Six of Crows

89 pages • 2 hours read

Six of Crows

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2015

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Introduction

Before Reading

During Reading

After Reading

During Reading

Reading Questions & Paired Texts

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

CHAPTERS 1-10

Reading Check

1. What particular item of clothing does Kaz never go without?

2. What is Jurda Parem?

3. What does Van Eck want Kaz to do in exchange for a large fortune?

4. What makes Matthias invaluable to the mission?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How does Matthias’s motivation to join the heist help to develop the theme of The Search for Home?

2. In what ways does Kaz demonstrate mercy despite his cruel, powerful standing?

3. Why is Kaz certain Wyland’s addition to the team guarantees their 30 million kruge?

4. In what way does the author imply a tragic backstory for Inej, implying the lack of a home?

Paired Resource

“How to Write Multiple Perspectives: 5 Tips for Switching Points of View”

This Masterclass article details the benefits of writing from multiple points of view in a single book along with various strategies to effectively do so.
So far in the novel, how do the multiple viewpoints affect the reader’s understanding of the narrative? Evaluate this technique’s effectiveness. How does switching between viewpoints impact development of the themes?

CHAPTERS 11-20

Reading Check

1. Why does Jesper need the mission’s promised money?

2. Who hired the different gangs to attack Kaz on his ship?

3. How did Nina and Matthias meet?

4. What do Matthias and Nina plan to do with Yul-Bayur?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does Kaz not visit Inej while she is injured, and what can be inferred by this reaction?

2. How does Kaz and Pekka’s connection relate to the theme Vengeance?

3. How do Inej’s origins with her family carnival lend to her talents in the team?

4. At this point of the novel, how would one describe Matthias and Nina’s relationship?

Paired Resource

“Hallmarks of Fantasy: A Brief History of the Genre”

This New York Public Library article explores traditional fantasy novels with classic examples.
Several examples offered in the article share the themes of Vengeance, What Makes a Monster, and The Search for Home.
How does Six of Crows seem to compare to traditional fantasy? To what extent does the determination and resilience of the six protagonists seem to be represented by hero figures in the article’s examples? Why do you think modern fantasies with dark tones and grittier circumstances like Six of Crows have gained popularity over time?

CHAPTERS 21-34

Reading Check

What is revealed about Jesper?
For whom does Kaz search on his own?
What do Nina and Inej disguise themselves as in order to escape?
What does Black Protocol do?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What can be inferred from Kaz’s reaction when he opens the prison wagon?

2. Why did Jesper’s father require him to keep his Grisha powers a secret, and what does Jesper see that reminds him of this fact?

3. How is Nina captured?

4. How does Kaz’s need for Vengeance nearly destroy the mission?

Paired Resource

“The Cask of Amontillado”

This short horror story by Edgar Allen Poe details a revenge plot by protagonist Montresor as he lures Fortunato into the catacombs, where the latter eventually is sealed in.
Shared themes include Vengeance and What Makes a Monster.
Compare and contrast the short story’s plot to the revenge plots in Six of Crows. Is Montresor justified? In the same vein, are the protagonists in Six of Crows justified in their revenge?

CHAPTERS 35-46

Reading Check

1. Who do Nina and Matthais find instead of Yul-Bayur?

2. What does Jesper do with the diamond Inej stole?

3. What does Nina do to help destroy the soldiers?

4. Why does Van Eck dislike his son, Wyland?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How does Matthias’s evolving view of Nina relate to the theme What Makes a Monster?

2. How does Kaz’s reaction lead to Inej’s capture?

3. Why does Jesper not take the jurda parem?

4. How does Kaz’s plan to save Inej cause him to go against his current plans for Vengeance?

Paired Resource

“The Chinese Myth of the Forbidden Lovers”

This 5-minute TED Ed video details the Chinese folktale of forbidden love between a heaven-based weaver and a human cow herder.
The myth shares the theme of The Search for Home.
How does this tale compare to the forbidden or tension-riddled love between Kaz and Inej, Nina and Matthais, or Jesper and Wyland?

