About the Book:  Kip keeps a huge secret:  at age nine, he was responsible for the death of another child.  Outrage over the crime forces him into hiding, but a new name and a new place can’t erase the hungry ghost of guilt that threatens his friends, his family, and his future. 

About the Author:  A native of Texas who has also done time in Chicago and Alaska, Gail Giles is the author of several acclaimed books for young adults, including Shattering Glass, Dead Girls Don’t Write Letters, Playing in Traffic, Whatever Happened to Cass McBride?, and Dark Song.  She loves pets, chocolate, good movies, good books, and sleeping late.  For more about Gail Giles and her work, visit www.gailgiles.com. 

Thematic Connections:

〈Guilt

〈Accountability

〈Blame

〈Redemption

Before Reading

Write about one or more of the following in your journal:

〈Do you think guilt is mostly good or mostly bad?  Explain.

〈At what age is a person accountable for his own actions?  Does accountability come earlier for some things than for others?  Explain.

〈Do you think justice is better served by revenge or forgiveness?  Explain.

〈When you’ve done something wrong, how have you redeemed yourself?  What sorts of crimes, if any, are so heinous that redemption is out of the question?  Why?

Discussion Guide

Knowledge:

〈What does Kip kick at the beginning of the book?

〈What happened to Kip’s mother?

〈Which birthday present does Bobby Clarke bring to show Kip?

〈How long did Bobby Clarke live after the fire?

〈Where did Kip hide after Bobby caught fire?

〈For how long won’t Kip speak?

〈Who is The Frown?

〈What gift does The Frown give Kip?

〈The Runner was whose favorite book?

〈What game does Lucille play with Kip?

〈What happened to the cabin that Kip’s father built?

〈What does Dave’s father do for a living?

〈Who are the three B’s?

〈What does Dr. Lyman remind Wade of?

〈What did Grant leave to Carrie?

〈What is the Elton?

〈Where does Jessica work?

〈Who teaches Wade to sail?

〈Whom does Sam call to confirm Kip’s story?

Understanding:

〈Why is Kip’s dad draining gasoline from the lawn mower at the beginning of the book?

〈Name three factors that led to Kip throwing the gasoline.

〈What is the Loon Platoon?

〈What does Kip’s memory of coloring with his mother reveal about her?

〈Explain the distinction Kip makes between being wild and being free, as it applies to him and his father.

〈Why does Kip need a new name?

〈Why does Kip choose “Wade” as his new name?

〈According to the Zen riddle, what is a hungry ghost?

〈How does Wade earn respect on his first day of school in Indiana?

〈Why does Wade like his Indiana history class?

〈Why do Wade and Absolutely Cutest break up?

〈Why didn’t Wade learn to drive?

〈Explain the long spoons.

〈Why does Jessica get upset when she sees Wade with Sam?

〈Why does Sam say she has a boyfriend?

〈What attracted Sam to beer?

〈How did Grant help Sam?

〈Why doesn’t Wade call people by their real names?

〈Why didn’t Kip’s mother say anything about the lump in her breast until it was too late?

Application:

〈How do Kip and his dad deal with anger?  How do you?

〈Name at least three suggestions The Frown gives Kip to help him fit in at his new school.  Then add three suggestions of your own.

〈The Frown tells Kip that to get rid of his guilt, he must find truth.  Do you agree?  Why or why not?

〈Why would anyone want to hang onto his guilt?  Explain your answer, using one example from the book and one from real life.

〈Explain what Sam’s father believes about redemption and forgiveness.  Then explain at least two other ways of thinking about each.

〈Dr. Lyman says there’s a difference between accepting guilt and seeking punishment.  Name at least one way that Wade seeks punishment.  Then name one way you’ve seen someone else seek punishment.

〈Wade feels bad about hiding the truth from Dave, but he hides it from everyone else, too. Do you think it’s okay to be more truthful with some people than with others?  Explain, using at least one example from the book and one from real life.

〈Explain how for Wade swimming is a source of both punishment and reward.  Then from your own experience explain something that is both a punishment and a reward.

〈Do you agree with the B’s that they have it rough?  Why or why not?

〈Sam’s father says that if you worry about being a bad person, you probably aren’t.  Do you agree?  Defend your position using examples from the book and from your experience.

〈Do you agree with Sam when she says that at some point you have to quit atoning for what you’ve done wrong and just be who you are, or do you think that’s a cop-out?  Justify your response with examples from the book.

〈Why do you think people react so strongly, with death threats and outrage, to crimes like Kip’s?

Analysis:

〈Kip’s first words after the incident are “Wile E. Coyote.”  What does the cartoon have to do with what happened to Bobby?

〈The Frown tells Kip, “You’re not tough.  You’re broken.”  Do you agree or disagree?  Explain.

〈Name three examples to show that Carrie is a positive influence on Kip and/or his father.

