Dear Reader
Explore the Magykal world of TodHunter Moon with these fun writing, reading and drawing activities based on Angie Sage’s PathFinder, SandRider and StarChaser.
If you love these brilliant adventures, we hope you will enjoy these things to do. And if you haven’t got to know the fantastical world of Tod and her friends yet, what are you waiting for?!
In these pages you will find ten different writing and reading challenges. There are ideas for writing your own stories, character profiles and reviews – and if drawing is more your thing, there is space to sketch your own Magykal creatures, maps and storyboards. There is much more besides, and we hope you enjoy this chance to dive deeper into the world of TodHunter Moon. Happy reading, and have fun!
About the author
Angie Sage is the bestselling author of the Septimus Heap series – seven books that have delighted readers all over the world – as well as the wonderful Araminta Spook books. Angie has loved storytelling all her life, and started illustrating books after leaving college, before going on to write children’s books. She has two children of her own and lives in Somerset. And yes, she believes in Magyk.
About PathFinder
Alice TodHunter Moon – known to all as Tod – is a PathFinder on a mission to rescue her father and friend Ferdie from malevolent sorcerers and mysterious beasts. Joined by her loyal friend Oskar and helped by allies including Septimus Heap, now an ExtraOrdinary Wizard, she enters dazzling and dangerous new worlds in search of those she loves most.
About SandRider
Two months on from the end of PathFinder, Tod is back for more adventures! Can TodHunter Moon defeat the evil sorcerer, save the last ever Orm egg and protect the people she loves?
ABOUT StarChaser
Return to the world of TodHunter Moon in the stunning conclusion to the trilogy. Can Tod find a way to stop the Magyk in the world from fading?
Discover much more about PathFinder, SandRider, StarChaser, Angie Sage and the Septimus Heap series at www.todhuntermoon.co.uk
We’d love to see your PathFinder creations! Email [email protected] write a review
What did you think of PathFinder, SandRider and StarChaser? Use this simple ten-step template to file your review! Photocopy this sheet to review all three books.
TITLE
Reviewed by
Summary (in no more than three sentences)
How did you feel when you were reading the book and after you had finished it?
What was your favourite part of the story and why?
Were there any parts you didn’t like?
Who was your favourite character? What did you particularly like about him or her?
Do you think there are any lessons or morals to be learned from the book?
Would you recommend this book to your friends? Name three people who you think would enjoy it—and show them this review!
Overall rating out of ten
Discover much more about PathFinder, SandRider, StarChaser, Angie Sage and the Septimus Heap series at www.todhuntermoon.co.uk
We’d love to see your PathFinder creations! Email [email protected] Draw a character
As you read PathFinder, SandRider and StarChaser, what do you imagine the characters look like? Most of us get very clear pictures in our heads as we progress through stories. Use the space below to draw a character from the books — either a leading character like Tod, Oskar or Ferdie, or a more minor one like Marcia or Nikko.
My character is ......
Discover much more about PathFinder, SandRider, StarChaser, Angie Sage and the Septimus Heap series at www.todhuntermoon.co.uk
We’d love to see your PathFinder creations! Email [email protected] Draw an Ancient Ways map
PathFinders know their way round the Magykal World of these books — but others might need a bit of help! Draw a map to help strangers navigate through the Ancient Ways: the network of paths that lead to strange, exciting and sometimes dangerous places. There’s one at the front of the book, but try making your own! Here are a few tips for your map-making.
Make notes After you’ve read the books – or as you do so – make a rough sketch of how you think the world looks. Label the different bits and use your sketch as a basis for the final map.
Start at the Heart of the Ways This is the big hub at which many different Ancient Ways meet. Draw the paths leading off this. Reread Part XI of PathFinder if you need to jog your memory about how it looks.
Add symbols It’s hard to show small details on a map, so design some symbols that show at a glance the features of different places. For example, you could draw a burning torch to label The Heart of the Ways.
Put in characters Draw characters like Tod wherever you think they should fit on the map. You could sketch some of the routes they take through the Ways, too.
