Skullduggery Pleasant: Playing with Fire by Derek Landy

Chapters 1 - 4

What facts do we know about Valkyrie Cain?  Who is she and what does she do?

Vocabulary:

parapet (7)

goad (8)

ardous (16)

disembark (20)

insubordinate (21)

fanatical (26)

Chapters 5 - 6

How does Valkyrie Cain live her double life?  What are the good and bad potential results from this?

Vocabulary:

cavort (36)

ravishing (37)

validity (44)

exasperate (46)

inflict (56)

alteration (58)

Chapter 7

How did Skulduggery become a skeleton detective?  What motivates him?  Who does he work for?

Vocabulary:

facade (60)

obscure (61)

renovate (61)

epidermis (63)

neurosis (66)

tribute (68)

wane (74)

Chapters 8 - 9

What clues do we have so far about the creation of the Grotesquery?

Vocabulary:

momentum (80)

conjure (81)

infuriate (85)

glower (86)

demise (91)

subdue (95)

Chapters 10 - 12

What reputation does Skulduggery have?  How do people treat him?  How does he respond?

Vocabulary:

exploit (114)

dirge (118)

distort (128)

aesthetic (131)

Chapters 13 - 16

How does Valkyrie fake her own death?  Why does she have to die?

Vocabulary:

redundant (135)

agile (136)

loathe (140)

modest (142)

lenient (144)

exertion (146)

squallid (154)

Chapters 17 - 20

Why is Valkyrie important to Vengence?  What does he want her for?  If she had known, do you think she would have acted differently?

Vocabulary:

luxuries (166)

cutlass (168)

taint (173)

feint (177)

Chapters 21 - 24

Why does Vengence want to raise the Grotesquery?  What will it do?  Who will it serve?

Vocabulary:

humble (190)

ransack (193)

auspicious (193)

insidious (197)

sensible (204)

flourish (210)

Chapters 25 - 27

What abilities does the Grotesquery have?  How did it gain these abilities?

Vocabulary:

epiphany (218)

hybrid (223)

extricate (224)

fester (230)

Chapters 28 - 30

Why doesn't Valkyrie want to go to her family reunion?  How was she going to get out of it?

Vocabulary:

concotion (239)

divulge (244)

befuddle (248)

berate (258)

Chapters 31 - 34

How was the torment tricked?  Why did he want Valkyrie dead?

Vocabulary:

placid (260)

cacophany (262)

hone (271)

tendril (274)

gaudy (280)

Chapters 35 - 38

What is your opinion of Spring Heeled Jack?  Is he a villian?  What do his actions tell you about his character?

assailed (291)

protrude (294)

devoid (297)

constrict (302)

contort (305)

Chapters 39 - 42

Who was Billy's real employer?  What was the real purpose of the Grotesquery?

Vocabulary:

feat (323)

protege (326)

naive (327)

potent (331)

severe (339)

aroma (344)