The History Mystery (12 page)

Right, so you've read the first chapter and it's all a bit mysterious. But before we think about that, let's get the characters straight in our heads.

1. What's the history teacher's name?

2. Who was the leader of the project team?

3. Whose house did the team meet in to do the project?

4. Which of the characters likes to think about food?

5. Who is interested in fashion and make-up?

The project the kids did was about ancient Egypt and the pharaohs. Were you able to follow the stuff that Mr Costa read out? See what you can remember:

1. Which pharaoh died very young and had a fabulous tomb full of gold and jewels?

2. Which pharaoh changed the religion of Egypt?

3. What was the name of the sun-god that this pharaoh worshipped?

4. What was the name of the wife of this pharaoh? And what was she most famous for?

It might be fun to choose one of the four figures mentioned in the project (one of the two pharaohs, or the wife, or the sun-god) and look up a bit more about them on the internet or in a book about ancient Egypt.

Well! It's all very odd, and the message from Nefertiti is quite hard to follow, isn't it? That's probably because she isn't writing in her own language, and because she comes from thousands of years ago. You don't need to try to work out what every sentence means; it's enough to just get the drift.

We don't know which website Sonia went to, but it would probably have been in Portuguese. You could take a look at this one, to get an idea of the kind of thing she saw:

www.ancientegypt.co.uk

You could probably find more sites like this, if you are interested in hieroglyphics.

One of the main things Nefertiti says in her weird message is that she was one of very few girls who learned to read and write in her time. If you are a girl, do you think it would have been good to live in a time when girls didn't learn to read? You probably
wouldn't have had to go to school, of course. If you are a boy, you might think it would be fine if girls didn't learn to read and write. There wouldn't be any of them at school, for a start. But would it be fair?

Just think of all the things you like to do that you couldn't do if you weren't able to read and write. You could make a list if you like (which of course you wouldn't be able to do if you couldn't write!).

Weirder and weirder …

First, let's make sure we've got the characters right. Draw lines to link the characters to the sentences that describe them. (Answers at the back of the book.)

Now, take a look at the weird list. Have you any idea what a comb for wool is? Can you find out?

Do you think the longer message is from the same person as before? If you think it is from Nefertiti again, what makes you think that? If you think it is from someone else this time, what makes you think that?

It might be a good idea to find out who Hammurabi was. Why do you think the person sending the message mentions Hammurabi?

Do you think Pedro could be right about Mr Costa playing tricks on them? If so, why? If not, why not?

Do you think Pedro is right about Marco Polo? (You might have to look up Marco Polo to find out.)

What clues do Sonia and Pedro have about the Brainy Joker? Make a list of all the things they know about the person who has been sending the messages. Does this give you any clues as to who it might be?

So, the Brainy Hacker has struck for a second time in Andrea's office, this time interfering with an important deed. It's all very strange.

What do you think of Andrea? Can you think of a word that sums her up?

Why do you think Faye might want to talk to Andrea? What could it be about?

So now the messages are coming from someone with a Portuguese-sounding name. And then there was also that brief message on the computer screen from the wizard's assistant. We've come a long way from Nefertiti in ancient Egypt. Have you any idea what is going on?

Will gives Sonia a bit of a lecture about the importance of alchemy in the Middle Ages. Can you remember the three things he said the alchemists were trying to discover? It might be a good idea to look up alchemy and see if you can find out anything else that might make it all a bit clearer.

Do you believe the story about the drop of liquid falling on the wizard's assistant that seemed to give him some sort of eternal life?

Do you think the boys believe it?

What about Sonia?

The Brainy Hacker mentions ‘new technologies' and
sends his messages through computers. What other ways do you think this person might contact Sonia and her friends?

This latest message is stranger still, isn't it? Why do you think the kids are saying the hacker is now claiming to be a priest?

Can you find out anything about Jesuit missions to South America? Does that help to throw any light on what is going on?

Do you agree with Matt when he says he thinks the person is looking for help?

