THE SILVER HAND BY TERRY DEARY BACKGROUND The First World War began on July 28th 1914 and ended four years later. It was known as ‘The Great War’ because it affected people from all over the world. The war saw lots of battles take place in different countries, especially France and Belgium. The First World War is known for its extensive system of trenches and the development of new lethal technologies. It was not only fought on the battlefield and in the trenches; the ‘White Lady’ was the codename used for an underground intelligence network which operated in German- occupied Belgium and northern France in the hope of helping the Allied forces win the war. The story is set in Bray-on-Somme, a French town which was occupied by the German army in 1914 and once again in 1918 after the German attack, named Operation Michael, was successful. Eventually, a Canadian force drove the Germans out of Bray because they were weak from the flu epidemic. A few months later, after several counter attacks from the Allies, the Germans were finally defeated and signed an armistice (an agreement for peace) which caused the fighting to stop at eleven o’clock on November 11th 1918. (For more information see the historical note written by the author on pages 280-282.) EXPLORING THE BOOK - READING FOR DISCUSSION GENERAL 1. How do the quotes from the Roman writer and orator Cicero help the reader? 2. Why has the author included characters from France and Germany? 3. How does the environment mirror the emotions of the characters? 4. Compare the feelings of the German soldiers with the British soldiers. 5. How does the author create suspense and tension throughout the book? 6. How do Aimee and Marius show their bravery? Can they be described as heroes? Discuss. 7. Why is the book called ‘The Silver Hand’? 8. What message does the novel teach the reader? CHAPTER I – ‘THE ENEMY IS WITHIN THE GATES’ AIMEE 1. What does Aimee want to tell her teacher? 2. What is Aimee good at? 3. Why are the British soldiers in France? 4. Why do the pupils tremble at Aimee’s news? 5. What has life been like in Bray over the past four years? 6. Why has the soldier come to the school? Bloomsbury.com @BloomsburyEd 7. What is Operation Michael? 8. Why does General Bruce believe they can defeat the Germans? 9. How is Aimee’s mother helping to win the war? 10. What qualities are needed for someone to become a spy? 11. What code do the White Lady spies use? 12. What is happening to the Germans as they advance towards Bray and Amiens? 13. How does Aimee’s mother know Captain Ellis? 14. ‘The enemy is within the gates’ – Is there more than one enemy? 15. ‘The sleepy village of Bray had become a whirlpool of war’ (page 35). Explain what the author means. 16. How did Sergeant Grimm get a hand made of silver? 17. What are your first impressions of Aimee? MARIUS 18. What is no man’s land? 19. Why are the Germans fighting the British and French? 20. Why is Marius working in the hospitals and not fighting in the army? 21. Why does Marius feel brighter after meeting the corporal? 22. Who does Marius meet on his journey to Peronne? 23. How does he help the German soldiers? 24. What are your first impressions of Marius? CHAPTER 2 – ‘A TRAITOR DOES NOT LOOK LIKE A TRAITOR’ AIMEE 1. Explain the phrase: ‘They will give us our weight in gold for this’ (page 43). 2. What are the effects of diphenylamine chlorarsine? 3. Who is the traitor? How does Aimee try to fool the sergeant? Does she succeed? 4. What do you think Sergeant Grimm will do next? 5. Why has Aimee not told her mother about Sergeant Grimm’s treachery? What would you do in this situation? 6. ‘Tears filled her eyes and blurred the scene. It was beautiful. It was the last thing she’d ever see, she knew’ (page 54). What does Aimee fear? 7. Compare the reactions of Aimee and Sergeant Grimm when the Germans try to shoot down the balloon. Bloomsbury.com @BloomsburyEd MARIUS 8. How will willow bark help the German soldiers? 9. What is the mood in the German camp? Find evidence from the text to support your answer. 10. Why does the doctor think Bray is a good place to stop and rest? 11. Why does Marius go to the airfield? Why does he try to stop the pilot? 12. The pilot states ‘One girl or dozens of our gunners’ (page 61). Discuss. CHAPTER 3 – ‘THE LIFE GIVEN US, BY NATURE IS SHORT’ 1. How do you think the residents of Bray felt when the Germans invaded their village? 