1. IMAGINING CREATURES

Shadow Forest is a very dangerous place, full of strange or deadly creatures. Some of these creatures are inspired by Norwegian folklore, such as trolls and huldre-folk. Others, such as the Slemp, are completely made up. However dangerous the creatures are, they always have a weakness. For instance, the Truth Pixie's weakness is that it can't tell a lie. Try and make up your own dangerous forest creature. What would they look like? What would their weakness be?

2. NORWAY
When Samuel arrives in Norway to live with his Aunt Eda he is very homesick. Everything seems different - the language, the people, the weather, the food. Based on Samuel's experiences in the book, what do you think you would like about Norway? At the end of the book how have Samuel's opinions towards his new home changed?

3. TROLLS AND HUMANS
Trolls have some rather peculiar, and very wrong, views about humans. For instance, they believe they have two belly buttons and that they cut a hole in the sky to create the moon. Invent your own list of 5 things trolls might think about us.

4. CHARACTER LISTS
At the beginning of the book there is a character list, where every character in the book is given a very short description. When you next write a story, think of a character list before you start. Give each character a short description (about twenty words). Alternatively, think of five REAL people you know, and write character descriptions for them as if they were in a book.

5. THE END

On the very last page the author writes:

THE END

(Which, of course, was also a beginning).

What do you think the author meant by this? If the book continued, what do you think would happen next? Do you think the trolls would find their missing eyeball? Do you think Samuel and Martha would enjoy their new school in Norway? Do you think the humans would ever enter the forest again? If so, why? Write a short story about it.