Den of Thieves by Julia Golding

DISCUSSION GUIDE

Discussion Questions:

1. Throughout the novel, keep a chart or discussion thread based on the reading strategy SCAMPER - see graphic organizer below

• Setting - keep track of the setting and consider how both time and place affect the plot.
  • For instance, how would this story be different if it took place today? In Africa instead of Europe?
  • Why do you think authors often choose to set novels during times of momentous events or change?
  • Compare/contrast descriptions of Cat's hometown London and Paris. See example below. Use text evidence to support your comparison. These cities and the culture within them play an important role in the novel. Could you make the argument that the cities are also characters in the novel?
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  • There is also a comparison of city vs. country in the novel. What are the pros and cons of living in the city according to Cat? the country? Do you agree/disagree? Why?

• Character - Cat has a lot of friends and enemies in this novel, most of whom are male. Make a chart of all the men/boys in Cat's life and jot down characteristics of her relationship to them. See example below. Consider:
• What does Cat think of them? Use text evidence to support your answer
• What do they think of Cat?
• What motivates them?
• Are they similar to/different from Cat? How so?

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2. Extension Activities:

• Art:
  • make a cockade to support the French Revolution, find instructions at
  • create your own cover of the next installment of the "Tales of Cat of Drury Lane" using the following examples from GoogleBooks and the example on p. 111.
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• Dance:
  • go to a ballet performance or have ballet instruction brought to the library,
  • have ballet students visit and present/interview.
  • read articles -
  • read graphic novel -
• Theater: Cat is a child of the theater, and on the pages just before the Prologue, she has named the principal characters in the play that is her life.
  • Take one scene from the story and turn it into a script (either one to be acted or a Reader's Theater script) and perform. Think about how writing a script is different from writing a novel. What changes? What remains the same?
  • Here are some resources on script writing:
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• History:
  • Research the French Revolution. How is it similar to/different from the American Revolution?
• Language Arts:
  • Write a letter as if you were JF in answer to Cat's on pp. 411-413
  • Invite a French teacher or native speaker of French to give a lesson or two on the French language
  • Join an epals group with students from Paris to learn about the language and culture
• Culinary Arts:
  • In the novel, JF was quite a good cook. Research French recipes from the time of the Revolution and have a French feast - cook recipes and enjoy a potluck. Compile recipes into a "Cat's Cookbook."

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