All the Bright Places - Discussion Questions

1.      How do Finch and Violet meet?

2.      What do you think of the relationship between Finch and Violet?

3.      What did you think of Finch's parents?

4.      Finch falls through a lot of social safety nets, especially at school. How could the system have served him better?

5.      Do you think the teen characters seem realistic? Why or why not?

6.      At the beginning of the book, Violet's depressed enough to think about suicide. How is her depression different from Finch's?

7.      Finch and Violet visit a lot of ordinary places (mostly cheesy tourist attractions) that, to them, feel super special. Why are these places so special to them?

8.      Finch was a good counselor to Violet. What prevented him from having the same level of insight into his own situation?

9.      Did the book engage you from the beginning or did it take a while for you to get interested?

10.  Which character did you enjoy the most? Do the characters seem real and believable?

11.  What did you find to be the most heart-breaking moment?

12.  Do you feel like things could have ended differently?

13.  Have you known any people like Finch?

14.  If you were Violet, would you do differently?

15.  Do you think Finch meant to kill himself or was it an accident?

16.  What did you think of the ending, do you think there should be a second book?

17.  If you could ask the author one question, what would it be?

18.  If you could sum up the book in three words, what would they be?

I'll Give You the Sun - Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think the author tells the story through the two voices of Noah and Jude and at two different ages, i.e. Noah at 13 and Jude at 16?

2. "Love is only half the story" is the quote on the front cover of the book. What do you think this means and what do you think the other half of the story is?

3. When Noah is talking about his father, he says that he draws him "so big I can’t fit all of him on the page, so I leave off his head" (p.15). What does this say about Noah’s relationship with his dad?

4. After the death of their mother and its aftermath, both twins change dramatically in their outlook, behavior and personalities, each becoming something they are not. Why do you think this happens?

5. Jude tells Oscar "I gave up practically the whole world for you. The sun, stars, ocean, trees, everything, I gave it all up for you" (p.365). What was she trying to express to him? What would you give up the sun for and why?

6. In the book, the sculptor Guillermo Garcia is described as "the kind of man who walks into a room and all the walls fall down" (p.177). What does that mean and what does it tell you about him as a character? Can you think of any real people for whom this description might also fit?

7. Ghosts and the supernatural feature prominently throughout the story. How does the book manage to make Grandma Sweetwine, who is dead, such a real, solid character? Do you believe that it is the ghost of her mum that keeps breaking Jude’s sculptures and if so, why do you think she is doing it? What influence does the spirit of Oscar’s mum have?

8. Which is your favorite character in the book and why? How do you feel the main characters deal with their grief and what impact does this have on the other?

9. Prophet the parrot and his "Where the hell is Ralph?" refrain is one of the humorous elements of the story. Why do you think the author included him and what part does he play?

10. The book deals with the big themes in life—grief, sexuality, families, relationships and most of all love, what is one of the central platforms for the characters to express these themes?

11. At the beginning of the book, every time Jude and Noah played rock, scissors, paper, they always chose the same thing (p.25), whereas at the end of the book they chose differently (p.394). What does this say about their future lives and the relationship between them?

12. What did you think about the ending of the book—did it complete the story in a satisfying and believable way for the reader? How might it have ended differently? Write a different ending for the story and let a minor character narrate it.

Dumplin’ - Questions for Discussion

1.      What prompted Willow and Ellen to become best friends?

2.   What do you know about Willowdean Dickson?

3.      How old was Aunt Lucy when she died? Why did she die?

4.      Who Willow had a crush for? Why she became hesitated when he made a move on her?

5.      Why didn’t Willow try to lose weight? If you were her, would you try to lose some weight?

6.      Why did Willow decide to enter the Miss Teen Blue Bonnet Pageant? If you were her would you do too?

7.      Why do you think Millie, Amanda, and Hannah also decide to enter the Miss Teen Blue Bonnet Pageant?

8.      Why didn’t Willow want Ellen to enter the Miss Teen Blue Bonnet Pageant?

9.      Do you think Willow treated Mitch fairly?

10.  Why do you think Bo fell for Willow?

11.  Though Willowdean thought she had made peace with her weight, the idea of being publicly involved with a handsome athlete – the teasing she’ll endure, his hands on her “back fat” –unsettles her deeply, Can you explain why? If you were her what would you do?

