1. In Red Shift the worlds of Macey, Thomas, and Tom overlap. On your own, or with a group, read about the Roman Legions in Britain, about the Civil War and the Barthomley Massacre, and about the lives of high-school and posthigh-school-age young people in England. Then make a poster or book cover with a round or triangular design. On the outer edges, show Macey, Thomas, and Tom, and drawings or words which show their time periods. Toward the center of the circle, show the characteristics they have in common, or the events that overlap in their stories. You may wish to put the axe head or some other unifying symbol at the center of your poster.

2. Using an atlas, make a map of the area in which the stories take place.

(Look first for Crewe. If you have a very...