My map of the Ancient Ways
Discover much more about PathFinder, SandRider, StarChaser, Angie Sage and the Septimus Heap series at www.todhuntermoon.co.uk
We’d love to see your PathFinder creations! Email [email protected] Write a cast list
After reading PathFinder, SandRider and StarChaser how many characters can you remember? You will know all about the most important people in the story, but can you recall some of the more minor ones too? See if you can name fifteen on the list below, and build up some profiles by adding three things you can recollect about each of them — perhaps their personalities or special powers.
name Three characteristics 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
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11
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15
Discover much more about PathFinder, SandRider, StarChaser, Angie Sage and the Septimus Heap series at www.todhuntermoon.co.uk
We’d love to see your PathFinder creations! Email [email protected] Condense the book
How well can you summarise a story? Reducing everything that has happened over the course of lots of pages into just a few well-chosen words is a real skill. See if you can do this for PathFinder with this summary sheet. For each part of the book, try to condense the developments into no more than two sentences. You don’t need to cover every detail — just the important bits. Aim to give your reader a very clear idea of the plot in as short a time as possible.
PA RT Two-sentence summary
i
ii
iii
iv
v
vi
vii
viii
ix
x
xi
xii
Discover much more about PathFinder, SandRider, StarChaser, Angie Sage and the Septimus Heap series at www.todhuntermoon.co.uk
We’d love to see your PathFinder creations! Email [email protected] Compose a storyboard
Imagine you were turning PathFinder, SandRider or StarChaser into a movie. An important stage in scriptwriting for film is the storyboard: a sketch and text outline of different scenes that helps a director visualise how it will be filmed. It’s a bit like a comic strip, though without the speech bubbles.
Pick a single chapter of PathFinder, SandRider or StarChaser and produce your own storyboard. Choose any chapter you like — but if you need some inspiration, look for an action-packed one like ‘The Orm Tube’ in PathFinder or ‘Drummed In’ in SandRider. Before you begin, try to divide your chapter up into six key scenes. Then sketch one in each box below, along with a sentence describing what is happening.
1 2
3 4
5 6
Discover much more about PathFinder, SandRider, StarChaser, Angie Sage and the Septimus Heap series at www.todhuntermoon.co.uk
We’d love to see your PathFinder creations! Email [email protected] Invent a Magykal creature
In PathFinder, Oskar consults a copy of Magykal, Mystikal and Mythikal Creatures — and he needs it, because there are many weird and wonderful creatures in the world! From fiery dragons to fearsome Garmin to the shapeshifting Ullr, Tod, Oskar and Ferdie face creatures that are both friend and foe.
Can you add your own creature to Oskar’s book? TOP TIP Angie Sage made up the Garmin in PathFinder by thinking of three scary attributes from three different creatures, and then combined them to make an even more nasty one!
From snakes — flat heads, with empty eyes and forked tongue From spiders — cocoon-spinning to immobilise victims From hairless dogs — white puckered skin with bristles.
It’s a great way of inventing a Magykal creature! Try it yourself — the more scary, revolting and nasty the better …
My Magykal creature is called ......
Discover much more about PathFinder, SandRider, StarChaser, Angie Sage and the Septimus Heap series at www.todhuntermoon.co.uk
We’d love to see your PathFinder creations! Email [email protected] Write your own story
Tod, Oskar and Ferdie — the ‘Tribe of Three’ as they call themselves — are the main heroes of PathFinder, SandRider and StarChaser but the books are packed with many other wonderful characters. Use our guide to write your own short story, set in the same Magykal world but with someone else at its centre.
Choose your character Pick someone who you think deserves a story of their own.
Think of a scenario Using the world of TodHunter Moon, imagine a starting point for your character. Perhaps write a story that follows on from the end of a book – or go back in time to imagine something that might have happened before your character arrived in it.
Plan your story Think very carefully about what is going to happen in your story before you start writing it for real. Make sure you have a good ending in your head before you start. Scribble some notes to guide you as you write.
Make it exciting Angie Sage’s books are fast-paced and dramatic, so try to make yours the same — aim to make your readers desperate to find out what happens! The opening is particularly important, so make sure your story starts with a bang.
Use your senses A great story isn’t just about what happens to characters — it’s about what they see, hear and feel. Think about smell and taste too. Writing about what people can sense really brings a story alive.
