Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Before she died, Gemma made Becca promise to investigate secrets that Gemma kept for most of her life. Why the change of heart?
- Why is it so important to Becca to learn what happened to Gemma during the war?
- Author Jane Yolen remarks in her author's note that, in real life, no woman made it out of Chelmno (the extermination camp that fictional Gemma survived) alive. Do you think Yolen's decision to write a novel about a fictional survivor is inappropriate, commendable, or something in between? Explain your answer.
- How might the plot of Briar Rose be different if it were set today instead of in the pre-Internet past?
- Gemma tells the story of her life using a version of the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty (aka Briar Rose). If you had to choose a well-known fairy tale to tell the story of Becca's life, what would it be? Explain your answer.