped they would.
Savant: noun; a learned person. Chapter sentence: Over the years, she had become a fiber savant, and this gift served her well.
Unique: adjective; radically distinctive and without equal. Chapter sentence: In Wheat’s eyes, crystal-dyed fibers glowed with a unique aura, no matter what the light.
Allegiance: noun; loyalty or commitment (intellectually or emotionally) to a person, group, cause, or course of action. Chapter sentence: Creature or no creature, Wheat’s first allegiance was to her sheep.
Choose one of the words above and use it in your own sentence.
CHAPTER 12
CALL OF THE COLD-FIRE CRYSTAL
In this chapter, Sierra decides to escape.
CRITICAL READING
Where is Sierra imprisoned?
What card game are Hairy and Raven playing?
What creature does the prison staff believe is a dragon or a bat?
ANALYTICAL REASONI
NG
Should Sierra use magic to escape? Why or why not?
Is it the end of the world? Answer yes or no, and give a reason for your choice.
DISCUSSION PROMPT
If you could say or do one thing before the world ended, what would it be and why?
VOCABULARY
Yammer: verb; talk loudly, or complain whiningly. Chapter sentence: Hairy stood at the cook fire near the mouth of the cave, yammering with the two day-shift guards.
Musty: adjective; covered with or smelling of mold; stale. Chapter sentence: The guards dropped their bows and ducked for cover as the great beast soared and swooped overhead, its huge wings pushing musty air down around them.
Dole: verb; distribute something as charity to somebody who is in need. Chapter sentence: Raven nodded, watching the cook dole out bowls of porridge from a cast-iron pot.
Scour: verb; search for or examine in detail, with the sense of cleaning something well by rubbing it hard. Chapter sentence: She scoured her memory for the tale…
Charred: adjective; burned slightly and superficially so as to affect color. Chapter sentence: Sierra began to climb back toward the charred mouth of the Holes.
Choose one of the words above and use it in your own sentence.
CHAPTER 13
MAMIE’S LAST MESSAGE
In this chapter, Ratta takes Mamie to Esmeralde’s cottage.
CRITICAL READING
What color is the sky?
Who will be the next Guardian of the Crystal Caves?
Where does Ratta know she must go?
ANALYTICAL REASONING
Should Ratta believe the visions Mamie sends her? Why or why not?
Will Ratta be able to resist Aubergine’s summons? Answer yes or no, and give a reason for your choice.
DISCUSSION PROMPT
How do we communicate without words?
VOCABULARY
Ornate: adjective; complexly decorated. Chapter sentence: Coffins lay scattered with broken lids, and ornate funeral tapestries crumpled where they had fallen.
Cacophony: noun; an unpleasant combination of loud, often jarring, sounds. Chapter sentence: To combat the cacophony, Mae put her hands to her ears and chanted louder…
Sputtering: adjective; making a popping or spitting sound. Chapter sentence: With a blast of sputtering liquid, the soup began to boil over.
Gnash: verb; grind together. Chapter sentence: Ratta remained stubbornly silent, watching Lavender Mae gnash her teeth and shake her head…
Resignation: noun; the act of giving up. Chapter sentence: …she felt resignation wrap around her, like an unending sadness.
Choose one of the words above and use it in your own sentence.
CHAPTER 14
TIME TO CLEAN HOUSE
In this chapter, Smokey Jo and Aubergine prepare for the Twelve to arrive.
CRITICAL READING
What is Smokey Jo’s favorite snack?
Who is the first witch to reach Potluck Yarn?
Why does Smokey Jo want to post notices in the marketplace?
ANALYTICAL REASONING
What will happen if some of the witches can’t answer Aubergine’s summons?
Should Smokey Jo blame others for problems in the past? Why or why not?
DISCUSSION PROMPT
What is the difference between forgiving and forgetting?
VOCABULARY
Hallowed: adjective; rendered holy by means of religious rites. Chapter sentence: The back room of the Potluck bore almost no resemblance to the hallowed space it had been when all Twelve had circled the great pot.
Sprouted: adjective; having produced buds or branches, or having germinated. Chapter sentence: Forgotten market bags half full of sprouted potatoes and rotting vegetables sat on chairs and the floor.
Jig: noun; a lively dance, often involving kicking and leaping. Chapter sentence: Smokey clasped her hands and did a little jig.
Dejectedly: adverb; in a sad or depressed manner. Chapter sentence: Smokey sank heavily into the soft cushions of her chair, and, reaching across her meat pie, bit dejectedly into a cookie.
Quizzical: adjective; perplexed or puzzled. Chapter sentence: Smokey abandoned her knitting and gave Aubergine a quizzical look.
Choose one of the words above and use it in your own sentence.
CHAPTER 15
JOURNEY TO THE BORDER
In this chapter, Indigo and Esmeralde answer Aubergine’s summons.
CRITICAL READING
Where do they stop to water the ponies?
Which river only runs part of the year?
What mill town do they pass through on their way to the border?
ANALYTICAL REASONING
Is Trader putting Garth in danger? Answer yes or no, and give a reason for your choice.
Should Trader help Esmeralde and Indigo take over Potluck Yarn? Why or why not?
DISCUSSION PROMPT
How does peer pressure affect what people do?
VOCABULARY
Banter: noun; light, teasing repartee. Chapter sentence: Watching their banter, Skye felt restless and irritated.
Squabble: verb; argue over little things. Chapter sentence: Skye held the warm cup close to her face, trying to quell her anxiety as she listened to Esmeralde and Indigo squabble over packing for the trip.
Copious: adjective; large in number or quantity; abundant. Chapter sentence: They would use their powers of persuasion, coupled with copious tears…
Mosey: verb; walk in a leisurely manner. Chapter sentence: She stopped at the kettle corn stand and moseyed back to the wagon with a cone of sugared treats.
Meander: verb; move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course. Chapter sentence: The route around the checkpoint turned out to be a game trail, muddy and meandering.
Choose one of the words above and use it in your own sentence.
CHAPTER 16
A RUDE AWAKENING
In this chapter, Warren tries to find his way out of the glacier.
CRITICAL READING
How does Warren capture Mae?
Who finds Warren and Mae in the ice caves?
Who feels Aubergine’s call most strongly?
ANALYTICAL REASONING
Should Warren feel upset with Mae or sorry for her? Answer yes or no, and give a reason for your choice.
Would it be right for Warren to disrespect his mother’s decisions? Why or why not?
DISCUSSION PROMPT
What can you do if you have a tough decision to make?
VOCABULARY
Burrow: verb; move through by or as by digging. Chapter sentence: He burrowed his fingers into the thin padding beneath his bedroll and touched ice.
Incessant: adjective; uninterrupted in time and continuing for an indefinite period. Chapter sentence: He imagined that eventually their incessant murmurings had overpowered Mae’s sense of herself and driven her crazy.
Illuminated: adjective; made lighter or brighter. Chapter sentence: In the ceiling far above he saw a hole, a natural skylight intensely illuminated with an eerie red glow.
Inadvertently: adverb; without knowledge or intention. Chapter sentence: Quite by accident, Mae had found the forbidden caves and inadvertently awakened the ancients.
Crevice: noun; a long narrow depression in a surface. Chapter sentence: Mae stayed just out of sight, skittering around a slippery corner or ducking into a crevice.
Choose one of the words above and use it in your own sentence.
CHAPTER 17
STORIES TOO CLOSE TO TRUE
In this chapter, Ratta travels to Bordertown.
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sp; CRITICAL READING
What is the traveling bard’s name?