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Table of Contents
About The Book
Now with a reimagined look! Join Tim and his friends on a treacherous journey across the seas in the laugh-out-loud funny, highly illustrated third book of the New York Times bestselling Once Upon a Tim chapter book series from Spy School author Stuart Gibbs.
After helping Princess Grace foil the villainous Prince Ruprecht—twice!—junior knights Tim, Belinda, and Ferkle are on a new quest—this time to recover the Queen of Merryland’s precious golden fleece (and more importantly, the protective amulet in its pocket) from the Kingdom of Dinkum. The safety of all Merryland depends upon them.
But first, they must face the deadly Sea of Terror and the dastardly perils it contains. Tim and his friends will have to use every ounce of bravery, valor, and intelligence they possess to navigate the treacherous waters—or else risk becoming flotsam on the waves.
After helping Princess Grace foil the villainous Prince Ruprecht—twice!—junior knights Tim, Belinda, and Ferkle are on a new quest—this time to recover the Queen of Merryland’s precious golden fleece (and more importantly, the protective amulet in its pocket) from the Kingdom of Dinkum. The safety of all Merryland depends upon them.
But first, they must face the deadly Sea of Terror and the dastardly perils it contains. Tim and his friends will have to use every ounce of bravery, valor, and intelligence they possess to navigate the treacherous waters—or else risk becoming flotsam on the waves.
Excerpt
CHAPTER 1 WHAT I WAS AFRAID OF
ONCE UPON A TIME…
You could barely get through the day without running into a vicious, bloodthirsty creature.
The countryside was crawling with them. Literally.
And, as a member of the Knight Brigade of the Great and Glorious Kingdom of Merryland, it was my job to fend them off.
This was not easy.
In fact, it was extremely difficult. And potentially deadly. And scary. Just turn the page and you’ll see what I mean.
I’m the knight on the left. My name is Tim. The other knight is my best friend, Belinda. And that big ugly thing we are facing is a bargleboar.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, Bargleboar? I’ve never heard of one of those. There’s no such thing.
Well, just because you haven’t heard of something doesn’t mean it didn’t exist.
Back in olden times, there were plenty of vicious, bloodthirsty creatures you’ve probably never heard of: bargleboars, blugslugs, bungbears, bandersplatters, boombugs, bladebeasts, bloodmongers… and that’s just the bs. I’ll admit that, even in my day, they weren’t well known. Because anyone who encountered one of them usually didn’t live long enough to tell anyone else about it.
Here’s something else you are probably thinking: Gosh, Tim and Belinda don’t look old enough to be knights.
That is true. We were quite young. In fact, we were still knights-in-training.
Even though knights have to do extremely dangerous things like fight bargleboars, we had actually volunteered for the job. Because back in our time, there were only two job options for a boy: knight and peasant. (And as a girl, Belinda didn’t even have the option of being a knight; she had pretended to be a boy to join up.) Being a peasant was boring. Do you like doing chores? Well, imagine doing chores from the moment you get up until the moment you go to bed, with only an occasional break for a bowl of gruel. That’s what being a peasant was like.
Being a knight might have been dangerous, scary, and exhausting, but it was also very exciting. Belinda and I hadn’t been on the Knight Brigade for very long, but we’d already had plenty of amazing adventures.
We weren’t the only knights fighting the bargleboar, mind you. Several others were there with us, despite the danger.
Sir Cuss was always in a bad mood and eager to stab something. Sir Mount liked to look dashing astride his horse and impress the local maidens. Sir Cumference knew that whoever killed a bargleboar got first dibs on the best parts of the animal to eat. Sir Fass looked up to Sir Cuss and copied whatever he did. Sir Vaylance claimed his job was to oversee the battle, but I’m pretty sure that was just a clever excuse to keep his distance.
Meanwhile, our leader, Sir Vyval, wasn’t even at the battle at all. Instead, he was shouting orders from the ramparts of the castle, well out of the bargleboar’s goring range. But then, one of the perks of being the leader of the knights was that you got to make everyone else do all the dangerous stuff.
“Stab it!” Sir Vyval yelled to us, as if perhaps none of us knew what our swords were for. “Stab it hard! Kill it!!!”
“You heard our fearless leader!” Sir Mount announced gallantly, nice and loud so that all the maidens could hear him. “Go kill that bargleboar!”
(It is worth noting that Sir Mount never personally followed Sir Vyval’s orders. He only repeated them bravely to us without doing any of the dangerous bits. Also, it is much easier to be courageous when you are the only knight with a horse; if things go bad, you can escape faster than everyone else, leaving them all behind to be eaten.)
