Blood Fever by Charlie Higson

Prologue - Chapter 1

What is the purpose of the Danger Society?  How do you join?  What do the members do?

Vocabulary:

bulwark (vi)

shoal (vii)

uncivial (xi)

protrude (xv)

evade (2)

jaunt (10)

Chapters 2 - 4

Describe James' aunt.  What does she do?  How does she feel about Latin?

Vocabulary:

gnarled (14)

decrepit (17)

prefect (24)

mock (30)

grisly (34)

mutely (40)

Chapters 5 - 6

What do we know about Zoltan?  Where is he from?  How did he become a sailor?  What is he planning?

Vocabulary:

horde (45)

drawl (50)

saunter (54)

cacophany (60)

sullen (62)

contraband (64)

Chapters 7 - 8

Why doesn't James trust Cooper-Ffrench?  What information do we know about him?

Vocabulary:

excavate (70)

skullguggery (73)

brusk (85)

raucous (87)

idle (90)

Chapters 9 - 11

Describe Count Ugo and his sister Jana.  How do they act?  How are they different from each other?

Vocabulary:

incongruous (98)

quay (103)

subconscious (105)

nauseous (109)

ensamble (115)

vivid (116)

extravagant (120)

Chapters 12 - 13

How does James' dive help to make Mauro a friend?  Does the attack later bring them closer together or farther apart?  Why?

Vocabulary:

desolate (129)

mimicked (133)

recoil (138)

neutrality (145)

chaotic (151)

grime (155)

Chapters 14 - 15

What is Ugo's house like?  What clues exist for James to discover Ugo's guilt?

Vocabulary:

lurid (158)

arid (159)

facades (162)

stable (173)

agitated (175)

replica (177)

Chapters 16 - 17

What is your opinion of Zoltan?  Is he a good or a bad character?  Has he been helpful or hurtful to James?

Vocabulary:

grimace (187)

excrement (189)

ungainly (191)

feud (149)

unimpeded (203)

primative (204)

Chapters 18 - 20

Who ends up working for Ugo?  Why?  What is he willing to do, or kill for his boss?

Vocabulary:

rivalry (215)

neglected (217)

discarded (220)

agile (227)

exquisite (236)

martyr (241)

Chapters 21 - 23

How does Ugo decide to torture James?  Why?  What happenes because fo the torture?

Vocabulary:

guise (246)

pierce (253)

menace (255)

livid (256)

writhe (264)

enquiring (266)

Chapters 24 - 25

What choise does James have about saving Amy?  Who wants to keep her?  What does James want to happen?

Vocabulary:

aromatic (276)

drowsiness (279)

dialect (283)

lurid (286)

sporatic (289)

tension (296)

Chapters 26 - 30

How does the story end for James?  What about for Zoltan?  Did he get what he wanted?

Vocabulary:

falter (299)

monotany (300)

entourage (312)

maneuvered (341)

trodden (346)

Woodsong by Gary Paulsen

Chapters 1 - 2

What do you think Gary Paulsen means when he says "knew nothing" about the doe or the dogs?

Vocabulary:

paradox (1)

tandem (2)

"run amuck" (9)

ignorant (11)

Chapters 3 - 4

Why was Gary Paulsen motivated to kill Scarhead?  Why didn't he do it?  How do you think you might have reacted?

Vocabulary:

clarity (21)

allieviate (22)

melancholy (32)

lope (33)

Chapters 5 - 6

These chapters are all about odd, unexplainable things.  Have you ever had something happen to you that you could not explain?  Write about it.

Vocabulary:

bachelor (42)

forlorn (44)

stark (49)

intricate (54)

frantic (58)

Chapter 7

What are some of the  ways that Storm was like a person?  Think of his personality and actions.

Vocabulary:

initially (64)

idiocy (67)

mutiny (68)

emit (76)

Chapter 8 - Day 1

In what wats is the lead dog important?  What does it do?  How does it get treated?

Vocabulary:

duration (80)

competence (83)

leper (90)

Day 2 - Day 6

Which of the dangers in the Iditarod sounds worst to you so far?  Why?

Vocabulary:

enormity (94)

pandemonium (95)

deprivation (96)

expanse (105)

indignant (106)

Day 7 - Days 16-17

After reading about the Iditarod, do you think it's something you would like to try?  Why or why not?

Vocabulary:

interior (12)

stultifying (113)

amiably (116)

primitave (122)

abate (128)

Tracker by Gary Paulsen

Chapters 1 - 2

Why is John upset about his grandfather?  What is he being asked to do alone?  Why?

Vocabulary:

ruddy (3)

texture (5)

manure (13)

ritual (16)

Chapters 3 - 4

What are John's grandfather's feelings about hunting?  Why does the family do it?

Vocabulary:

silage (21)

granary (22)

thrum (29)

tallow (30)

Chapters 5 - 6

What does the phrase "think deer" mean?  What does John think about while hunting?

Vocabulary:

assailed (36)

privy (40)

brutal (47)

delibrate (48)

Chapters 7 - 8

Describe how the deer looks when John comes across it.  Why do you think he doesn't shoot?

Vocabulary:

matted (52)

bounds (56)

intermittently (58)

persist (59)

Chapters 9 - 10

Why does John continue to follow the deer?  What does he think might happen or how he might feel?

Vocabulary:

"mortal danger (67)

taint (69)

quivering (77)

stagger (79)

Chapters 11 - 12

How does John's grandfather react to what John did with the doe?

Vocabulary:

halo (81)

heaving (83)

lamely (88)

Ninth Grade Slays

Chapters 1 - 2

What advice did Uncle Otis send in the letter?  Why do you think Vlad does not want to control people?

