ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alice Mary Norton was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on February 17, 1912. Read to by her mother from an early age, she grew up loving books and began writing in high school. She published her first book, The Prince Commands, at the age of twenty. Norton wrote under a pseudonym which she felt helped her gain footing in male-dominated publishing markets, legally changing her name to Andre Alice Norton in 1934. She worked as a librarian, briefly owned a bookstore, and served as a reader and anthologist for publisher Martin Greenburg before devoting herself exclusively to writing. Norton’s work spans decades and literary genres—her list of books, stories and poems numbering into the hundreds—though she is best known for her fantasy and young adult novels, including the Witch World series. Her Magic books, including Lavender-Green Magic, were largely written during the Vietnam era and feature young outsiders struggling to fit in and make sense of their worlds through fantastical journeys to times past. Norton received numerous accolades, including the Nebula Grand Master Award (1984), the Daedalus Award for Lifetime Achievement (1986), and the World Fantasy Convention Life Achievement Award (1998). In 1997, “The Lady” as she was known to her myriad fans was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame and moved to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where she lived until her death on March 17, 2005. Her last novel, Three Hands for Scorpio, was published by Tor Books in April, 2005.
RESEARCH AND WRITING ACTIVITIES
I. The Dimsdale Dump
A. The Wade children are surprised to discover that their grandparents maintain the Sussex town dump. In the character of Holly, Crock, or Judy, write a journal entry describing your feelings upon realizing where you must now live.
B. Where do old, broken, or unwanted objects go in your community? Go to your local library, town hall, or online to learn about how garbage is managed in your city or town. What recycling practices are in place? How are old televisions, computers, and other technological devices disposed of? Prepare a poster or diagram describing the journey trash takes out of your home or community. Include detailed annotations and illustrations.
C. The Wade grandparents have found and repaired discarded items that actually have great value. Visit a local antique shop to learn about some of the old treasures that can be found in your own community. Or go to the library or online to learn more about an antique or collectible item of interest to you. Draw or make a replica of one of these items. Use a large index card to label your replica with information on the age, origin, use, and value of the item. If desired, combine your replica and label with those of friends for a classroom display.
D. Instead of discarding a broken toy or other used item, try repairing or finding a new use for it. Write a short essay describing this experience.
E. In the character of one of the Wade grandparents, speak to a group of friends or classmates, explaining how and why people should find value in old things. Or visit your local historical society to find out how you can help preserve your community’s past; share what you have learned with friends or classmates.
II. Growing, Fixing, Healing
A. Judy in particular, seems to have an affinity for growing things. Try planting an herb or flower in your home or classroom. Learn how to care for the plant and make a list of ways that the plant can be used for cooking, healing or decorating.
B. Try making Tamar’s Rose Beads or another craft described at the end of the novel. Or, go to the library or online to find instructions for another early American craft that can be made with fruits, flowers, or herbs. If possible, gift a family member, friend, teacher, or classmate with your creation, including a special “Handmade by . . .” label.
C. At the end of the novel, Tamar shares a special gift with each of the Wade children. Write a paragraph explaining which gift you would most like to have and why. Or, with friends or classmates, create a brainstorm list describing the value of each of Tamar’s gifts and how you might use them in modern life.
D. The Wade grandparents have learned how to repair many old objects—a practice Crock seems excited to continue. Think of something you have a talent for fixing or preparing. Can you bake a special family recipe, tune a guitar, care for a pet, or change a bicycle tire? Prepare an oral report in which you share this ability with friends or classmates. List the steps required to complete the task and, if possible, bring in diagrams, examples or other visual aids for your presentation.
III Witchcraft
A. Go to the library or online to learn more about superstitions about witchcraft in early America. In the character of an early American man or woman, write an essay explaining why you think one of your neighbors is a witch, or why you are afraid others might suspect you of practicing witchcraft. Read your essay aloud to friends or classmates, wearing the costume of an early American settler if desired.
B. Create a survey about beliefs in witchcraft and other supernatural or magical phenomena. Invite friends, classmates, or family members to complete the survey. Compile your results in a short report, including tables or charts displaying your data.
C. Go to the library or online to learn more about the history and art of mazes from the Cretan Labyrinth of Ancient Greek mythology, to the English tradition of hedge mazes, to rural American corn mazes. What is the difference between a maze and a labyrinth? What mathematic concepts are employed in maze designs? How might mazes be related to magic and witchcraft? Write a report answering these questions, prepare an oral presentation about a famous maze or labyrinth from the past, or use graph paper and colored pencils to design a maze of your own.