As the lowest-ranking members of the Knight Brigade, Belinda and I had no one to tell what to do. Instead, we had to follow everyone else’s orders.
As I said, fighting a bargleboar is scary. They are foul tempered. They have very sharp tusks. They have gnashing teeth. They have toxic bad breath. And their favorite hobby is trampling knights into goulash.
But as scary as that was, there was something I was even more afraid of:
Having the other knights learn I was scared.
Knights were supposed to be brave. On our brigade, courage was revered and respected, while fear was looked down upon and ridiculed. Tales were told of the heroic exploits of Vincent the Valiant, Hector the Heroic, and Broderick the Bold, while jokes were made about Francis the Fearful, Thomas the Timid, and Lawrence the Lily-Livered. (Sir Render, a previous member of our brigade, had recently fled from a battle with a bandersplatter, screaming in fright; as punishment, he had been demoted to stable boy and was now routinely mocked by the other knights.)
I did not want to be demoted. Or mocked. So when I was given the order to attack, I attacked.
Belinda and Sir Cuss and Sir Cumference attacked as well, although Belinda did it because she was truly brave, Sir Cumference did it because he was hungry, and Sir Cuss just wanted to stab something. Sir Fass probably would have attacked as well, but he had lost his sword.
However, while the others raced forward with their weapons, I had another trick up my sleeve.
There was one more member of the Knight Brigade: Sir Eberal, who was old and wise and very smart. Instead of fighting vicious beasts, he tried to learn other ways to defeat them. He interviewed village elders and travelers from distant lands and amassed knowledge.
The other knights didn’t think much of him. Most of them had joined the brigade so they could destroy things and look valiant while doing it. No one wanted to hear that the best way to defeat a blugslug was to just sprinkle salt on it and watch it dissolve.
Except me.
I spent a lot of time talking to Sir Eberal about ways to triumph over bloodthirsty beasts that did not involve stabbing. Or gouging. Or any type of messy swordplay. Recently Sir Eberal had heard from a passing horse trader that bargleboars were extremely allergic to paprika.
I know that sounds ridiculous. When I first heard it, I thought it sounded ridiculous. But then I remembered that lots of people have very nasty allergic reactions to all sorts of commonplace things. For example, my cousin Mungo swells up like a cow’s udder every time he gets near cat dander. And if my aunt Vernetta even touches flaxseed, she gets so many red welts that she looks like a giant raspberry. So it seemed possible that bargleboars might be allergic to paprika, and thus I had tucked a vial of it into the cuff of my armor. (Like I said, I had a trick up my sleeve.)
The problem was, I had to get the paprika to the bargleboar’s nose, which was at its front end, where all the other dangerous parts were, like the sharp tusks and the gnashing teeth and the toxic breath. I edged as close as I dared, doing my best to look as though I were brave and gallant and not about to soil myself.
“Stab it!” Sir Vyval yelled from the castle.
“Stab it!” Sir Mount repeated from his horse.
“Yeah!” Sir Cuss exclaimed. “Let’s do some stabbing!”
I did not follow their orders. Instead, I took out the vial, uncorked it, and poured some paprika into my hand.
The bargleboar barreled toward me, its hooves thundering on the ground, its deadly tusks gleaming with spittle.
“Tim!” Sir Vyval yelled. “Why aren’t you stabbing it?”
“Yeah,” Sir Mount seconded. “Why aren’t you stabbing it?”
“Have you lost your mind?!” Sir Cuss demanded. “It’s stabbing time!”
I ignored them and blew on the paprika. The spice flew from my hand in a great cloud of red… just as the bargleboar charged into it.
For a moment, nothing happened. The bargleboar kept coming at me, roaring and drooling, and I figured I had made a terrible mistake and prepared to be trounced into goulash.
But then the bargleboar got a very funny look on its face. It stopped charging. It crinkled its enormous nose.
And then it sneezed. A lot. Huge, earthshaking, volcanic sneezes that blasted massive globs of boar snot from its nostrils.
I tackled Belinda, knocking her out of the way of some of it.
The bargleboar sneezed violently a few more times, and then a green rash appeared on its snout. The beast no longer looked vicious. Instead, it looked ill. It quickly turned around and raced back into the forest, whimpering sadly.
I got to my feet, feeling proud of myself, and turned to my fellow knights, expecting them to be proud of me as well.
They were not.
Instead, they were quite angry.
