Characters |
|
Lake Windsor Downs – the Seagulls |
Tangerine Middle School – the War Eagles |
Paul Fisher Erik – “Erik
Fisher Football Dream” Caroline
Fisher – mother Dad Football –
Lake Windsor Seagulls Coach Warner Antoine Thomas
– quarterback Mike Costello
– ball holder, killed by lightning Arthur Bauer
– new ball holder Bryan Baylor
- center Soccer – Mr. Walski -
coach Tommy Acoso Gino Deluca Mr. Costello
– lawyer, HoA president Jack Costello
– Paul’s friend Mr. Donnelly
– house always struck by lightning Terry - son Tina Turreton
– Arthur’s girlfriend Paige –
Arthur’s sister |
Middle School
soccer: Betty Bright
– coach, former track and field star Tino Cruz Victor Guzman Hernando Maya Panethi Shandra
Thomas – goaltender, Antoine’s sister Nina Dolly Middle
School: Dr. Grace
Johnson – principal Theresa Cruz
– Paul’s escort first day Luis Cruz –
Tino and Theresa’s brother, developed new, improved tangerine “Golden Dawn” |
Civil
Engineering Department Charley Burns
– department head, retired in controversy Dad- became
department head |
For Discussion:
NOTE: Page numbers from paperback edition.
1.
When Mike was killed by the lightning, Paul’s
mother tried to get the football practice times changed to a safer time in the
day. But Coach Warner saw moving the
practice time as destroying the team. He
said that, for some boys like Antoine, football was the only way to get to
college. Caroline saw the practice as
putting kids in harm’s way while Coach Warner saw it as preparing them for an
actual game. Who was right?
2.
When the sinkhole gave way and the portable
classrooms started to fall into the hole, Paul did not run away. Instead, without thinking, he ran toward the
hole and helped pull students out. Later
he thought, “I’m still afraid of Erik.
I’m afraid of Arthur now, too.
But today I wasn’t a coward, and that counts for something” (page
86). How did this experience change
Paul?
3.
As you were reading, what did you think happened
to Paul’s eyes?
4.
When Paul was asking to transfer to Tangerine
without his IEP, he also said, “Dad, I don’t mind if you never pay any
attention to me for the rest of my life” (page 94). His dad was very surprised at this. Should he have been more aware of Paul and
not so wrapped up in Erik’s career?
5.
Why did Paul fit in better at Tangerine than at
Lake Windsor?
6.
On Monday, November 20, Paul had his project
group from Tangerine over to his house to complete their project. Erik came home and was taunting the group and
eventually hit Tino. When Erik walked
away, he looked at Paul and Paul saw an expression, “more like sorrow. Or fear” (page 206). Paul also thought he saw his father at the
patio door, but he just walked away.
What emotions do you think Erik was feeling? Why do you think the father did not
intervene?
7.
After Mike’s tragic death, why did the kids
start to make fun of it and call Mike “Mohawk Man?”
8.
Was it right for the TV station to replay the
tape of “Erik Fisher Flying Placekicker” over and over? Did the station have a responsibility to be
fair to a teenager? Was it fair to Erik
for the coach to not tell him about the change in the play?
9.
After it was discovered that Erik and Arthur had
stolen from all of the houses being fumigated, Erik’s parents offered to return
or repay all of the victims in exchange for them not pressing charges. Was this a good thing to do? Would you have done the same?
10.
After the police left the Fisher house,
Caroline’s parents arrived for their visit.
Upon hearing the story, her mother said, “You’re paying now for what you
didn’t do back then” (page 287). When
Caroline and Dad replied that Erik didn’t need a doctor, Caroline’s dad said,
“The kid needed to know which end was up, that’s all. First off, he needed to
get his backside whipped for hurting Paul” (page 287). Was that “all” Erik needed?
11.
What did you think about Paul’s parents? His mother seemed very involved in the
community and schools, but did not go to Paul’s soccer games. His father at the end, “seemed more like
those friends who had abandoned Erik, who now regretted ever getting involved
with him in the first place” (page 300).
12.
In Paul’s second journal entry for Tuesday,
December 5 (page 302), he wrote about Luis and what he meant to the people who
knew him and then tried to write the same about Erik. He ended with the question, “Why did they
look up to him?” Why do you think
people looked up to Erik? What do you think
his parents thought as they were reading what he wrote?
13.
What do you think Paul and his father talked
about on their way to Paul’s new school at the end of the book?
14. Do you think a teenager would think about this book differently than an adult? If so, how?
*****
First Semester Success, 2nd Edition, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com and wordassociation.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment