1. What mood does the prologue set for the novel?

2. How does Emil Aucht embody for Wil everything that is wrong with his new home?

3. What impression does Wil's father's lack of handyman skills make upon his son?

4. Why is biking an appropriate hobby for a character like Wil to have?

5. What is Wil's attitude towards the residents of Pinewood as expressed in his essay, "The Cafe"?

6. In what ways does thinking about his grandmother prepare Wil for thinking anew about his father?

7. Is the frog as important a teacher to Wil as the heron, loon, and turtle?

8. Why does Susan decide not to visit Wil at the island any longer?

9. What is wrong with the counselor's approach to Wil?

10. Does the novel have sufficient plotting to keep the reader's interest?