Give yourself time Set aside a good chunk of time to write your story, and try to find somewhere quiet! You might also want to spend time redrafting your work. Read it back to yourself and see which bits you might improve.
Learn from other writers As you read books, think about how authors structure their work. How quickly or slowly do they develop a plot? How do they influence the way you think about characters? Picking up ideas and tricks from others is an important part of any writer’s development.
Add some drawings Sketch out a few of your most important scenes to go alongside your writing.
Share your work Show your story to your family and friends and ask them what they think. They are sure to enjoy reading it, and they might have some good ideas for making it even better.
Keep writing! Great writers are full of ideas for stories — just look at the number of books Angie Sage has written! Make your story just the first part of a series like hers and create a whole Magykal world of your very own.
Discover much more about PathFinder, SandRider, StarChaser, Angie Sage and the Septimus Heap series at www.todhuntermoon.co.uk
We’d love to see your PathFinder creations! Email [email protected] Find your own path
Use this activity to join up the adventures of Tod and create your own story.
Below are five excerpts from Angie Sage’sPathFinder , all taken from important scenes in the book. Use your knowledge of the book and your own imagination to connect each extract to the next one. You can write as little or as much as you like in between each of them. Return to the book if you need some inspiration, but try to plot your own storyline too.
Extract 1 Aunt Mitza moved to the foot of the ladder and gazed upwards, waiting, Oskar knew, for Tod’s scream. This was their chance. He turned to Tod and mouthed, Let’s get out of here!
Extract 2 Ferdie’s feet hardly touched the ground as Tod and Oskar carried her between them, racing along the path that would take them back to the jetty
Extract 3 I think, Tod said to herself, I’m in the Wizard Tower
Extract 4 [The icy water] stung the back of her eyes, it made her jaw ache with the cold, but Tod did not care – she could breathe underwater. She had gills!
Extract 5 Oskar grinned. “Tribe of Three,” he said, holding up the first three fingers on his right hand. “PathFinder sign”. Tod and Ferdie did the same. “Tribe of Three”.
Discover much more about PathFinder, SandRider, StarChaser, Angie Sage and the Septimus Heap series at www.todhuntermoon.co.uk
We’d love to see your PathFinder creations! Email [email protected] Make a short film
Video trailers are a great way to bring a book to life. They don’t have to be tricky or expensive to make, and are a nice opportunity to work together with friends on a project. Follow these steps to produce your own short film about PathFinder, SandRider or StarChaser.
Find some inspiration You can watch lots of trailers and other films about books online. Watch a Septimus Heap trailer at www.septimusheap.co.uk. As you watch, think about some of the techniques the clips have used.
Get some equipment You don’t need fancy gear to make a film. A camcorder is good, but many smartphones now are just as good for recording video.
Get a team together Filming is fun if you do it in a group. If you want to act out a scene, allocate different parts to people. Some people might prefer to take on the jobs of directing, recording or editing the video.
Plan a format You can take any approach you like to your video. Perhaps you might like to act out a scene or two from the book? Or add a voiceover to some photos you have taken that show what the book is about? Or simply film a short discussion between you and friends about the story?
Decide on the length Work out how long you want your trailer to last. It needn’t be very long — many last only a couple of minutes — though if you are filming a discussion you might want to set aside more time.
Write a script You can improvise your film if you like, but they usually work better if they follow a script. Put all your ideas together and work out who is going to say what.
Find a soundtrack Most trailers have some music in the background to add to the atmosphere. If you play an instrument, try recording your own!
Assemble your film Find someone to hold the camera and get filming! Don’t worry if it’s not right first time — you can simply delete what you have done and start again. Practice makes perfect.
Edit If you have access to a computer, upload your film and use some basic editing software like Movie Maker to make it look even better. There are lots of free video editing tools online; ask a parent or teacher to help you find them.
Share it! Show your film to family and friends. You could ask to share it in a school assembly or book group too.
Discover much more about PathFinder, SandRider, StarChaser, Angie Sage and the Septimus Heap series at www.todhuntermoon.co.uk
We’d love to see your PathFinder creations! Email [email protected]