Description: A Reading Guide forTITHE, VALIANT, andIRONSIDE By Holly BlackABOUT THE BOOKSHolly Black's first Young Adult novel, the urban fantasy/faerie taleTithe, focuses on a sixteen-year-old girl named Kaye who is actually a pixie, only at first she doesn't know it. Kaye starts to piece together the strange story of her real identity when she and her mother return to the New Jersey town where she grew up, and Kaye comes in contact with the faeries she used to play with as a child and a wounded knight, Roiben, who will change her life forever. Black's second book,Valiant, picks up whereTitheleaves off, but follows a different girl -- a human named Val -- who catches her boyfriend and her mother in a compromising position and runs away from home. In New York City, Val hooks up with a strange group of homeless teens and joins them in living in an abandoned subway station. It's not long before Val learns that these teens are not like anyone she's ever met -- they work as couriers for a troll and come in contact with faeries on a regular basis.Ironside, Black's third book, returns readers to Kaye's story, beginning two months after the ending ofTithe. Roiben is about to take the throne of the Unseelie Court and there will undoubtedly be a war, but then Kaye makes a foolish declaration and is sent on an impossible quest. Luis and Dave fromValiantbecome an integral part of the story as Kaye is forced to visit Silarial, the Seelie queen, to try to save Roiben and herself.DISCUSSION TOPICSHow doesTithecompare with other fairy tale books you've read in the past? Did you like the modern setting?If you were Kaye, what gift would you have given to the kelpie if the broken carousel horse had not been available?What other orders would you have asked Rath Roiben Rye to carry out if you suddenly knew his full name? (Don't forget his skill of turning leaves into money!)For New Jersey and New York readers: Name all of the real locations that were mentioned in the three books -- for example: Allaire State Park, Caf - des Artistes, etc.If you were able to choose, would you want to be a part of the Seelie court, the Unseelie court, the solitary fey, or the human world? Why?At the end ofTithe, what do you imagine happened to Roiben and Kaye? Before you read the sequel, how did you feel about the ending ofTithe? Would you have ended the book differently?Were you excited to see cameos by some of the characters fromTitheinValiant?Who is your favorite character fromValiant? Why? What qualities does this character possess that make him/her most interesting to you?IfValiantwas made into a movie, what current film or TV stars would you cast as Val, Lolli, Dave, Luis, Ravus and the others?Put yourself in Lolli's shoes -- tell the story ofValiantfrom her point of view. What do you think happened to Lolli at the end of the book?What did you think of the use of the faerie drug "Never" in the story? Did you think that the book showed enough of the downside of using drugs? If Dave had never taken the drug, how do you think his story would change? What about Lolli? Val?We know that Kaye got her GED during the two months between the end ofTitheand the beginning ofIronside. What else do you think happened during this interim? How did Kaye cope with the loss of Janet, her mom moving away, her relationship with Roiben, etc.'Ironsideobviously takes place in December -- what are the clues that tell you what time of year it is?If you were cursed like Corny, would you immediately get to the ocean to cure yourself or would you attempt to touch someone or something? Whom or what?Do you think it was a mistake for Kaye to have the young human brought back to Ellen? Do you think the girl will grow up to be a normal person?If you were in Kaye's positi

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