None of them had been agile or quick enough to get out of the way of the bargleboar’s sneezes. So they were all now coated with bargleboar snot. Even Sir Vyval hadn’t been out of range.
So instead of being congratulated for saving everyone from the bargleboar, it appeared that I was going to end up in trouble for it.
But before that could happen, an even bigger crisis occurred. Which is what this story is really about.
ONCE UPON A TIME…
You could barely get through the day without running into a vicious, bloodthirsty creature.
The countryside was crawling with them. Literally.
And, as a member of the Knight Brigade of the Great and Glorious Kingdom of Merryland, it was my job to fend them off.
This was not easy.
In fact, it was extremely difficult. And potentially deadly. And scary. Just turn the page and you’ll see what I mean.
I’m the knight on the left. My name is Tim. The other knight is my best friend, Belinda. And that big ugly thing we are facing is a bargleboar.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, Bargleboar? I’ve never heard of one of those. There’s no such thing.
Well, just because you haven’t heard of something doesn’t mean it didn’t exist.
Back in olden times, there were plenty of vicious, bloodthirsty creatures you’ve probably never heard of: bargleboars, blugslugs, bungbears, bandersplatters, boombugs, bladebeasts, bloodmongers… and that’s just the bs. I’ll admit that, even in my day, they weren’t well known. Because anyone who encountered one of them usually didn’t live long enough to tell anyone else about it.
Here’s something else you are probably thinking: Gosh, Tim and Belinda don’t look old enough to be knights.
That is true. We were quite young. In fact, we were still knights-in-training.
Even though knights have to do extremely dangerous things like fight bargleboars, we had actually volunteered for the job. Because back in our time, there were only two job options for a boy: knight and peasant. (And as a girl, Belinda didn’t even have the option of being a knight; she had pretended to be a boy to join up.) Being a peasant was boring. Do you like doing chores? Well, imagine doing chores from the moment you get up until the moment you go to bed, with only an occasional break for a bowl of gruel. That’s what being a peasant was like.
Being a knight might have been dangerous, scary, and exhausting, but it was also very exciting. Belinda and I hadn’t been on the Knight Brigade for very long, but we’d already had plenty of amazing adventures.
We weren’t the only knights fighting the bargleboar, mind you. Several others were there with us, despite the danger.
Sir Cuss was always in a bad mood and eager to stab something. Sir Mount liked to look dashing astride his horse and impress the local maidens. Sir Cumference knew that whoever killed a bargleboar got first dibs on the best parts of the animal to eat. Sir Fass looked up to Sir Cuss and copied whatever he did. Sir Vaylance claimed his job was to oversee the battle, but I’m pretty sure that was just a clever excuse to keep his distance.
Meanwhile, our leader, Sir Vyval, wasn’t even at the battle at all. Instead, he was shouting orders from the ramparts of the castle, well out of the bargleboar’s goring range. But then, one of the perks of being the leader of the knights was that you got to make everyone else do all the dangerous stuff.
“Stab it!” Sir Vyval yelled to us, as if perhaps none of us knew what our swords were for. “Stab it hard! Kill it!!!”
“You heard our fearless leader!” Sir Mount announced gallantly, nice and loud so that all the maidens could hear him. “Go kill that bargleboar!”
(It is worth noting that Sir Mount never personally followed Sir Vyval’s orders. He only repeated them bravely to us without doing any of the dangerous bits. Also, it is much easier to be courageous when you are the only knight with a horse; if things go bad, you can escape faster than everyone else, leaving them all behind to be eaten.)
As the lowest-ranking members of the Knight Brigade, Belinda and I had no one to tell what to do. Instead, we had to follow everyone else’s orders.
As I said, fighting a bargleboar is scary. They are foul tempered. They have very sharp tusks. They have gnashing teeth. They have toxic bad breath. And their favorite hobby is trampling knights into goulash.
But as scary as that was, there was something I was even more afraid of:
Having the other knights learn I was scared.
Knights were supposed to be brave. On our brigade, courage was revered and respected, while fear was looked down upon and ridiculed. Tales were told of the heroic exploits of Vincent the Valiant, Hector the Heroic, and Broderick the Bold, while jokes were made about Francis the Fearful, Thomas the Timid, and Lawrence the Lily-Livered. (Sir Render, a previous member of our brigade, had recently fled from a battle with a bandersplatter, screaming in fright; as punishment, he had been demoted to stable boy and was now routinely mocked by the other knights.)
I did not want to be demoted. Or mocked. So when I was given the order to attack, I attacked.
