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His Dark Materials Trilogy: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, & The Amber Spyglass
Philip Pullman
Set in an imagined and mysterious world, The Golden Compass follows Lyra's journey to the far North to save her best friend and other kidnapped children for the terrible experiments of evil scientists. In The Subtle Knife, Lyra meets Will, a fugitive boy from our own universe, and together they uncover a deadly secret! And finally in The Amber Spyglass, Lyra and Will set out for an unknown world where they make their most haunting discovery yet.
Start thinking:
What does the concept of betrayal mean? How does Lyra betray Roger in The Golden Compass? Was she aware that she was betraying him? What was Lyra's great betrayal in The Amber Spyglass? How do Lyra's parents betray her—and then protect her?
The trilogy challenges our assumptions about good and evil: some witches are good, and some church members are evil. What are other examples of unexpected forms of good and evil throughout the trilogy? At the end of The Amber Spyglass, what do Will and Lyra learn about actions versus labels, and how does this knowledge affect they way they will live the rest of their lives?
Philip Pullman has created his own fantasy vocabulary. What are some of the character names and other words that are unique to this trilogy? Are some of the words symbolic of the underlying themes and messages? How?
 
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