Recommended Next Reads

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

This novel continues the story of Kaz Brekker and his crew as they work to recuse Inej from Van Eck.
Shared themes include Vengeance, The Search for Home, and What Makes a Monster.
Shared topics include vengeance, redemption, and fantasy elements.
Crooked Kingdom on SuperSummary

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

This fantasy novel revolves around the elaborate heists, cons, and pursuit of wealth by a talented group of thieves. Their activities attract the attention of a powerful and ruthless figure, leading to conflicts of skills and cunning.
Shared themes include Vengeance and The Search for Home.
Shared topics include vengeance, fantasy, heists, and found family.
The Lies of Locke Lamora on SuperSummary

Reading Questions Answer Key

CHAPTERS 1-10

Reading Check

1. Gloves (Chapters 3-4)

2. A drug that increases Grisha power (Chapter 3)

3. Free Yul-Bayur from the Ice Court (Chapter 3)

4. He is a Fjerdan with knowledge of the Ice Court. (Chapter 7)

Short Answer

1. Matthias desires to return to his homeland of Fjerdan but contains the “burden of dishonor.” Kaz states that he would be able to help him return home absolved of his crimes in exchange for help on their heist. (Chapter 7)

2. Kaz is betrayed by Bolliger, a member of the Dregs, but rather than killing him, Kaz provides him the chance to leave the city with his life. Furthermore, Kaz claims to have his enemy’s loved one in his possession but does not truly have her and does not mean her any harm. (Chapters 1-10)

3. Wyland is the son of Van Eck, the man who states that he will give Kaz and his group the money in exchange for the successful prison break. (Chapters 7-8)

4. Inej passes by a brothel called the House of Exotics where the leader briefly grabs Inej, stating that she would soon be back in her employment one day. (Chapter 10)

CHAPTERS 11-20

Reading Check

1. He has gambling debt. (Chapters 12-17)

2. Pekka Rollins (Chapter 13)

3. Matthias captured Nina years ago. (Chapter 14)

4. Kill him (Chapter 20)

Short Answer

1. Kaz does not visit Inej because he cannot stand the sight of her injured form, implying that he cares deeply for her; she means much more to him than simply an investment, as he previously mentioned. (Chapter 17)

2. Kaz claims that Pekka Rollins had killed his brother when he was a child, and Rollins’s actions have had continual consequences since then. (Chapter 18)

3. Inej completed various acrobatic feats while in the carnival with her family, primarily focused on balance, climbing, coordination, and mental strength. As such, this lends to her ability to climb immense buildings. (Chapters 11-20)

4. Matthias and Nina have a complicated relationship, as drüskelles (Matthias) vehemently dislike Grisha (Nina). They also, however, have a deep-seated attraction to each other despite their learned hatred. (Chapters 11-20)

CHAPTERS 21-34

Reading Check

1. He is a Fabrikator Grisha. (Chapter 23)

2. Pekka Rollins (Chapter 26)

3. Menagerie members (Chapter 28)

4. Close the bridge and trap the guards (Chapters 21-34)

Short Answer

1. Kaz feels terror-stricken and disgusted knowing that he needs to be crammed into a small space; he dreads potential skin-to-skin contact with other people. His traumatic experience with his brother’s death likely caused him to develop this phobia. (Chapters 21-22)

2. Many people fear and hate the Grisha and their powers; as such, to keep Jesper safe, his father asked him to keep his powers a secret. Jesper is reminded of the danger by the various murdered Grisha he encounters on their heist. (Chapter 30)

3. Nina is captured by Jarl Brum and placed in a cell, threatened by jurda parem gas. It is implied later that Matthias betrayed her. (Chapter 34)

4. Kaz temporarily abandons the mission to search for Pekka Rollins, desiring to kill him as revenge for his brother but also wasting valuable time needed to find Yul-Bayur. (Chapter 26)

CHAPTERS 35-46

Reading Check

1. Kuwei Yul-Bo, his son (Chapter 37)

2. Create a drill to help escape (Chapter 39)

3. Takes jurda parem (Chapter 40)

4. Wyland can’t read or write. (Chapter 45)

Short Answer

1. Initially, Matthias was indoctrinated to believe that all Grisha—including Nina—are murderous monsters. He comes to realize, however, that despite her deviant powers, she is a good person. (Chapter 35)

2. When Van Eck claims that he plans to kill everyone except Kaz, Kaz glances toward Inej, revealing his strong affections toward her. Van Eck sees this and takes her as a hostage. (Chapter 45)

3. While Jesper feels guilty for not taking the drug, he is introspective enough to know that he does not have the qualities that would allow him to be a hero and withstand the addictive effects. (Chapter 44)

4. In order to gain the funding to save Inej, Kaz goes to Pekka Rollins for support and to make a deal, thus working with the man from whom he wanted revenge. (Chapter 46)