Wings of an Angel, the first book in the Winds of Light series, will fascinate the readers in your classroom and their parents. Author Sigmund Brouwer offers a historical piece of fiction, filled with interesting details from the time period, and a hero, Thomas, with whom all readers can identify.

Thomas is an orphan who faces the seemingly impossible task of recapturing a kingdom, the kingdom of Magnus. His one and only weapon is knowledge, the end result of lessons gleaned from a set of ancient books and from his teacher and nurse, Sarah.

His journey is one filled with obstacles. As Thomas advances from one obstacle to the next, he not only develops friendships, he also moves farther from childhood and closer to adulthood.

This study guide can be used in a variety of ways:

1. Classroom Novel Study: As the teacher, you would guide the reading process; sometimes the class would read aloud together, sometimes the students would read silently, sometimes the students would read aloud in small groups, and sometimes the students would be asked to read sections aloud to their parents at home. With this method, you, the teacher, would select suitable assignments from the guide to strengthen the comprehension process for your students.
   
   
2. Community of Readers: Student groups of two, three or four (all with similar reading levels) would select this as their novel. They would set reading goals, silent and oral, each day. You, the teacher, would ask them to complete a set number of activities from this guide. The activities could be photocopied in advance, thereby ensuring the readiness of the material as the students advance through the novel.
   
   
3. Independent Study: For those independent students who select this novel, you would allow them to set personal reading goals as well as completing a set number of activities from the study guide.

Regardless of your method of guiding the reading process, these materials should fit into a variety of classrooms and they should appeal to a variety of learners.