1) Roses were mentioned several times in the book. What do they mean to Eddie?

2) Compare the personalities of Mrs. Thornton, the teacher Eddie was supposed to have when school started, and Miss Rose, the teacher she actually got. Do their names give a hint?

3) What made Eddie different from other kids in her class? What made her the same?

4) Each person brings certain things to a friendship. What did Farrell bring? How about Eddie?

5) What might have happened if Eddie and Farrell had gotten on the bus with the man who bought the tickets? Think of a different ending to the story if they had done that.

6) If Eddie and Farrell had reached Atlanta, would they have been able to find Farrell’s grandmother? If you think so, how would they have done it? If not, why not?

7) Why do you think Eddie’s father kept her mother’s letters locked up?

8) How does the story help you to feel what it might be like to live with an alcoholic? Give examples of ways that Pa’s drinking affected Eddie.

9) How old do you think Angelique Starr was? What do you think about the name she chose for herself?

10) Why do you think the author named the town where Eddie lives "Paradise"?

11) Was Eddie really as alone in the world as she thought she was? Who do you think cared about her besides Farrell?

12) How did Eddie and Farrell change by the end of the book? What about Eddie’s pa?

13) What is the significance of the music "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"? The song originally appeared in the movie The Wizard of Oz. What do Eddie and Dorothy have in common?

14) If you had to pack your favorite things into just one suitcase, what would you put in it and why?