About
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….
Read one section at a time, then discuss the questions to review understanding. These questions are a starting place for conversation, not a complete test of the chapter.
Chapter 1
Comprehension questions
Who are the main characters and what’s the setting of this story?
Page 2 — Jane, Simon & Barnabas Drew; In a museum where the grail had been stored
2
To their surprise, who was in the museum?
Page 3 — Great-Uncle Merry
3
Who is Great-Uncle Merry?
Page 6 — Merriman Lyon
6
Where is Jane, Barney and Simon going on Easter vacation and with who?
Page 9 — Back to Trewissick, where they found the grail; with Merriman and Will
9
Chapter 2
Comprehension questions
Where are the families staying in Trewissick?
Page 13 — In two cottages connected that overlook the harbor
13
How do the Drew kids feel about Will?
Page 15 — 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
15
How did Merriman reply when Barney said Will was going to be a nuisance?
Page 19 — Merriman told him not to dismiss anyone’s value until he knew him
19
Why was Rufus kidnapped?
Page 24 — To keep Captain Toms away from the Greenwitch
24
Chapter 3
Comprehension questions
Who invited Jane to the Greenwitch ceremony?
Page 26 — Mrs. Penhallow
26
Who were the only people that could attend the ceremony?
Page 26 — Local women
26
What was the figure made with and what did it look like?
Page 28 — Different types of tree boughs; a woman’s head and body
28
Who pushed the Greenwitch off the ledge into the ocean?
Page 33 — The men of the village
33
Chapter 4
Comprehension questions
Why did the Drew children go out to look for Gumerry?
Page 38 — They hadn’t seen him since the Greenwitch ceremony
38
What did Barney put together about Merriman and the man who stole Rufus along with his painting?
Page 42 — The man is from the Dark and Merriman saved them from him
42
What secret did the Greenwitch show Jane?
Page 45 — A small bright shining thing; something the Greenwitch guarded
45
How does Jane feel about the Greenwitch?
Page 46 — She feels sorry for it
46
Chapter 5
Comprehension questions
Where did Rufus take Simon and Barney?
Page 49 — Where the man from the Dark kept him prisoner; Pentreath Farm
49
Who had the boys seen come out of the gypsy caravan and why did they come out of the trees?
Page 50 — The man from the Dark; he commanded them to come out
50
What was in the box with Barney’s picture?
Page 53 — The grail
53
What did the painter of the Dark want Barney to do?
Page 56 — Look in the chalice and see what he sees with water and oil
56
Chapter 6
Comprehension questions
Why are the boys so hungry?
Page 61 — It’s past time for breakfast and they’d been gone a long time
61
Who took over Barney when he looked into the oil and water?
Page 63 — Something from the Dark
63
Where did Will and Merriman go after hearing what Simon told them?
Page 66 — jumped off the cliff into the ocean
66
What did Captain Toms do to the children after Will and Merriman left and why?
Page 67 — Made them forget, so they wouldn’t realize Will and Merriman’s power; so they wouldn’t continue to be upset
67
Chapter 7
Comprehension questions
Describe Tethys.
Page 69 — 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
69
What gift did Merriman give to Tethys?
Page 70 — Barney’s picture
70
What did Merriman and Will want from Tethys?
Page 71 — To get the item from the Greenwitch
71
What are the stipulations for Will and Merriman to retrieve the item?
Page 72 — 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
72
Chapter 8
Comprehension questions
Who did the children see on the quay and what was he doing?
Page 76 — The painter; painting a picture
76
Why were the children upset the painting man was still painting after it got dark outside?
Page 80 — He wouldn’t have been able to see what he was doing, so they knew he was up to something
80
What’s a beacon fire?
Page 82 — A warning fire to those far away
82
What came out of the sea when the painter held the canvas over his head and cried out in a strange language?
Page 85 — The Greenwitch
85
Chapter 9
Comprehension questions
Why did the painter summon the Greenwitch?
Page 87 — To ask her for the ancient Thing of Power she is guarding
87
Why won’t she give it to him?
Page 87 — It is her treasure and secret
87
What did the Greenwitch do to the painter when he tried to use his Dark power to command her?
Page 89 — She overtook him and caused him to go unconscious
89
What did Captain Toms convince Bill Stanton to do with the painter?
Page 90 — Take him to a hospital
90
Chapter 10
Comprehension questions
What did Gumerry bring to Jane and what did he promise her?
Page 94 — Hot cocoa; they would all be safe
94
Why didn’t Jane throw open the window and shout out a warning to Merriman?
Page 96 — She had known him for too long and knew he wasn’t like other men, he was of the Light
96
What did Jane realize was the reason why Merriman wanted them to go to sleep?
Page 100 — So they wouldn’t see the nightmares that were occurring out their windows
100
What did Jane finally manage to do after hiding in her covers?
Page 100 — Go to sleep
100
Chapter 11
Comprehension questions
What is the item the Greenwitch is guarding?
Page 102 — The parchment needed to read the grail
102
How did Greenwitch get possession of it?
Page 102 — Just after the kids had found the grail, the Dark ones came chasing them. Barney threw it and it fell into the ocean
102
What had captured the painter and taken him away for good?
Page 107 — The Wild Magic
107
Why did the Greenwitch give the secret to Jane?
Page 108 — Jane had made a wish for the Greenwitch and not for herself
108
Chapter 12
Comprehension questions
What does Merriman need to read the writing on the scroll?
Page 112 — The grail
112
What was gone when the group drove out to the farm to get the grail?
Page 115 — The caravan
115
What did the boys see in the barn?
Page 119 — An old worn caravan just like the painter’s caravan, but older
119
How did the boys find the grail?
Page 121 — Will told them to tell him exactly what the painter said when they found the grail the first time in the caravan
121
Chapter 13
Comprehension questions
What did Merriman check before destroying the parchment?
Page 124 — If Will and Captain Toms had the poem in their memories
124
Why didn’t Will want Jane to give her bracelet to the Greenwitch?
Page 127 — It would become black and dirty looking in the water
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?
Page 129 — Remnants of the Greenwitch
129
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