Belinda and Sir Cuss and Sir Cumference attacked as well, although Belinda did it because she was truly brave, Sir Cumference did it because he was hungry, and Sir Cuss just wanted to stab something. Sir Fass probably would have attacked as well, but he had lost his sword.
However, while the others raced forward with their weapons, I had another trick up my sleeve.
There was one more member of the Knight Brigade: Sir Eberal, who was old and wise and very smart. Instead of fighting vicious beasts, he tried to learn other ways to defeat them. He interviewed village elders and travelers from distant lands and amassed knowledge.
The other knights didn’t think much of him. Most of them had joined the brigade so they could destroy things and look valiant while doing it. No one wanted to hear that the best way to defeat a blugslug was to just sprinkle salt on it and watch it dissolve.
Except me.
I spent a lot of time talking to Sir Eberal about ways to triumph over bloodthirsty beasts that did not involve stabbing. Or gouging. Or any type of messy swordplay. Recently Sir Eberal had heard from a passing horse trader that bargleboars were extremely allergic to paprika.
I know that sounds ridiculous. When I first heard it, I thought it sounded ridiculous. But then I remembered that lots of people have very nasty allergic reactions to all sorts of commonplace things. For example, my cousin Mungo swells up like a cow’s udder every time he gets near cat dander. And if my aunt Vernetta even touches flaxseed, she gets so many red welts that she looks like a giant raspberry. So it seemed possible that bargleboars might be allergic to paprika, and thus I had tucked a vial of it into the cuff of my armor. (Like I said, I had a trick up my sleeve.)
The problem was, I had to get the paprika to the bargleboar’s nose, which was at its front end, where all the other dangerous parts were, like the sharp tusks and the gnashing teeth and the toxic breath. I edged as close as I dared, doing my best to look as though I were brave and gallant and not about to soil myself.
“Stab it!” Sir Vyval yelled from the castle.
“Stab it!” Sir Mount repeated from his horse.
“Yeah!” Sir Cuss exclaimed. “Let’s do some stabbing!”
I did not follow their orders. Instead, I took out the vial, uncorked it, and poured some paprika into my hand.
The bargleboar barreled toward me, its hooves thundering on the ground, its deadly tusks gleaming with spittle.
“Tim!” Sir Vyval yelled. “Why aren’t you stabbing it?”
“Yeah,” Sir Mount seconded. “Why aren’t you stabbing it?”
“Have you lost your mind?!” Sir Cuss demanded. “It’s stabbing time!”
I ignored them and blew on the paprika. The spice flew from my hand in a great cloud of red… just as the bargleboar charged into it.
For a moment, nothing happened. The bargleboar kept coming at me, roaring and drooling, and I figured I had made a terrible mistake and prepared to be trounced into goulash.
But then the bargleboar got a very funny look on its face. It stopped charging. It crinkled its enormous nose.
And then it sneezed. A lot. Huge, earthshaking, volcanic sneezes that blasted massive globs of boar snot from its nostrils.
I tackled Belinda, knocking her out of the way of some of it.
The bargleboar sneezed violently a few more times, and then a green rash appeared on its snout. The beast no longer looked vicious. Instead, it looked ill. It quickly turned around and raced back into the forest, whimpering sadly.
I got to my feet, feeling proud of myself, and turned to my fellow knights, expecting them to be proud of me as well.
They were not.
Instead, they were quite angry.
None of them had been agile or quick enough to get out of the way of the bargleboar’s sneezes. So they were all now coated with bargleboar snot. Even Sir Vyval hadn’t been out of range.
So instead of being congratulated for saving everyone from the bargleboar, it appeared that I was going to end up in trouble for it.
But before that could happen, an even bigger crisis occurred. Which is what this story is really about.
Reading Group Guide
Reading Group Guide
Once Upon a Tim #3: The Sea of Terror
By Stuart Gibbs
About the Book
After helping Princess Grace foil the villainous Prince Ruprecht—twice!—junior knights Tim, Belinda, and Ferkle are on a new quest: this time to recover the Queen of Merryland’s precious golden fleece (and more importantly, the protective amulet in its pocket) from the Kingdom of Dinkum. The safety of all Merryland depends upon them.
But first they must face the deadly Sea of Terror and the dastardly perils it contains. Tim and his friends will have to use every ounce of bravery, valor, and intelligence they possess to navigate the treacherous waters—or else risk becoming flotsam on the waves.