D. Although Andre Alice Norton’s novel was written more than three decades ago, magic and witchcraft is a popular motif in contemporary children’s literature. Create a reading list of books exploring this theme, including brief descriptions of any you have read, starred favorites, and notes on titles which have particular similarities with Lavender-Green Magic. Share your list with your school or community librarian.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What recent events have contributed to Holly’s gloomy state of mind at the outset of the novel? Why is Holly concerned that she will be treated poorly by her new schoolmates in Sussex? Describe at least four differences Holly perceives between Sussex and Boston in the opening pages of the story.
2. What is the Dimsdale curse? How do Mrs. Pigot and the Wade grandparents describe the events surrounding the curse legend differently? Who is Miss Elvery? How is the notion of witchcraft introduced early on in the story?
3. What unusual sort of home do the Wade children find at Dimsdale? How do you think you would have felt had you arrived at Luther and Mercy’s home for an extended stay? What features of the house and surroundings might you have found worrisome, unpleasant, or exciting?
4. What is the Wade grandparents’ attitude toward modern conveniences and toward the old or broken “trash” that others throw away?
5. What are Tomkit and the “dream pillow”? Who has the first dream? What is Grandma’s reaction to Holly’s question about the maze? How does Judy lead Crock and Holly to the maze? What is the landscape like inside the maze?
6. Who is Tamar? Is she a friend to the Wade children? From what time does Tamar seem to come? Explain how the following statement by Tamar might serve as a theme or moral for the rest of the novel: “There must lie truth within the heart . . . lest thy every effort be doomed to failure.” (Chapter 4.)
7. How does Master Elkins upset Tamar? How is witchcraft brought into their conversation? What warning does Goody Patience give to Tamar? Why does Judy confront Patience? How does this make trouble for Tamar? What gift from Tamar do the children bring back through the maze to the present?
8. What do Judy and Holly do with Tamar’s seeds? While she plants, what ideas does Holly consider about Tamar and Grandmother’s old tale of the Dimsdale curse?
9. Why does Miss Finch take Holly’s class to the library? What old book startles Holly? How does it help Holly decide what to do for her proj
ect?
10. Why does Holly discourage Judy from making friends at school? Is she right in doing so? Had you found yourself in Holly’s position, would you have made the same assumptions—or behaved in the same way—as her? Why or why not?
11. What happens when Holly sleeps on the “dream pillow”? Why don’t Crock and Judy want to follow Holly into the maze, although she says she knows the way? What is “widdershins way”? How is the maze different this time?
12. Who is Hagar? What does she give to Seth? Why do you think Holly experienced such a different world within the maze from the version the Wade children found when they followed Judy’s dream path?
13. How are Holly’s feelings about Sussex, Dimsdale, and school affected by her experience in the maze and her understanding of the past? Do you think if she had come to Sussex with a different attitude, her thoughts would have been different? Give an example of a time in your own life when you feel your attitude may have affected your experience.
14. What does Hagar give to Holly? Why do you think Holly obeys Hagar’s wishes? What kind of power do you think Holly wants? Had Hagar made the same offer to you, would you have followed her wishes? While Holly is planting Hagar’s seeds, what does she learn about a threat to the Dimsdale dump?
15. When Holly goes through Judy’s things, does she find the “dream pillow”? How has her behavior changed since her meeting with Hagar?
16. For what party are the Wade children preparing? What costume does each decide to wear? In what ways do these costumes reflect the children’s relationships to Dimsdale? How do the grandparents help with the costumes and the party?
17. Chapter 10 is entitled “Blight.” List at least three ways in which the notion of blight can be interpreted in terms of the plot and themes of the novel.
18. What happens to the plants the girls brought back from the maze? What does Judy realize about Tamar and Hagar and the plantings they sent? Do you think there is a parallel between Tamar and Hagar and Judy and Holly? Explain your answer. What is Grandma’s opinion of Miss Elvery’s fears and of the notion of witches?
19. When Holly begins to believe Judy’s interpretation of what happened in the maze, how does her attitude begin to change at Dimsdale and at school? What does Holly determine she must do?
20. What happens when the children return to the maze on All Hallows’ Eve? What gifts does Tamar give to the children? What do the children realize about the maze that may help save Dimsdale? What clues are given in the “dream pillow”?
21. What dream-like thought comes to Holly that makes her think something good will occur in her own life? What is that good thing?
22. Have the Wade children really broken the Dimsdale curse? Was there a curse in the first place? What do you think has happened? Do you believe in curses?
23. While Tamar and Hagar come from a time when witchcraft was a label given to the misunderstood, Holly seems to think that her race keeps her apart from the others in her community. Is this the case? Are people in today’s world sometimes given unkind labels—perhaps for uninformed reasons? Do people sometimes choose the wrong labels for themselves? Explain your answer, citing examples from recent newspapers or periodicals if possible.
24. In what ways does the author weave together past, present and future in the novel? Do you believe that your past, present, and future are similarly intertwined? Explain your answer.
Andre Norton, Lavender-Green Magic
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