〈Give an example from the book that shows that Kip has a sense of humor.

〈Explain the double meaning of alcohol as an accelerant for Wade.

〈Why do you think Wade sticks up for Brett’s girlfriend?

〈In what ways is Sam like Wade?  Name at least three.

〈Which character do you most admire?  Why?

〈Describe the three main settings:  Alaska, Indiana, and Texas.  In what ways is each appropriate for what happens there?

〈Describe Kip’s relationship with water.  What do you think it represents for him? 

Synthesis:

〈Is Kip a murderer?  Explain.

〈Was Slice responsible for Cowboy’s death in the same way that Kip was responsible for Bobby’s?  Explain. 

〈Describe Kip’s relationship with his mother as compared to his relationship with his father.

•Why do you think the teacher’s suggestion of innocence in the Truman Capote story makes Kip so angry?

〈The Frown says Kip is a victim.  Do you agree?  Why or why not?

〈Explain one of the ways Kip slips before he completely blows his cover in Indiana.

〈Why did Wade tell Dave that he “did it on purpose”?

〈Why do you think Wade vows not to swim again?

〈Why do you think Wade says it’s perfect that Sam doesn’t seem to like him?

〈What is the significance of the book’s title?

〈How does his experience in Texas change Wade?

〈Which character does the most to help Wade?  Which does the most to help Sam?  Defend your choices, using examples from the book.

〈Explain at least three ways that Wade’s telling Sam about his past is different from him telling his friends in Indiana.

〈Whose struggle do you think is harder – Wade’s or Sam’s?  Why?

Evaluation:

〈The novel begins and ends with Kip soaked by rain.  Once you’ve completed the book, explain why this is appropriate. 

〈The prologue mentions Sam, though we don’t learn till halfway through the book whether Sam is a young man or woman.  In what ways does this ambiguity add interest to the story?

〈Do you think the hungry ghost is a good way of describing Kip’s guilt?  Why or why not?

〈What kept you reading the story?  What did you want to find out?

〈How did Sam’s italicized parts add interest to the story?

〈Do you think it’s realistic that Wade’s friends, teammates, and coach turned on him so quickly once they learned the truth?  Why or why not?

Projects

•Research:  Dr. Schofield identifies stages of denial that Kip goes through.  Psychologists speak of denial as one “coping mechanism.”  Research other coping mechanisms and present your findings to the class.

•Debate: Individually or in teams, debate the following statements:

〈What Kip did was evil.

〈Kip has atoned for his crime.

〈Guilt saved Wade.

〈A child should be held accountable for his actions.

〈Some crimes can’t be forgiven.

〈Forgive and forget.

〈Two damaged people shouldn’t be together.

•Letter:  Some parents have written letters that criticize this book because it fails to condemn a boy who killed another child.  Write a letter responding to this criticism.  Include at least three specific examples from the book to support your views.

〈Poster:  Make a poster showing all the ways fire and water appear in the novel.  Include both images and quotes from the book.

〈Map:  The book is divided into three sections representing the three states where Kip/Wade lived.  Using these three states as a backdrop, map the conflicts that took place in each.  Present to the class, noting which conflicts you think mattered most along with any patterns you observe.

Author Interview

〈Your admitted addiction to true crime television contributed to this book.  Why do you think viewers like watching true crime?

For me there’s no saying “that couldn’t have happened that way” because it’s true crime.  It is something that did happen and the crime element has all the same elements as any good drama.  There’s a story arc:  things were okay, then something changed, and then something bad happened, and then there’s a downfall--all the makings of tragedy.

〈One of the challenges of writing this book must have been creating a main character that readers could empathize with despite what he’d done.  How tough was that, and how did you work through it?

That was the challenge I set for myself in this book:  how to make a main character sympathetic after he’s done something horrific.  I knew I had to start with him being young and somewhat responsible for the crime, though also pushed by things a bit beyond his control, with him not able to see past his own rage.  The hardest parts for me to get through were Kip/Wade’s personal redemption and forgiveness.  It was painful writing those scenes because the character was hurting so much.

〈It’s clear that you know a thing or two about sailing.  Which aspects of Kip’s love for sailing are also your own?

All of it.  The peace and the quiet on an easy, breezy day; the excitement of a blustery one. The water itself is a big draw for me.  I have salt water in my veins, I think, but I’d rather sail on it than swim in it.

〈Through the B’s and Sam’s father, religion plays into this book more than it does in your previous work.  Why do you think it entered into this story, and how hard did you work to keep it from falling into stereotype?

If you are going to work with themes of forgiveness and redemption there will be, of necessity, some parts of the story that touch on religion.  I wanted to show several aspects, including fundamentalist Christian, Evangelical, and Buddhist.  Some of the people in the book spoke their beliefs but lived otherwise, while some lived their credos.  I did want to show both sides.