Greenwitch
by Susan Cooper
Grades 6-8; Genre - Fantasy; GRL X; AR pts: 6.0
The Dark has stolen an object of great power — a golden grail that holds avital secret. Will embarks on a new quest to reclaim the grail, and to drive back the Dark once again. But first he will need the help of three former grail seekers: Jane, Simon, and Barney Drew. Learning to work together, they must take back the grail and retrieve the missing manuscript that unlocks its mystical secret. But the manuscript is located at the bottom of the sea, and their only hope of obtaining both grail and script is entangled in the mysterious ritual of the Greenwitch....
Comprehension Questions
Chapter 1
- Who are the main characters and what’s the setting of this story? Jane, Simon & Barnabas Drew; In a museum where the grail had been stored p.2
- To their surprise, who was in the museum? Great-Uncle Merry p.3
- Who is Great-Uncle Merry? Merriman Lyon p.6
- Where is Jane, Barney and Simon going on Easter vacation and with who? Back to Trewissick, where they found the grail; with Merriman and Will p.9
Chapter 2
- Where are the families staying in Trewissick? In two cottages connected that overlook the harbor p.13
- How do the Drew kids feel about Will? They’re unhappy that he's with them since Gumerry gave them a secret mission. They feel he’ll get in the way, so they’ll have to ditch him p.15
- How did Merriman reply when Barney said Will was going to be a nuisance? Merriman told him not to dismiss anyone’s value until he knew him p.19
- Why was Rufus kidnapped? To keep Captain Toms away from the Greenwitch p.24
Chapter 3
- Who invited Jane to the Greenwitch ceremony? Mrs. Penhallow p.26
- Who were the only people that could attend the ceremony? Local women p.26
- What was the figure made with and what did it look like? Different types of tree boughs; a woman’s head and body p.28
- Who pushed the Greenwitch off the ledge into the ocean? The men of the village p.33
Chapter 4
- Why did the Drew children go out to look for Gumerry? They hadn’t seen him since the Greenwitch ceremony p.38
- What did Barney put together about Merriman and the man who stole Rufus along with his painting? The man is from the Dark and Merriman saved them from him p.42
- What secret did the Greenwitch show Jane? A small bright shining thing; something the Greenwitch guarded p.45
- How does Jane feel about the Greenwitch? She feels sorry for it p.46
Chapter 5
- Where did Rufus take Simon and Barney? Where the man from the Dark kept him prisoner; Pentreath Farm p.49
- Who had the boys seen come out of the gypsy caravan and why did they come out of the trees? The man from the Dark; he commanded them to come out p.50
- What was in the box with Barney’s picture? The grail p.53
- What did the painter of the Dark want Barney to do? Look in the chalice and see what he sees with water and oil p.56
Chapter 6
- Why are the boys so hungry? It’s past time for breakfast and they’d been gone a long time p.61
- Who took over Barney when he looked into the oil and water? Something from the Dark p.63
- Where did Will and Merriman go after hearing what Simon told them? jumped off the cliff into the ocean p.66
- What did Captain Toms do to the children after Will and Merriman left and why? Made them forget, so they wouldn’t realize Will and Merriman’s power; so they wouldn’t continue to be upset p.67
Chapter 7
- Describe Tethys. The Lady of the Sea, lived deep in the ocean, older than the land, Old Ones, and all men, she ruled her kingdom of waves alone, as she had since the world began p.69
- What gift did Merriman give to Tethys? Barney’s picture p.70
- What did Merriman and Will want from Tethys? To get the item from the Greenwitch p.71
- What are the stipulations for Will and Merriman to retrieve the item? They can go to the Greenwitch and try to get it from her, but if the Greenwitch crosses into Tethys territory, and they haven’t gotten it yet, they cannot enter Tethys’ territory again to get it p.72
Chapter 8
- Who did the children see on the quay and what was he doing? The painter; painting a picture p.76
- Why were the children upset the painting man was still painting after it got dark outside? He wouldn’t have been able to see what he was doing, so they knew he was up to something p.80
- What’s a beacon fire? A warning fire to those far away p.82
- What came out of the sea when the painter held the canvas over his head and cried out in a strange language? The Greenwitch p.85
Chapter 9
- Why did the painter summon the Greenwitch? To ask her for the ancient Thing of Power she is guarding p.87
- Why won’t she give it to him? It is her treasure and secret p.87
- What did the Greenwitch do to the painter when he tried to use his Dark power to command her? She overtook him and caused him to go unconscious p.89
- What did Captain Toms convince Bill Stanton to do with the painter? Take him to a hospital p.90
Chapter 10
- What did Gumerry bring to Jane and what did he promise her? Hot cocoa; they would all be safe p.94
- Why didn’t Jane throw open the window and shout out a warning to Merriman? She had known him for too long and knew he wasn’t like other men, he was of the Light p.96
- What did Jane realize was the reason why Merriman wanted them to go to sleep? So they wouldn’t see the nightmares that were occurring out their windows p.100
- What did Jane finally manage to do after hiding in her covers? Go to sleep p.100
Chapter 11
- What is the item the Greenwitch is guarding? The parchment needed to read the grail p.102
- How did Greenwitch get possession of it? Just after the kids had found the grail, the Dark ones came chasing them. Barney threw it and it fell into the ocean p.102
- What had captured the painter and taken him away for good? The Wild Magic p.107
- Why did the Greenwitch give the secret to Jane? Jane had made a wish for the Greenwitch and not for herself p.108
Chapter 12
- What does Merriman need to read the writing on the scroll? The grail p.112
- What was gone when the group drove out to the farm to get the grail? The caravan p.115
- What did the boys see in the barn? An old worn caravan just like the painter’s caravan, but older p.119
- How did the boys find the grail? Will told them to tell him exactly what the painter said when they found the grail the first time in the caravan p.121
Chapter 13
- What did Merriman check before destroying the parchment? If Will and Captain Toms had the poem in their memories p.124
- Why didn’t Will want Jane to give her bracelet to the Greenwitch? It would become black and dirty looking in the water p.127
- What did Will make for Jane to give to the Greenwitch? A strip of gold with a poem inside the case that held the manuscript.127
- What was in Jane’s room the night she received the secret? Remnants of the Greenwitch p.129