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A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett

Summary

Tiffany Aching is back. She is 11 now and she is ready to be trained as a proper witch. Miss Tick arranges for her to be apprentice to Miss Level, a witch with unusual talents. Tiffany is learning that being a witch is not all spells and potions. They tend to the poor and the elderly and the sick of their area. Unfortunately, Tiffany was followed when she left the Chalk country. She had been doing spells at home that attracted the attention of a Hiver, a bodyless being that is attracted to powerful people and takes them over mind and body. Back on the Chalk, The Nac MacFeegle, also known as the Wee Free Men, Pictsies and “Person or Persons Unknown, Believed to be Armed” find out that Tiffany is in peril, and they set out to rescue her.

Booktalk

Tiffany Aching is a witch. She didn’t know she was a witch until two years ago when she thwarted the Queen of the Fairies armed with only a frying pan. Now she is ready for a new adventure. She will start training as a proper witch. But it is not all spells and magic, she has lots of chores to do. She is apprentice to Miss Level, and things are going along pretty smoothly . . . until the Hiver is attracted to Tiffany’s power and takes over her mind and body. The Wee Free Men know all about Hivers and they know that this one is after Tiffany – so they set out to save her.

278 pages, 7th grade and up

Discussion questions

Warning! Some of the questions contain key elements of the plot. Do not read if you don't want to know what happens!

  1. The Wee Free Men have taken a vow to protect Tiffany. Would you like it if they vowed to protect you?
  2. At the Witch Trials, Tiffany and Granny Weatherwax sit silently and stare at each other while other witches display their tricks. Why do you think neither of them told the story of what happened with the Hiver?
  3. Why did the Hiver want to die? Did this surprise you?
  4. Miss Level has a very unique body. In what ways does her life change after half of her body is killed?
  5. What does “A Hat Full of Sky” mean?
  6. Tiffany has second thoughts and third thoughts. Do you ever have third thoughts? What kinds of things do they tell you? (There is a description of First, Second and Third Thoughts in the footnote on page 50).
  7. This is the second adventure with Tiffany and the Wee Free Men. Have you read the first book? If you haven’t read it, will you read it now?
  8. Would you like to see a movie version of the book? Who would you cast as Tiffany?

If you liked this book try

Snacks: Cheese! Tiffany is a cheese maker when she isn’t being a witch. Maybe some tea and biscuits too.

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