Wardy faces bullies in military and public schools. Why would he be a target for such abusive behavior? What can be done to curb bullying in schools?
Family problems frequently occupy Wardy’s thoughts. How can families work through the problems of their pre-teen and teenage members?
Grandma Lou is what is known as a “sympathetic character.” Is there such a person in your life or a friend’s life? How can such a person bring about change?
Self-esteem is one of the author’s strong themes. Discuss the importance of self-esteem for someone your age.
Mr. Guterman becomes Wardy’s mentor. Meg and Barry are two other teenage characters in the novel. Both friends of Wardy, they seem very different. Discuss the role of friendship for students your age.
Wardy, with help from Grandma Lou and other characters, begins to realize he must decide for himself what is important for his own life. At what point do young people need to make such choices for themselves?
Wardy loves science and becomes quite attached to Big Vi. Do you or someone you know have one overwhelming interest that could turn out to be a decisive factor in the future?
The theme of ambition comes up several times in the novel. Is something as abstract as ambition relevant to students your age? Why or why not. Discuss your own ambitions.
At one point in the novel, Wardy runs away. Why would the author include this scene? Discuss running away as a solution to problems or situations.
Wardy writes a letter to Meg that he comes to regret. Was Meg’s reaction realistic? Has anything similar ever happened to you? What, if anything, would you do differently?
Wardy experiences cyber-bullying. Why is this type of bullying so intimidating? How does he cope with it?
Does Mr. Guterman ever show signs of bullying? How can a mentor benefit a student? Discuss.