Vocabulary:

provisions (3)

famished (7)

contrary (8)

incapable (12)

adept (14)

Chapter 3

What do we know about Joss?  In what ways is he like Vlad?  How do you think he will be involved in the story?

Vocabulary:

queasy (21)

bemused (22)

disdain (23)

retort (24)

straggler (32)

Chapters 4 - 6

Do you agree with Nelly that Vlad needs to be more careful?  How do you think people would react to what he really is?

Vocabulary:

traipse (42)

nausea (45)

hefted (50)

notoriety (51)

manipulating (55)

myriad (64)

Chapters 7 - 8

What evidence does Eddie Poe have about Vlad?  What other secrets does Vlad have to hide?

Vocabulary:

incredulous (75)

audibly (76)

recite (80)

mocking (90)

perusal (94)

Chapters 9 - 10

For what reason has Vlad gone to study with Vikas?  What qualities does Vikus have that could make him a good teacher?

Vocabulary:

mope (100)

quenched (102)

suffice (109)

solemn (114)

proximity (116)

Chapters 11 - 12

Describe a vampire funeral.  Do you think it would be a happy or a sad occasion?  Why?

Vocabulary:

intricate (121)

rotund (122)

valor (125)

heinous (129)

sacrilege (136)

Chapters 13 - 14

Explain the Pravus legend.  How does Vlad fit the prediction?  What does that mean he might do someday?

Vocabulary:

external (144)

futile (145)

smirk (147)

crested (164)

instill (166)

Chapters 15 - 17

What motivated Eddie to want to discover Vlad's secret?  What are his homelife and past like?

Vocabulary:

bemused (177)

omitted (185)

nauseating (192)

glorified (197)

oblige (200)

Chapters 18 - 19

Make a prediction about Jasik's role in the end of this book.  Will he be helpful or harmful to Vlad?

Vocabulary:

timid (206)

protocol (208)

bretheren (211)

vowing (218)

reminiscing (219)

Chapters 20 - 21

What feelings are competing in Joss' head?  What motivated him?  What are the outcomes of his choice?

Vocabulary:

minions (229)

venture (232)

demise (233)

propel (244)

consent (245)

epitome (245)

Chapters 22 - 23

How does the book end for Vlad?  Which friends and allies did he keep, and which did he lose?

Vocabulary:

haze (260)

winced (262)

feeble (268)

coax (272)

Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer

Chapters 1 - 3

What are some of the ways that Vlad is different from Henry?  Why do you think they can still be friends?

Vocabulary:

peers (4)

protrude (5)

contemplation (8)

ingest (19)

lingering (26)

Chapters 4 - 5

In what ways is Mr. Otis Otis different from other teachers?  What predictions do you have about his role in the story?

Vocabulary:

assist (29)

subsequently (31)

emulate (32)

decipher (33)

Chapters 6 - 7

Why do you think Vlad didn't want to write about being a vampire?  Why could this be an easy thing for him?  Why might it be hard?

Vocabulary:

mortician (46)

infamous (52)

ignorant (54)

posture (66)

fascination (68)

Chapters 8 - 9

What truth did Vlad discover about his parents?  How did he discover this information?

Vocabulary:

gaudy (69)

stark (70)

antics (72)

snicker (81)

cryptic (82)

Chapters 10 - 11

What evidence exists that Mr. Otis murdered Vlad's parents?  What do you predict the truth will be?

Vocabulary:

sulking (98)

seethed (100)

extinguished (103)

scoff (108)

compsure (111)

Chapters 12 - 13

What is the truth about Elysia?  What does the council want Vlad?  How do they get him to come?

Vocabulary:

cadaver (124)

glyph (127)

droning (128)

divulge (138)

heritage (140)

Chapters 14 - 16

What are your thoughts about Vlad as a character?  Did he change or grow throughout the novel? How?

Vocabulary:

morphing (146)

undeniable (148)

ominous (153)

Closed For the Season by Mary Downing Hahn

Chapters 1 - 3

What is the history of Logan's new house?  Do you think Arthur should be believed?  Why or why not?

Vocabulary:

quaint (1)

cynical (2)

propinquity (3)

embellishments (8)

etiquette (10)

menacious (11)

Chapters 4 - 5

What facts do we know about the murder?  Why would someone do it?  Would you still live in the house?

Vocabulary:

exemplary (22)

morbid (23)

embezzled (24)

affable (31)

abode (32)

Chapters 6 - 8

Describe the magic forest.  Why is it important to the story?

Vocabulary:

perilously (39)

imbecile (41)

kudzu (46)

pulverize (50)

ignormous (53)

repentant (57)

Chapters 9 - 11

What is Violet trying to remember?  How might the toys and the map help her?

Vocabulary:

synthetic (67)

cower (69)

reluctantly (74)

picturesque (76)

saunter (82)

Chapters 12 - 13

What do we know about Arthur's past?  What are his family and home life like?

Vocabulary:

deftly (85)

irate (87)

ambled (93)

mutual (96)

Chapters 14 - 15

How are Anthony and Arthur different as friend possibilities?  How would school be different if each was Logan's friend?

Vocabulary:

amputate (99)

interior (107)

muffled (114)

insisted (117)

Chapters 16 - 17

What is your opinion of Nina?  Do you think she is helpful or harmful for Logan?  Make a prediction about her role in the end of the story.

Vocabulary:

flounced (119)

extricated (122)

hideous (133)

demolish (137)

Chapters 18 - 21

Did Danny change over the course of the story?  What hardships did he need to overcome?

Vocabulary:

phantom (147)

charade (157)

dilapidated (169)

pretentious (176)