1. The author, Richard Peck, has stated that he creates his protagonists to be "young surrogates for the readers."

How successful is Matt Moran as such a surrogate? Is he believable and easily identified with? What techniques of writing does Peck employ to make Matt realistic and sympathetic?

2. Many of the characters in Close Enough to Touch appear as caricatures, often as comical figures with one or only a few exaggerated traits. Which characters qualify as caricatures, and what sort of traits do Matt's descriptions focus on to achieve this comic quality?

3. Many of Matt's comments on his world reveal him as a critic—a critic of education, of his fellow students, of modern suburbs, of upper-middle-class behavior. What specific things does Matt isolate for critical commentary?

What is it that he finds wrong with his world?

4. Compare Peck's novel...