12.  Where does Willow unknowingly take her new outcast friends (Millie, Amanda, and Hannah) to for pageant training?

13.  How did Willow and Ellen get back together? 

14.  Towards the end of the book, Willow went from one talent to another, what was the consequence of her action?

15.  Did Willow win the title of Miss Teen Blue Bonnet? Why didn’t she stay until the end of the show?

16.  Do you like the ending? If you were the author, how would you end the story?

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Masterminds Questions for Discussion

1. Why does Eli leave Serenity for the first time ever? What happens to him?

2. Why does Randy have to move out of Serenity?

3. Why does Amber make lists of everything she needs to do?

4. What is the very first clue that makes you suspect that life in Serenity differs from the outside? 

5. What product Serenity Plastic Works is said to made? What does Malik notice about the shipments?

6. What kind of trading cards did Randy and Eli make up?

7. How did Eli and Tori find Randy’s note before he left for Colorado?

8. Where was Randy really sent according to his note?

9. Why is the geranium Eli's class sends him as a get well gift dying?

10. Why does Tori have to hide their plans to break into Plastic Works from Amber?

11. How did they get pictures of Plastic Works?

12. How does the local paper, The Pax, determine what to print?

13. How many kids are being studied at the Plastics Works? What code name is given to all the kids being studied?

14. How were the kids the Osiris Project created?

15. What is Project Osiris studying?

16. What is Eli's father's real last name? Who is he really?

17. What does Tori overhear her parents discussing while she is working with her roses?

18. Why can't the Osiris kids leave Serenity?

19. Why do they choose to destroy the satellite on the Plastic Works truck during the Serenity Day Fireworks?

20. How does Eli finally destroy the satellite on the truck?

21. What do you think happened to Hector?

22. How do they get to McNally Academy after escaping from Serenity?

The Raven Boys Discussion Questions

1. For as long as she can remember, Blue has known that if she were to “kiss her true love, he would die.” Do you think it was fair of Blue’s family to tell her this prophecy?

2. Would you want to know a prophecy about yourself that would drastically change your life? 

3. How would you feel if you were Blue and lived in a house full of physic women and your gift was just to "make things louder" for them? How do you think she really feels about this?

4. The characters’ clothes were referred to on many different occasions throughout the story. Adam’s Aglionby uniform isn’t as pristine as Ronan’s or Gansey’s, and Blue often creates new outfits from bits of older ones. Do each character’s outfits truly reflect the image that he or she is trying to portray?

5. Blue spend every St. Mark’s Eve on the ley line helping her mother record the name of the people who will die the following year. How do you think this affects Blue? What would you do if you were Blue and knew which people in your town would die in the next twelve months?

6. A ley line “is a perfectly straight, supernatural energy path that connected spiritual places.” After knowing how powerful ley lines are, do you think that this is an accurate description? Why or why not? Do you think that things like ley lines exist in real life? If yes, explain what they are and where you believe you can find them.

7. Adam has trouble disconnecting from his upbringing and breaking free from his father’s constant abuse. Even though he obviously doesn’t want to live with his parents under the circumstances, he struggles with the decision to leave. Why is it so hard for Adam to leave? Do you think he should have left home and moved into Manmouth Manufacturing before he finally did? Why or why not?

8. Do you have any ideas about what's going on between Ronan and his brother? Or with Ronan, in general? There's obviously a secret--any guesses? And do you think things will ever get better between the brothers?

9. It seems like nothing is good enough for Gansey, and he’s always striving for more. Why is he so hard on himself? Have you ever felt like you put too much pressure on yourself to succeed at something? Is so, how did you feel? What, if anything, made you feel better?

10. Adam, Blue, and Gansey had very different experiences inside the hollowed out tree in Cabeswater. What did each one see? Do you think they was their futures, nightmares, or dreams?

11. In the book, legend says that the person who wakes Glendower is granted a wish. Explain what you think the following characters would wish for if they woke Glendower: Blue, Gansey, Adam Ronan, Noah, Whelk, Neeve, and Maura.  What would you wish for?

12. Why would Gansey—someone who has the means to buy anything he could ever want or need—need a wish from Glendower?

13. Which character from The Raven Boys do you identify with the most? Why?

14. Can you guess what happens in the next book?