Why was Tony sent away from Los Angeles to live with his great-uncle, a stranger, in the Sierra Nevada?
-His mom was a dog fighter.
-She got sent to jail.
Is Tony happy about leaving Los Angeles?
-A little bit, because he's happy to get away from his mom.
-He thinks his uncle is cool.
-His uncle is a forest ranger who saves people and he's got a cool dog.
Why does Tony have a hard time with math?
-Because he had to count the bets and so has bad feelings about math.
Tony has a hard time trusting anyone. Who do you think is the first he trusts?
-Gabe.
-Gabe.
-He comes to trust Tio.
Why does Tony resist Gracie's efforts at becoming friends?
-Because she's annoying and talkative.
-At the beginning, he might feel that he's not worthy of having friends.
What do you think is most important to Gabe?
-Having his Leo and Tio.
-His job of rescuing people.
Tell me about Tony's nightmares. Why doesn't he tell Tio about them?
-Because Tio might keep him forever and at the beginning, he just wants to go home, back to normal, even though he doesn't really like his life in Los Angeles.
Would you volunteer to hide yourself in the woods so a search dog could find you?
-No
-No, because of bears, bats and badgers
What happened when Tony himself got lost in the woods? Why did it happen, even though he knew the best rules for staying safe in the woods?
-He got lost because he was thinking about how he was such a disappointment to Tio.
What does Tony's mom do that makes him angry? Does he finally reconcile himself to who his mother really is?
-She keeps getting into fights at prison. Often, she doesn't accept Tony when he comes to visit.
-He comes to terms with who is mother is.
Does Tony find happiness?
-Yes, because he gets his own dog.
-Yes.
Did you like the way the story was told, in free verse?
-Gabe's chapters are too short.
Did you like that the story alternated between Tony's perspective and Gabe's?
-Yes because you want to see the two points of view.
-I think that it's nice to see how people (or animals) react to the same situation very differently.
How would you rate this book, with 5 being the best and 1 being the worst?
-5, a solid 5. It is one of my favorite books.
-4 because I wouldn't read it again but I would recommend it to others. It was a really good book. I liked the type of structure (sequencing and description).
In February, we will read Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo. We will meet on February 8 at 3:00 p.m.
"Rescuing a squirrel after an accident involving a vacuum cleaner, comic-reading cynic Flora Belle Buckman is astonished when the squirrel, Ulysses, demonstrates astonishing powers of strength and flight after being revived."-summary
Copies of the book will be available at the Circulation Desk several days after January's book club. Please be sure to register for the club while picking up your book.
