Study Guide
I've had a lot of fun reading Draugr at various schools all across Canada. The students seem to be captivated by the fast-pace of the novels and the depth of Norse Mythology and Icelandic Folklore that can be found in the text.
Select a format or use the notes below.
Draugr RTF
Microsoft Word for Windows
Microsoft Word for Mac
Instructions: Give each chapter a title. Just fill in the blanks.
Chapter 1 ________________
- Grandpa tells a story. How does it make Sarah feel?
- Where was Grandpa Thursten from?
- Why was Borth so unpopular?
- What descriptions does the author use to make Borth seem even
more frightening? Does he compare Borth to animals? To creatures
from fairy tales?
- What did the children do to get even with Borth?
- What went wrong?
- Why did Thursten hide in the chicken coop? Why did he fall asleep?
- What is a Draugr?
- What did Grandpa Thursten put in the grave? Why?
- Was the story Grandpa told true?
Chapter 2 ________________
- Find on a map: Iceland, Canada, Missouri, Manitoba, Lake Winnipeg, North Dakota
- Why do you think the writer had his characters come from the United States?
- On p.17 when Grandpa says, "And don't fall down any holes. You might meet a rabbit you don't like?" What does he mean? Do you think he's referring to Bugs Bunny? To the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland? Or to a real rabbit?
- What premonition did Sarah have in the clearing?
- Why did they lose track of time?
- What did they see in the woods?
- What are the last four words of this chapter? What is a cliff-hanger
ending? Does this chapter end with a cliff hanger?
Chapter 3 ________________
- What happens when Michael tries to touch the boy?
- What do you think the boy was?
Chapter 4 ________________
- What does Michael think the boy is?
- How did Gimli get its name?
- Althea, the woman in the bookstore, has a patch over one eye. Is there a Norse god who is missing one eye? Which one?
- Who does Althea say Sarah is related to?
- Does this chapter also end with a cliff hanger? Why does the writer end so many chapters this way?
Chapter 5 ________________
- What did the article in the newspaper say?
- Does this prove that the boy was a ghost?
- Describe Brand.
- How does Brand know that Sarah, Michael and Angie are from the United States?
Chapter 6 ________________
- Describe Sarah's dream. Is it foreshadowing?
- When she wakes up, what does she see?
Chapter 7 ________________
- What is the dog's name?
- Is he named after someone from the Norse Myths?
- Who is Grettir?
- Why is Sarah sure she is related to Grettir? What does Grandpa ask her? Why do you think he asks this?
- Is this foreshadowing?
Chapter 8 ________________
- What is Grandpa Thursten's reaction to the story of the boy?
Chapter 9 ________________
- What does Michael do when he goes outside?
- What does Sarah see on the gate?
- Was there a bear?
- What's in the stew? Why do you think Grandpa put so much of it in the stew?
Chapter 10 ________________
- Was Michael really snoring?
- Why can't Sarah move?
- What does she hear outside?
- Describe the "intruder".
- Where are Grandpa and Hugin?
Chapter 11 ________________
- What did the kids see when they went outside?
- What did the police discover?
Chapter 12 ________________
- Why did Althea show up?
- Did the police think the intruder was a bear?
Chapter 13 ________________
- How did Michael's ankle get bruised?
- When Sarah looks in the mirror, what does she see? Why does this cause her to run away?
Chapter 14 ________________
- Sarah sees crows in the schoolyard. Which god in the Norse Myths had crows who sat on his shoulder?
- What was "Lake Aggassiz"?
- Why does Sarah lie to Brand?
- What image of Grandpa does she see?
Chapter 15 ________________
- Has Brand ever seen a ghost?
- Who does he call on the phone?
Chapter 16 ________________
- What does Althea put on Michael's ankle? What happens?
- How does she react when Sarah says she saw an "image" of her grandpa?
Chapter 17 ________________
- Who was Kormak?
- What happened when Althea saw Eric's spirit?
Chapter 18 ________________
- Why was Kormak mad at the Asmundson family?
- Who was Kar?
- On page 110 Kar is described as being "rotten inside". What other character in the book does that remind you of?
Chapter 19 ________________
- What happened to Kar?
- Where do they have to go?
Chapter 20 ________________
- Brand hears a dog barking near the cemetery. Is it Hugin? Do you think this is foreshadowing?
- What do they discover in the cemetery?
Chapter 21 ________________
- What do they notice about the death of Kormak and Kar?
- What do they find at the cabin?
Chapter 22 ________________
- Why does Michael's bruise start aching again?
- What do they find in the rest stop?
Chapter 23 ________________
- What happens to Brand?
- What runs in front of the truck?
Chapter 24 ________________
- Look at the descriptions of the monster? What animal does the writer compare him to?
Chapter 25 ________________
- What happened when Sarah used the cross on her attacker?
- What happens when Sarah feels the same thing as Michael? Is this E.S.P?
Chapter 26 ________________
- Who was in the well?
- What was glowing?
Chapter 27 ________________
- Was the cabin in good condition? Describe it?
- What was inside?
Chapter 28 ________________
- Why did Sarah feel sorry for Eric?
- How did he help Sarah?
Chapter 29 ________________
- How did Grandpa know the "monster" was near?
Chapter 30 ________________
- What saved Sarah?
Chapter 31 ________________
- What was in the cellar?
- How did her ancestors save her life? Is this a sign that she really is related to Grettir? Explain your answer.
Chapter 32 ________________
- When did the others wake up?
- What does implode mean? Why did that happen to the cabin?
- What happened to Eric?
Chapter 33 ________________
- Did they forget about Brand?
- What did the police find at the cabin?
- Was it a happy ending? Did you like the ending? How
would you have ended the book?
Review and Study Questions
- Is this novel similar to other novels that you've read?
- Which chapters were the most suspenseful?
- What did the author do to create that suspense? What words did he use?
- Why did the author choose to write about Norse Mythology?
- What point of view is this novel from? Why did the author
use a girl as his narrator?
- Did the characters seem like "real" teenagers?
- Use adjectives to describe:
Sarah:
Brand:
Kar:
Grandpa Thursten:
Hugin:
- Did a lot of this novel take place at night? Why would the author set his novel during that time of day?
- What do you think will happen between Brand and Sarah?
- Could something like this novel really happen?
- Make a list of questions you would like to ask the author.
- There were several illustrations in this book. Did they help you picture the story better? Why do you think the artist never shows us the face of the draugr? Illustrate your favorite scenes.
- Why do you think the series is called Northern Frights?
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