YOUNG BLACKBIRDS 2021

STRUAN MURRAY – ORPHANS OF THE TIDE

DIGGING DEEPER

A BEFORE READING THE BOOK

1 ORIENTATION: COVER

1 Look at the cover of the book.

a Write down the three things that stand out to you the most when looking at the cover.

b Does the building on the cover look like a place you would want to visit? Why (not)?

c What kind of people do you think would live in a place like this? Why?

d What emotions does the cover inspire in you?

e The sun in the background might be rising or setting. Does the cover look like the start of a new
day, or the end of one?

f What words come to mind when you look at the cover and think of the word ‘water’?

2 VOCABULARY: RELATIONSHIPS

Orphans of the Tide is about changes in relationships between people, and about how truth and
deception affect how people think about each other.

1 Write down your own definition of each of these words:

a Family

b Friend

c Enemy

2 Can you think of and describe an example from your own life (or from a book you have read or a TV
show or film you have seen) of two of the following:

a a friend behaving like an enemy

b an enemy behaving like a friend

c a friend feeling like a family member

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 YOUNG BLACKBIRDS 2021
STRUAN MURRAY – ORPHANS OF THE TIDE
DIGGING DEEPER

B WHILE READING THE BOOK

3 RELATIONSHIPS: FEAR AND MISTRUST - CHAPTER 1-16

Trust and fear drive much of the story in Orphans of the Tide. Several important events only occur
because characters are fearful (for example of the Enemy) or mistrusting (of other people they think
might be the Enemy). The following questions are about fear and mistrust – as well as their
opposites: bravery and trust.

Read chapters 1 through 16.

1 Seth does not know Ellie when they first meet, so there is no basis for trust between them. What
does Ellie do to get Seth to listen to her when she is trying to save him (Ch. 2)?

2 The motto on the base of the statue is ‘And it shall claim even the innocent’ and it leads to much of
the fear and mistrust that people in the City feel (Ch. 4).

a Explain why the motto leads to people being fearful.

b Explain why the motto leads to people being mistrusting.

3 Castion talks about fighting monsters (Ch 5).

a Why do you think both a giant squid and the Enemy are discussed?

b Which seems more frightening from Castion’s description, the Enemy or the squid?

c How does that affect your feelings about Seth’s safety in the story?

4 Anna tries to convince Ellie to join her at the orphanage (Ch. 7).

a Why does Anna think Ellie says no?

b Why does Ellie actually say no?

c Who is more trusting of the other: Anna or Ellie? Why?

5 Seth has a magical effect on seawater (Ch. 9).

a When does the sea react to Seth? What happens to Seth to make him affect the water?

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 YOUNG BLACKBIRDS 2021
STRUAN MURRAY – ORPHANS OF THE TIDE
DIGGING DEEPER

b What lesson about panicking can you learn from Seth’s interaction with the water?

6 Seth’s trust in Ellie is almost complete.

a What happens in Chapter 13 that tells you Seth trusts Ellie?

b What happens immediately after in Chapter 14 that tells you he does not trust her completely?

c How does Seth’s mistrust influence your faith in Ellie?

4 SETTING: TIME AND SPACE – CHAPTER 16 - 28

Orphans of the Tide takes place in a fantasy world. The book uses different settings to create tension
in the story.

Read chapters 16 through 28.

1 To what time periods in earth’s history can you compare the novel’s setting? Choose two from the
list below, and support your answers using examples or quotes from the book.

I the time of monks and knights

II the time of cities and states

III the time of explorers and reformers

IV the time of wigs and revolutions

V the time of citizens and steam engines

a Time period: … Example/quote: …

b Time period: … Example/quote: …

2 Two of the most important locations in the second half of the book are the Inquisitorial stronghold
and the chapel.

a What important event happens in the Inquisitorial stronghold?

b How does the description of the location affect the tone of the story in these chapters?

c What important event happens on top of the Chapel of St. Bartholomew?

d How does the description of the location affect the tone of the story in these chapters?

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 YOUNG BLACKBIRDS 2021
STRUAN MURRAY – ORPHANS OF THE TIDE
DIGGING DEEPER

C AFTER READING THE BOOK

5 SETTING: TRUTH AND SECRETS

Secrets, and how they affect the lives of those around us, are a key theme of Orphans of the Tide .

1 List an important secret kept by each of these characters.

a Secret 1 - Ellie: …

b Secret 2 – Hargrath/Castion: …

c Secret 3 – the Inquisitors: …

d Secret 4 – Finn/the Enemy: …

2 Each of the secrets impacts the characters or the story in its own way.

a How does secret 1 impact Seth’s life?

b How does secret 2 impact the idea the people of the city have of what kind of person Hargrath is?

c How does secret 3 affect the lives of everyone in the story?

d How does secret 4 impact Finn’s / the Enemy’s feelings towards Seth?

3 Choose one secret, and name another character that is affected by that secret. How is that
character affected by this secret?

6 CHARACTER PROFILES

Family and friendship are important parts of Orphans of the Tide. Even though none of the characters
are related by blood, they still fulfil family roles for each other.

1 For each of the characters below …

a choose a character in the book that they share a bond with.

b define what that bond is like at first, in terms of a family relationship.

c use a quote or example from the book to illustrate the relationship.

Note: you can only use a particular kind of relationship between two characters once.

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 YOUNG BLACKBIRDS 2021
STRUAN MURRAY – ORPHANS OF THE TIDE
DIGGING DEEPER

For example: Ellie shares a bond with Anna. She acts like her mother. Ellie convinces Anna to help her
by pretending to send her on an important assignment.

Ellie

Anna

Seth

Castion

Ibnet

2 The relationship between certain characters seems to change over the course of the book.

a Name two pairs of characters whose relationship changes.

I The relationship between … and …

II The relationship between … and …

b Why and due to which event(s) do these two relationships change?

I Relationship a I changes because of …

II Relationship a II changes because of …

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