Maggot Moon Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, A Look at Dyslexia and our BookBrowse Review of Maggot Moon.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. At the beginning of the novel, Standish observes that "what ifs are as boundless as the stars" (p. 1). What is the historical "what if" that puts the plot of Maggot Moon into motion? When is this novel set? Where is it set?
   


2. "There are train-track thinkers," says Hector, "then there's you, Standish, a breeze in the park of imagination" (p. 4). What does Hector mean? What are the advantages of being a train-track thinker? What are the risks of thinking differently
   


3. "Gramps was the only person that still pulled at the gravity in me," says Standish (p. 23). Why is this such an apt description of their relationship?
   

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Candlewick Press. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.