Discussion Questions
1. As the novel opens, Tim tells readers that “Once upon a time, you could barely get through the day without running into a vicious, bloodthirsty creature. The countryside was crawling with them. Literally. And, as a member of the Knight Brigade of the Great and Glorious Kingdom of Merryland, it was my job to fend them off. That was not easy.” (Chapter one) Given what you’ve read so far in the other Once Upon a Tim books, do you believe Tim’s work and life are truly difficult? What do you believe to be the most difficult parts of what he has to regularly endure?
2. Through the delightful illustrations that accompany the text, readers watch Tim and Belinda attempt to fight a bargleboar. Tim even shares a list of other vicious, bloodthirsty creatures they regularly encounter. Do you see this as the worst part of their jobs as knights? Why or why not? What might be even worse?
3. Based on what you learned from both the previous Once Upon a Tim books and The Sea of Terror, what’s your impression of the Knight Brigade of the Great and Glorious Kingdom of Merryland? Which characters are your favorites? Are there any you find are not brave at all?
4. For most people in “olden times” (what we might refer to as the Middle Ages), an individual’s fate was believed to be set. How do Tim and Belinda continue to prove that despite this belief, it’s possible to still find ways to change their lives or choose what happens to them in the future?
5. Instead of admitting his fears of monstrous creatures, Tim reveals that “as scary as that was, there was something I was even more afraid of: having the other knights learn I was scared.” (Chapter one) In what ways do Tim’s concerns about what the other knights will think of him prove to be a hindrance?
6. After Tim disobeys an order from the lead knight, Sir Vyval screams, “‘Your actions didn’t just sully me and your fellow knights. They also humiliated us!’” (Chapter two) While Tim ultimately has saved the knights’ lives, Sir Vyyal is unhappy with him. Do you think his reaction is warranted? Why or why not? If you were in Tim’s position, what would you have done?
7. After the King of Merryland orders his knights to go on a potentially perilous journey to retrieve the queen’s golden fleece and protective amulet from the Kingdom of Dinkum, there is little discussion or thought about the potential outcomes for those on the mission. How might this be problematic? Why would it be better if there were more thought put behind such orders?
8. Sir Vyval tells the king, “‘I’m not saying that’s a bad plan but . . . you do know we aren’t a navy, right? None of us have ever been to sea. And there are all those monsters and perils to contend with. I mean, it’s called the Sea of Terror, not the Sea of Pleasantness. . . .’” (Chapter two) Based on the experiences of the knights, predict some ways that such a mission could go wrong.
9. Why is the Mystical Protective Amulet of Merryland so important to the royal family and the people of Merryland? Why does not having it in their possession make them so nervous?
10. When the king decrees that this mission will require every able-bodied man the kingdom has, Princess Grace suddenly declares, “‘I can go too!’” Why isn’t her bravery and willingness to assist on the mission well-received by her parents? What is it they expect of her instead? In what ways is it clear she doesn’t agree with their idea of who and what she should be?
11. While trying to help the knights better understand the utter vastness of the sea and just how dangerous the mission they’ve been assigned by the king really is, Sir Eberal declares, “‘Should something happen to the ship, you will sink into the great, watery depths of the sea, where you will die a miserable death by drowning—unless you are eaten by a sea monster first.’” (Chapter three) Do you think Sir Eberal’s choice to not go along with the other knights is the right one, though he may face significant consequences for this decision? Why or why not?
12. What are some examples of ways that Sir Vyval’s pride puts the knights in grave danger?
13. After discovering the Mystical Protective Amulet doesn’t work, Ferkle tells the group, “‘Well, I suspected that might be the case. . . . A lot of myths turn out to not be true.’” (Chapter sixteen) Why is this statement by Ferkle important? What does it prove about him as well?
14. Considering all that happens along the journey, what are the consequences of Tim’s repeated unwillingness to admit when he is afraid?
15. Though they aren’t the center of much of the villainy that happens in The Sea of Terror, what continues to make Ruprecht and Nerlin obvious nemeses of Tim, Belinda, and Princess Grace?
16. After the knights abandon them, when Grace asks them if they have been working with Ruprecht and Nerlin the entire mission, Sir Vyval tells her, “‘We haven’t been in cahoots at all. We only switched sides this very minute.’” (Chapter sixteen) Consider the actions of the rest of the knights. Though switching sides may ultimately keep them safe from harm at sea, do you think it’s the right choice? Why or why not?
17. As the novel ends, readers learn that not all the challenges faced by Tim, Belinda, Grace, Ferkle, and Rover have been resolved, and the story ends on a cliff-hanger. What are your predictions for the next installment of the Once Upon a Tim series?
IQ Booster Vocabulary Activities
- The Once Upon a Tim books are filled with big vocabulary words that are both fun to learn and use, and that make the story more engaging. Use the following activities to help readers practice using and learning these words so they can sound like geniuses too.
Word Art!
- Drawing detailed pictures of a word’s meaning is a powerful tool to help students learn, understand, and retain a new vocabulary word. Choose the six words prior to making copies, or the student can choose the six trickiest words.
Vocabulary Relay
a. Print out IQ booster words from The Sea of Terror on one set of cards (copy this set a few times) and definitions, context, or fill-in-the blank sentences in which they could be used on another set (just one set).
b. Jumble up the words in a pile in the middle of the floor, and jumble up the definitions, context, and sentences to keep with you. Break students into teams of four or five.
c. Call out the definition/context/sentence, and give students some thinking time (8–10 seconds) to talk about what word it might be.
d. After the discussion time, call out “Word!” One member from each team runs to the center and tries to find the word in the pile. Consider having multiple sets of the words so more than one team can get it. Check to make sure they’re correct, and then discuss it briefly before the next round.
Vocabulary Bingo
- After the group has learned at least twenty-five different vocabulary words from The Sea of Terror, bingo is a game students love to play that will provide a great opportunity to review. Students simply write a vocabulary word from the novel in each space of their bingo card (you’ll need to create a template). Use review and discussion of The Sea of Terror to provide the definition of one of the words. Each student should then locate the vocabulary word and cover it with a bingo chip. The first player to get five in a row, four corners, or blackout wins the game.
Additional Extension Activities
1. Row, Row, Row Your Boat! In The Sea of Terror, after Tim, Belinda, Grace, and Ferkle are sent down the river by Ruprecht and Nerlin, their fate is uncertain. Using craft supplies and lots of cardboard, let readers work in small groups to design and create a boat that might be seaworthy enough to offer Tim and his friends a rescue.
2. Make Up a Monster! Throughout The Sea of Terror, readers encounter a bargleboar and several other scary and fantastical monsters on the journey to reclaim the Mystical Protective Amulet of Merryland. Using the list of unknown bloodthirsty creatures provided in chapter one of the novel, ask readers to select a creature not drawn in the book and to create their own drawing of it. Then have the student create five original character traits for the monster. After everyone has designed their own, allow readers to take turns sharing more about their monster.
3. Map It Out! The mission to retrieve the queen’s golden fleece and the Mystical Protective Amulet sends Tim, Belinda, and the Knight Brigade on a watery adventure unlike any they’ve encountered before. Working in teams, use the novel’s sequence of events and large butcher paper to design an updated map that highlights the story’s landmarks and pitfalls.
4. Comic Construction: The Sea of Terror is filled with delightful illustrations by Stacy Curtis. Using Stacy’s illustrations as inspiration, select a favorite scene from The Sea of Terror and create either a digitally or manually illustrated graphic for that scene. Use either a digital comic strip creator (http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/) or a printable comic book storyboard sheet (found online) to begin to design the storyboards for the selected scene.
This guide was created by Dr. Rose Brock, an associate professor in the Library Science Department in the College of Education at Sam Houston State University. Dr. Brock holds a Ph.D. in Library Science, specializing in children’s and young adult literature.
This guide has been provided by Simon & Schuster for classroom, library, and reading group use. It may be reproduced in its entirety or excerpted for these purposes.
Once Upon a Tim #3: The Sea of Terror
By Stuart Gibbs
About the Book
After helping Princess Grace foil the villainous Prince Ruprecht—twice!—junior knights Tim, Belinda, and Ferkle are on a new quest: this time to recover the Queen of Merryland’s precious golden fleece (and more importantly, the protective amulet in its pocket) from the Kingdom of Dinkum. The safety of all Merryland depends upon them.
But first they must face the deadly Sea of Terror and the dastardly perils it contains. Tim and his friends will have to use every ounce of bravery, valor, and intelligence they possess to navigate the treacherous waters—or else risk becoming flotsam on the waves.
Discussion Questions
1. As the novel opens, Tim tells readers that “Once upon a time, you could barely get through the day without running into a vicious, bloodthirsty creature. The countryside was crawling with them. Literally. And, as a member of the Knight Brigade of the Great and Glorious Kingdom of Merryland, it was my job to fend them off. That was not easy.” (Chapter one) Given what you’ve read so far in the other Once Upon a Tim books, do you believe Tim’s work and life are truly difficult? What do you believe to be the most difficult parts of what he has to regularly endure?
2. Through the delightful illustrations that accompany the text, readers watch Tim and Belinda attempt to fight a bargleboar. Tim even shares a list of other vicious, bloodthirsty creatures they regularly encounter. Do you see this as the worst part of their jobs as knights? Why or why not? What might be even worse?
3. Based on what you learned from both the previous Once Upon a Tim books and The Sea of Terror, what’s your impression of the Knight Brigade of the Great and Glorious Kingdom of Merryland? Which characters are your favorites? Are there any you find are not brave at all?
4. For most people in “olden times” (what we might refer to as the Middle Ages), an individual’s fate was believed to be set. How do Tim and Belinda continue to prove that despite this belief, it’s possible to still find ways to change their lives or choose what happens to them in the future?
5. Instead of admitting his fears of monstrous creatures, Tim reveals that “as scary as that was, there was something I was even more afraid of: having the other knights learn I was scared.” (Chapter one) In what ways do Tim’s concerns about what the other knights will think of him prove to be a hindrance?
6. After Tim disobeys an order from the lead knight, Sir Vyval screams, “‘Your actions didn’t just sully me and your fellow knights. They also humiliated us!’” (Chapter two) While Tim ultimately has saved the knights’ lives, Sir Vyyal is unhappy with him. Do you think his reaction is warranted? Why or why not? If you were in Tim’s position, what would you have done?
7. After the King of Merryland orders his knights to go on a potentially perilous journey to retrieve the queen’s golden fleece and protective amulet from the Kingdom of Dinkum, there is little discussion or thought about the potential outcomes for those on the mission. How might this be problematic? Why would it be better if there were more thought put behind such orders?
8. Sir Vyval tells the king, “‘I’m not saying that’s a bad plan but . . . you do know we aren’t a navy, right? None of us have ever been to sea. And there are all those monsters and perils to contend with. I mean, it’s called the Sea of Terror, not the Sea of Pleasantness. . . .’” (Chapter two) Based on the experiences of the knights, predict some ways that such a mission could go wrong.
9. Why is the Mystical Protective Amulet of Merryland so important to the royal family and the people of Merryland? Why does not having it in their possession make them so nervous?
10. When the king decrees that this mission will require every able-bodied man the kingdom has, Princess Grace suddenly declares, “‘I can go too!’” Why isn’t her bravery and willingness to assist on the mission well-received by her parents? What is it they expect of her instead? In what ways is it clear she doesn’t agree with their idea of who and what she should be?
11. While trying to help the knights better understand the utter vastness of the sea and just how dangerous the mission they’ve been assigned by the king really is, Sir Eberal declares, “‘Should something happen to the ship, you will sink into the great, watery depths of the sea, where you will die a miserable death by drowning—unless you are eaten by a sea monster first.’” (Chapter three) Do you think Sir Eberal’s choice to not go along with the other knights is the right one, though he may face significant consequences for this decision? Why or why not?
12. What are some examples of ways that Sir Vyval’s pride puts the knights in grave danger?
13. After discovering the Mystical Protective Amulet doesn’t work, Ferkle tells the group, “‘Well, I suspected that might be the case. . . . A lot of myths turn out to not be true.’” (Chapter sixteen) Why is this statement by Ferkle important? What does it prove about him as well?
14. Considering all that happens along the journey, what are the consequences of Tim’s repeated unwillingness to admit when he is afraid?
15. Though they aren’t the center of much of the villainy that happens in The Sea of Terror, what continues to make Ruprecht and Nerlin obvious nemeses of Tim, Belinda, and Princess Grace?
16. After the knights abandon them, when Grace asks them if they have been working with Ruprecht and Nerlin the entire mission, Sir Vyval tells her, “‘We haven’t been in cahoots at all. We only switched sides this very minute.’” (Chapter sixteen) Consider the actions of the rest of the knights. Though switching sides may ultimately keep them safe from harm at sea, do you think it’s the right choice? Why or why not?
17. As the novel ends, readers learn that not all the challenges faced by Tim, Belinda, Grace, Ferkle, and Rover have been resolved, and the story ends on a cliff-hanger. What are your predictions for the next installment of the Once Upon a Tim series?
IQ Booster Vocabulary Activities
- The Once Upon a Tim books are filled with big vocabulary words that are both fun to learn and use, and that make the story more engaging. Use the following activities to help readers practice using and learning these words so they can sound like geniuses too.
