The Sword of Summer

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

CHAPTERS 1-4

Reading Check

1. Which uncle has Magnus not seen for 10 years?

Short Answer

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

1. What does Magnus’s uncle think is the reason for Magnus being born in Boston?

CHAPTERS 5-8

Reading Check

1. What important object from Norse mythology does Randolph believe has roots in the city of Boston?

Short Answer

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

1. How does Magnus die early in the novel?

CHAPTERS 9-13

Reading Check

1. Who is Samirah al-Abbas?

Short Answer

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

1. What does the “death” of Saehrimnir have in common with the incident in which Magnus sees a young man impaled by a spear and then dragged away by wolves?

Paired Resource

Valhalla

• This 1878 Hermann Burghart painting depicts an idealized vision of Valhalla.
• What kind of mood is Burghart trying to evoke in this painting? What details of composition, color, and light support your interpretation? How is this vision of Valhalla similar to and different from the one Riordan constructs in The Sword of Summer? Which version of Valhalla do you think you would rather go to?

“Valhalla”

• This encyclopedia entry explains the concept of Valhalla and its relationship to the larger Norse culture.
• Which details from Norse stories about Valhalla has Riordan used in his depiction of Valhalla? How has he modified or added details to create a more modern take on the idea of Valhalla? Based on what you have learned about Valhalla, does Magnus belong there?

“Viking Social Structure”

• This article from ThoughtCo explains the social hierarchy of old Norse culture.
• This resource relates to the theme of The Inequality of Hierarchies.
• What were the three main classes in old Norse society, and what were their primary roles? How does the Rígsþula explain the origins of these classes? What does this story tell you about the ideas the Norse had about social class? How does this information relate to the way that Riordan portrays Valhalla?

CHAPTERS 14-17

Reading Check

1. Who is Sam’s father?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does Sam think it is so important for Magnus to find the sword?

CHAPTERS 18-20

Reading Check

1. What kind of magic does Magnus use to disarm the other warriors during his first Valhalla battle?

Short Answer

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

1. What motivates TJ to ask Magnus to join his group for breakfast?

CHAPTERS 21-23

Reading Check

1. What are the two categories of the gods?

Short Answer

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

1. What new information about Blitz and Hearth does Magnus discover when they appear in his room at Valhalla?

Paired Resource

The Aesir-Vanir War

• This article explains why the two groups of gods became hostile to one another, their different ways of fighting, and the cultural significance of the story.
• This resource relates to the theme There Are Different Ways to Fight.
• How does the Aesir and Vanir go about fighting in different ways? How does this relate to Magnus’s first battle in Valhalla? What cultural lesson does the story of the Aesir and Vanir teach, according to the article? Do you see similar ideas being developed in The Sword of Summer?

CHAPTERS 24-27

Reading Check

1. What are Magnus and Hearth looking for when they go to the funeral home?

Short Answer

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

1. Why do Magnus and his companion keep having to take shelter away from the sunlight?

CHAPTERS 28-32

Reading Check

1. What is inside Blitz’s bowling bag?

Short Answer

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

1. What task does Big Boy give Magnus in return for information about the sword’s current location?

CHAPTERS 33-36

Reading Check

1. What does the sword turn into, making it is easier for Magnus to carry it around the streets of Boston?

Short Answer

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

1. Why can’t Magnus trade his soul to Ran in exchange for the sword?

CHAPTERS 37-40

Reading Check

1. Whom does Magnus say is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen?

Short Answer

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

1. What does Freya want Magnus and Blitz to accomplish with the red gold she gives them?

Paired Resource

“Choices”

• This brief Tess Gallagher poem reflects on the potential consequences of decision-making.
• This resource relates to the theme of All Decisions Have Consequences.
• What is the speaker’s reason for wanting to cut some branches from the tree? Why does the speaker choose to not cut any of the branches? What general idea about choices does this poem express? Which characters in The Sword of Summer have faced difficult choices? Which of them seem to prioritize the impact of their decisions on others?

CHAPTERS 41-44

Reading Check

1. During the contest between Blitz and Eitri Junior, what does Magnus suggest Blitz might try to craft as a way to get the dwarves to accept Blitz’s contest entry?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does Eitri Junior hate Blitz?

CHAPTERS 45-48

Reading Check

1. What name does the Sword of Summer choose for itself?

Short Answer

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

1. What difficult choice did Hearth face after his brother’s death?

CHAPTERS 49-52

Reading Check

1. When Magnus sees Thor in the river, what does he realize the “pillars” Thor clings to really are?

Short Answer

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

1. How does Sam feel about her family’s connection to the Norse gods and her own identity as Loki’s daughter?

CHAPTERS 53-57

Reading Check

1. What object does the giant Geirrod want to use to play catch with Magnus and Sam?

Short Answer

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

1. How does Gunilla betray the group after they rescue her from the giants?

CHAPTERS 58-60

Reading Check

1. Who told Sam to take Magnus to Valhalla when Magnus was killed?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does Magnus refuse Hel’s deal that would reunite him with his mother?

CHAPTERS 61-63

Reading Check

1. Who claims to have been secretly controlling many of the key events of the story?

Short Answer

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

1. After the group of fire giants arrives, what plan does Magnus come up with for dealing with both the giants and Fenris Wolf?

CHAPTERS 64-67

Reading Check

1. Who is the lion that attacked Fenris Wolf?

Short Answer

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

1. What insight does Magnus have because of Blitz’s tie, and how does this inspiration lead to a change in Magnus’s battle tactics?

Paired Resource

“Fionn, the Incredible Warrior of Irish Myth”

• This page recounts the story of Fionn Mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool).
• This resource relates to the theme of There Are Different Ways to Fight.
• What similarities and differences do you see in Fionn’s and Magnus’s battle strategies? Do the myth and Riordan’s novel convey the same message about fighting? What other stories, songs, or games have you encountered that show how non-physical strategies can be successful in a fight?

CHAPTERS 68-70

Reading Check

1. Whom does Frey tell Magnus he should call?

Short Answer

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

1. What does Odin explain about the Norns’ prophecy?

CHAPTER 71-EPILOGUE

Reading Check

1. What kind of boat is used for the Valkyries’ funeral?

Short Answer

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

1. Why is Randolph helping Loki?

Recommended Next Reads 

The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan

• This middle-grade novel is the sequel to The Sword of Summer and follows Magnus and Sam as they embark on a quest to find Thor’s missing hammer.
• Shared themes include There Are Different Ways to Fight and All Decisions Have Consequences. 
• Shared topics include fantasy, Norse mythology and culture, adventure, friendship, and identity.
• The Hammer of Thor on SuperSummary

The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer

• This middle-grade novel tells the story of 12-year-old Jack Crookleg and his sister Lucy after they are kidnapped by Viking raiders and held captive as the Vikings exploit Jack’s magical training.
• Shared themes include There Are Different Ways to Fight, The Inequality of Hierarchies, and All Decisions Have Consequences. 
• Shared topics include fantasy, Norse mythology and culture, adventure, friendship, and identity.
• The Sea of Trolls on SuperSummary