What do you think about Pedro's idea that the person might be a criminal? Do you think that's very likely, or is he being a bit paranoid?

What would you do if you were one of them? Would you go on trying to work it all out, or would you go and talk to someone?

Do you think Colin is a good choice of person to talk to?

We haven't really met Faye much in the story so far. What is your impression of her?

Matt is very concerned that Faye was approached by a stranger in the street. Do you think he is right to be worried about this?

Faye has always wanted to be a model, but now she is beginning to question what the word ‘model' actually means. What do you think is going on in her head? Can you think of different kinds of model, apart from a fashion model?

We've been hearing about Colin all along, but this is our first time to really hear him talking. What kind of person do you think he is?

Colin wants the kids to add ‘Concerned with justice' to their list of things about the mystery sender of the messages. Do you think that this really is a point about the messenger? Or are there other things about him or her that you think are more important?

What do you make of Faye's story about the manicurist and the other people she met at the beauty parlour? Sonia and Pedro are not very impressed with that story. What do you think about it?

Colin tells them about Camille Claudel, who was a very famous sculptor at a time when women were not really supposed to be artists. You could look her up and see if what Colin has to say is right.

Did you notice that two other first names of female artists are also mentioned – Berthe and Mary. These are probably Berthe Morissot and Mary Cassatt, who were both painters at around the same time as Camille Claudel was doing her sculptures. You could research these artists to see what interesting things you can find out about them.

Now that you know the characters in the story a lot better, which one do you like best?

Do you think Pedro is right, that the rap song is also a kind of message from the Brainy Hacker?

What do you think of the rap? Do you agree with Robbie that it sounds a bit strange? What's strange about it?

From the conversation on the bus, what kind of radio show do you think Robbie hosts?

The hacker has changed his or her tactics over the last little while. Instead of sending long messages from various historical figures, the hacker is now sending short messages by text, in the form of a rap song and in a pop-up window.

Why do you think this change has happened?

Does it give us any better idea of what is going on?

What do you think is happening to Faye? Is she really changing, and if so, why?

The lunch that is described here is typical Brazilian food. See if you can find out what
feijoada
is. Also, if you are interested in food, it might be interesting to look up manioc flour – it's used a lot in Brazil for making delicious sweet and savoury pastries…

In this chapter, Faye suggests that the purpose of the law is to defend citizens and make sure that everyone in society is respected. Can you think of an example that shows this to be true?

So it turns out that all the messages were sent by the same person, pretending to be different people, from Nefertiti to a whole lot of different Brazilian poets, and this person was at one time a wizard's assistant in the Middle Ages.

Would you say that that means it's all been a kind of ghost story?

The technician thinks the person calling himself Gregorio is nuts. So does Robbie but he is very polite to him. What do you think? Is he mad, or is he just unusually concerned about a rather strange idea?

Now that the Brainy Hacker has revealed what he wants, how do you think the kids will react? What would you do?

The students encouraged their teachers to read at the end of the story. Why is it important to have a library in the school, either for students or for teachers?

Gregorio, the Brainy Hacker, says that the written language allows human beings to travel through time and conquer death. What do you think he means by this? Do you agree with him?

Gregorio also talks about abandoning literature in favour of the image. What image is he talking about? Can you imagine what the world would be like if there were no books?

In this chapter, the author talks to you, the reader directly, and invites you to carry on the story. Why don't you give it a try? What might the characters do next?

Andrea has a colleague called Colin.

Andrea is electric in the mornings, once she gets going.

Andrea is an intern in a law firm.

Carol is cross with her older sister for using her computer.

Carol understands Sonia's morning grumpiness.

Carol is the youngest in the family.

Colin is a lawyer.

Colin drives a car.

1: Brasilia

2: Rio de Janeiro

3: Portuguese (or Brazilian Portuguese)

4: Yes, five times.

5: Samba

6: Coffee is Brazil's most famous export, but chocolate is also a good answer. (Brazil nuts also come from Brazil, of course, though they are probably not found in
every
home.)