Word Art!
- Drawing detailed pictures of a word’s meaning is a powerful tool to help students learn, understand, and retain a new vocabulary word. Choose the six words prior to making copies, or the student can choose the six trickiest words.
Vocabulary Relay
a. Print out IQ booster words from The Sea of Terror on one set of cards (copy this set a few times) and definitions, context, or fill-in-the blank sentences in which they could be used on another set (just one set).
b. Jumble up the words in a pile in the middle of the floor, and jumble up the definitions, context, and sentences to keep with you. Break students into teams of four or five.
c. Call out the definition/context/sentence, and give students some thinking time (8–10 seconds) to talk about what word it might be.
d. After the discussion time, call out “Word!” One member from each team runs to the center and tries to find the word in the pile. Consider having multiple sets of the words so more than one team can get it. Check to make sure they’re correct, and then discuss it briefly before the next round.
Vocabulary Bingo
- After the group has learned at least twenty-five different vocabulary words from The Sea of Terror, bingo is a game students love to play that will provide a great opportunity to review. Students simply write a vocabulary word from the novel in each space of their bingo card (you’ll need to create a template). Use review and discussion of The Sea of Terror to provide the definition of one of the words. Each student should then locate the vocabulary word and cover it with a bingo chip. The first player to get five in a row, four corners, or blackout wins the game.
Additional Extension Activities
1. Row, Row, Row Your Boat! In The Sea of Terror, after Tim, Belinda, Grace, and Ferkle are sent down the river by Ruprecht and Nerlin, their fate is uncertain. Using craft supplies and lots of cardboard, let readers work in small groups to design and create a boat that might be seaworthy enough to offer Tim and his friends a rescue.
2. Make Up a Monster! Throughout The Sea of Terror, readers encounter a bargleboar and several other scary and fantastical monsters on the journey to reclaim the Mystical Protective Amulet of Merryland. Using the list of unknown bloodthirsty creatures provided in chapter one of the novel, ask readers to select a creature not drawn in the book and to create their own drawing of it. Then have the student create five original character traits for the monster. After everyone has designed their own, allow readers to take turns sharing more about their monster.
3. Map It Out! The mission to retrieve the queen’s golden fleece and the Mystical Protective Amulet sends Tim, Belinda, and the Knight Brigade on a watery adventure unlike any they’ve encountered before. Working in teams, use the novel’s sequence of events and large butcher paper to design an updated map that highlights the story’s landmarks and pitfalls.
4. Comic Construction: The Sea of Terror is filled with delightful illustrations by Stacy Curtis. Using Stacy’s illustrations as inspiration, select a favorite scene from The Sea of Terror and create either a digitally or manually illustrated graphic for that scene. Use either a digital comic strip creator (http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/) or a printable comic book storyboard sheet (found online) to begin to design the storyboards for the selected scene.
This guide was created by Dr. Rose Brock, an associate professor in the Library Science Department in the College of Education at Sam Houston State University. Dr. Brock holds a Ph.D. in Library Science, specializing in children’s and young adult literature.
This guide has been provided by Simon & Schuster for classroom, library, and reading group use. It may be reproduced in its entirety or excerpted for these purposes.
About The Author
Photograph by Dashiell Gibbs
Stuart Gibbs
Stuart Gibbs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Charlie Thorne series, FunJungle series, Moon Base Alpha series, Once Upon a Tim series, and Spy School series. He has written screenplays, worked on a whole bunch of animated films, developed TV shows, been a newspaper columnist, and researched capybaras (the world’s largest rodents). Stuart lives with his family in Los Angeles. You can learn more about what he’s up to at StuartGibbs.com.
About The Illustrator
Chris Choi
Chris Choi is an illustrator, author, and graphic novelist who formerly worked under the pseudonym “Chris Danger.” Chris, an army brat, lived everywhere, but grew up mostly in Hawai’i. He attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City, worked in animation and academia for a few years, and has been a full-time freelance illustrator for almost a decade now. He currently lives in Philadelphia with his wife Eva and their dog and two cats. Visit him on Instagram @Choi_Meets_World.
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (February 4, 2025)
- Length: 176 pages
- ISBN13: 9781665917452
- Ages: 7 - 10
Raves and Reviews
"More knightly shenanigans, tongue deeply in cheek."
– Kirkus Reviews
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): The Sea of Terror Trade Paperback 9781665917452
- Author Photo (jpg): Stuart Gibbs Photograph by Dashiell Gibbs(0.1 MB)
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