2. ‘I know we Germans are your enemy. But we are just ordinary people – like you. We fight because that’s what we have to do to live’ (page 82). Do you agree or disagree with the statement made by Marius? Support your opinion with evidence. 3. Why does Aimee agree to help Marius? 4. What does she find out to help the British and French win the war? 5. Why is Sergeant Grimm useful even though he is a traitor? 6. Discuss the meaning of the sentence, ‘We will silence the silver tongue of the traitor with the silver hand’ (page 90). 7. Who is the Red Baron? Why is the death of the Red Baron believed to be a sign that the Germans will lose the war? 8. What changed after the death of the Red Baron? 9. What is the advantage of surprising the enemy? 10. Does Captain Ellis’s plan work? 11. ‘Your current patients may be the enemy but they are still just people who need our help’ (page 104). What does Colette mean by this statement? 12. Why does Marius get left behind when the Germans retreat? How does his life become endangered? 13. What should Aimee do when Marius is sentenced to death after being accused of being a German spy? CHAPTER 4 – ‘WHILE THERE’S LIFE, THERE’S HOPE’ 1. How does Aimee save Marius’s life? 2. How does Marius help the British? Does this make him a traitor? Give reasons to justify your opinion. 3. What mistake is made by Captain Ellis? 4. What twist does the author include to excite the reader and to develop the plot? CHAPTER 5 – ‘LIFE IS NOTHING WITHOUT FRIENDSHIP’ 1. Why are Aimee and Marius no longer safe? 2. ‘All we can hope for is to live to see the peace’ (page 157). Discuss. Bloomsbury.com @BloomsburyEd 3. Predict who the watcher might be. 4. The drover’s road to Cléry is a dangerous one. Why? 5. Who is Father Gaulle? 6. Predict what Aimee and Marius will do next. CHAPTER 6 – ‘THE DEAD LIVE ON IN THE MEMORY OF THE LIVING’ 1. How did the Silver Hand hurt his ankle? 2. How do you think Aimee and Marius escaped from the tower? Did the author give any clues? 3. Summarise their escape. 4. Why does Aimee switch the backpacks? 5. What stops them from reaching Peronne? 6. What do we learn about Sergeant Grimm? 7. How do Aimee and Marius get closer to Germany? 8. Predict whether you think Madame Clare will be a friend or a foe? Give reasons to support your answer. 9. How does Aimee send a message home? Why does she miss the message from Maman? What information does she miss? CHAPTER 7 – ‘LAWS ARE SILENT IN TIMES OF WAR’ 1. How do Aimee and Marius escape from Sergeant Grimm? 2. Were your predictions about Madame Clare correct? 3. What are Aimee and Marius’s next plans? 4. How do Father Benedict and Sergeant Grimm learn of their plans? CHAPTER 8 – ‘FRIENDSHIP IS TESTED WHEN BAD LUCK STRIKES’ 1. When were the German forces driven out of Hirson? 2. Where do Aimee and Marius hide? 3. Who saves Aimee and Marius from Sergeant Grimm? 4. How does Marius get over the enemy lines? 5. Why do Aimee and Marius form a friendship even though their countries are at war? 6. What is the significance of the date, 11th November 1918 at 11am, in our lives today? 7. What happens at the last minute to stop Sergeant Grimm and Father Benedict reaching their homeland? CHAPTER 9 – ‘THE NAME OF PEACE IS SWEET’ 1. Why is the First World War called ‘The Great War’? 2. What is found in the field five years later? 3. Discuss the importance of peace and the consequences of war. Bloomsbury.com @BloomsburyEd CHAPTER I0 – ‘FRIENDSHIP INCREASES HAPPINESS AND REDUCES MISERY ’ 1. Discuss the meaning of the passage: ‘The town was patched and mended now but the new bricks showed the fresh scars on old wounds. The town was repaired but not healed’ (page 275). 2. How does this description reflect human emotion? ‘The war is not over [...] So many men came home and said we weren’t beaten by the enemy, we were beaten by traitors back at home. They say that in the next war we will root out the traitors and be stronger than ever’ (page 278). Discuss the feeling in Germany described by Marius. How will this impact on the future? 3. What does Marius want to do next? Why has he left Germany? 4. ‘And the warmth of friendship was warmer than the amber fire’ (page 279). Discuss the importance of friendship. Why do Aimee and Marius become friends? What is their friendship like? Why does their friendship survive the conflict of war? BEYOND THE BOOK LINKS TO HISTORY KS2 History (2014 Curriculum): a study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066, e.g.