The Storm Keeper’s IslandTeaching guide

INTRODUCTION

The Storm Keeper’s Island by Catherine Doyle is suitable for teaching to readers ages 9+, either as a class reader, or as a stimulus for extracurricular work and discussion. The reading questions and activities suggested here focus on comprehension, inference and retrieval skills, while also providing suggestions for cross-curricular links. In particular, they invite students to understand the importance of family and community history, as well as the creative potential of time, magic and memory. Primarily, these notes work as an introduction to the themes and ideas within the book, giving suggestions for classroom activities to enjoy across different subjects – from creating time capsules, to drawing family trees, to transforming ordinary settings into magical ones.

ABOUT THE BOOK When Fionn Boyle sets foot on Arranmore Island, it begins to stir beneath his feet … Once in a generation, the island chooses a new Storm Keeper – someone to wield its power and keep its magic safe from enemies. The time has finally come for Fionn’s grandfather, a secretive and eccentric old man, to step down. Soon, a new Keeper will rise. Fionn’s ancestral home has been waiting for him. But deep underground, someone else has been waiting too. As a battle rages over who will become the island’s next champion, a more sinister magic is waking up, intent on rekindling an ancient war.

READING GROUP QUESTIONS

1. Read the first paragraph of the Prologue on page ix. What kind of atmosphere does the author, Catherine Doyle, create here? How does she do this?

2. What do the boy and girl find out that Betty had been wrong about in the Prologue? How does this create excitement or intrigue for the reader? What different oppositions are introduced in the opening pages?

3. How does the author create tension in the Prologue? How does the Prologue set the tone for the story?

4. What do you learn about the relationship between Fionn and Tara in Chapter One? What do you learn about Fionn’s mother?

5. How does the author create a sense that Malachy Boyle’s house is magical in Chapter Two? How is Malachy Boyle himself introduced in this chapter? What can you infer about his character from the description of him?

6. Do you agree with Fionn’s statement that Arranmore Island is ‘shifting and stretching and blinking as if it was alive’? How does the author personify the island or make it a character in its own right?

7. Who are Dagda and Morrigan? What is their significance in the story? In Chapter Six, how does the author create dark imagery and symbolism around the character of Morrigan, and bright, hopeful imagery around the character of Dagda?

8. What is Fionn’s biggest wish? Why does he want to visit the Sea Cave? Does this wish change as the story progresses? How?

9. Time and history are the most important themes in the story. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?

The Storm Keeper’s IslandTeaching guide

10. ‘They are not dead, Fionn. Only buried.’ What does Fionn’s grandfather mean when he says this? Why is this idea important in the story as a whole?

11. What are the five ‘gifts’ that Dagda left behind to protect Arranmore? How is each of them important in the story? What do they symbolise?

12. How does the author create a sense of foreboding around the character of Ivan?

13. Fionn’s grandfather describes his job as Storm Keeper as ‘Responsibility and power, in equal measure’ (Chapter Twelve). What does he mean by this? Why do you think Fionn is tempted by the ‘power’ of the Storm Keeper?

14. ‘Often the journeys we take inside ourselves are more difficult than the stormiest seas.’ What does Fionn’s grandfather mean when he says this? Why is overcoming difficulty or fear important in the story? How does Fionn overcome his fears?

15. What is happening to Fionn’s grandfather’s memory as the story progresses? How is the theme of memory important in The Storm Keeper’s Island as a whole?

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES Literacy

• Write a diary entry in role as Fionn on the boat at the beginning of the story, and at the end of the story when he embraces his mother. How does he change? How does his opinion of the island change?

• The story of Fionn and Tara and Arranmore Island will continue with a second book in the series. How do you think the first chapter of the next book will begin? Write an opening paragraph.

• Choose a mundane setting of your own (it might be your classroom or your house) – how can you make it seem more magical? Write a descriptive piece to create an atmosphere of magic or enchantment in what seems like an ordinary place.

• Choose a colour and analyse how it is used in the story: emerald, black, blue. Then, using Catherine Doyle’s creative writing as inspiration, write a creative piece using only one colour.

• Create your own mythical person or creature: he/she can be a legendary hero, like Dagda, or a villain, like Morrigan.

• Look at the description of Malachy Boyle’s bedroom on page 183. What do you learn about his personality from the description? How does the author, Catherine Doyle, leave clues for the reader? Draw your own interpretation of the bedroom and annotate it with words and phrases from the extract.

• Choose a photograph depicting a memory from your life. Bring it into class and use it to write a description of your memory. Begin by only writing words that are evoked for each of the five senses: touch, taste, hearing, smell and sight. Why is this an effective exercise to inspire the writing process?

• Write three short, personal memories on one sheet of paper. Fold the paper each time you write a memory, to represent the different layers of your personal history. Pass your folded piece of paper to someone else in the class without revealing your identity. What do you learn about some of your classmates from reading their different memories?

The Storm Keeper’s IslandTeaching guide

Drama + Speaking and listening

• Create a film trailer for The Storm Keeper’s Island. What props will you use? Which scenes will you choose to show to the audience? What will be your persuasive tagline?

• Throughout the story, Fionn has different voices inside his head. In groups of three, act out a scene in which Fionn has to contend with these voices. One of you should be Fionn, one of you his own internal voice, and one of you the voice of the island or of Morrigan. Take turns to play Fionn. What do you learn about Fionn’s feelings and challenges during this activity?

History

• The author, Catherine Doyle, grew up in the west of Ireland. The Storm Keeper’s Island is based on her real-life ancestral home of Arranmore Island. What can you learn about the local history of this real-life island? Include information about any myths and legends of the area.

• What is the history of your own local area? Carry out research into the local community, industry and culture.

Geography

• What are the physical features of the fictional Arranmore Island? Create a list of the natural and man-made features of the landscape. Why might some of these things exist? Can you compare the island to a real-life place that you know?

• The sea and the tide are very important in The Storm Keeper’s Island. Research as much as you can about the sea: what are tides, for example? How are they influenced? What is the eco-system in the Atlantic Ocean around the west coast of Ireland?

Social, Personal and Health Education | Citizenship

• Draw a family tree depicting your own family and the different members in each generation. What is the importance of these relationships? Annotate your family tree showing any unique or significant connections.

• Choose one relationship with a family member. If you were to create a candle containing an important memory of them, what would it be?

• Create a time capsule celebrating the special aspects of your family or community. Use an empty plastic bottle or box and fill it with things that represent these aspects. How will people in the future feel when they open your time capsule? What will they learn about your family or community?

Art & Design

• Choose your favourite quote from the novel, giving reasons for your choice. Using coloured pens or pencils and different craft materials, write your quote on a large piece of paper and decorate it to show what it means to you. Create a wall display of all the favourite quotes from the class!

• Choose a setting from the book to draw or paint – it might be the house, the Sea Cave, or even Arranmore Island itself.