What’s Really Happening
When the children arrive, what detail clearly shows the situation is not normal?
Uncle Stephen is tied to the bed
Why do the criminals need Uncle Stephen?
He can help them understand the secret
What real place helps Uncle Stephen understand the symbol?
The hill with the cross
What happens to Uncle Stephen after the attack?
He loses his memory
Yesterday, the children go to the house and Mrs Black tell them that everything is fine.
Yesterday, the children went to the house and Mrs Black told them that everything was fine.
Mrs Black continues cooking while speaking. Why is this detail important?
It helps her create a false normal situation
Why is the book still important even after they capture him?
Because the secret is inside the book
Why is the symbol not enough by itself?
It needs explanation
How does Mrs Black’s role change during the story?
She changes from helper to attacker
Uncle Stephen is resting because he felt tired, so the children don’t worry.
Uncle Stephen is not resting because he felt tired; he is tied up, so the children do not worry.
At what point does the reader understand that Mrs Black is dangerous, not just strange?
When Uncle Stephen is found tied up
Why don’t the criminals immediately take the book and leave?
Because they still need to understand it
How do the symbol, the place, and the book work together?
The symbol leads to the place, and the book explains the meaning
Who controls the secret at the beginning and at the end?
At the beginning Uncle Stephen, at the end, Barbara
After he understood the symbol, he is calling the professor and keeps the information safe.
After he understands the symbol, he calls the professor but does not keep the information safe.
Mrs Black appears calm and helpful. What is she actually doing at the same time?
She is controlling the situation and hiding the truth
Why is Barbara more successful than the others in the end?
She acts quickly and escapes with the book
Barbara has the book. Why can she not solve the mystery immediately?
She does not know how to interpret it
What happens every time the secret is close to being solved?
Something prevents it
Barbara was helping the group when she takes the book and waits for the police in the hospital.
Barbara was not helping the group; she took the book and left the hospital.
How does Mrs Black use normal actions to manipulate the children’s perception of reality?
She behaves calmly and normally to hide the danger and delay suspicion
The criminals partially fail but still succeed. What exactly do they fail to do, and what do they still achieve?
They fail to understand the secret, but they succeed in taking the book
Rank these in order of importance for solving the mystery: the book, the symbol, the person. Justify briefly.
The person is most important, then the book, then the symbol, because interpretation is necessary
What is the final condition of the mystery, and why is it unresolved?
The mystery is unresolved because both the knowledge and the book are separated
In the end, the mystery remains controlled because the police have the criminals and Uncle Stephen still remembers part of the secret.
In the end, the mystery is not controlled because although the police have the criminals, Uncle Stephen does not remember the secret, so it cannot be solved.