1. Monica Hughes's novel The Refuge was published in 1989 and was clearly written to be contemporary. What changes have occurred since the book was published which make it a period piece, not a novel of the here-and-now? How have attitudes about divorce changed?

2. Are attitudes about divorce different for children than for teenagers? Do Barbara's feelings change merely because she is growing older or because she is more experienced? Compare and contrast how children and adults understand divorce.

3. How are you affected as a reader by a book's setting? In The Refuge, does the author make Edmonton seem like a particular and unique city or like a generic prairie city that could be in any of three Canadian provinces or ten American states? What elements give you strong impressions of what it would be like to live in this city as...