2. The night after April overhears the phone conversation between Max and Jim, her father calls and talks to his wife. What does April's mother then tell April and Bram? Why is April so upset?

3. How does April react to the restrictions that Jim imposes on the Corrigans at the Mayflower?

4. A few days after April's anger at Jim, she starts to feel guilty about how she spoke to him. He suggests a truce -- and tells her she is acting dumb but she is not stupid. What is one reason April decided to apologize?

5. Before they leave Norwood, the family meets Jim Peterson, a retired policeman, who is going to stay with the family. At the beginning of Chapter 3, he takes the family to the Mayflower Hotel in Richmond. How does April describe it?

6. After the family learns of what happened to Mr. Corrigan at the trial, Max tells them they must go into hiding. What is the reaction of each of the family members?

7. The family is visited by their U.S. Marshal Florida contact, Tom Geist. He tells them they have to learn to blend in in Grove City. What is one example that he talks about?

8. April eavesdrops on a phone conversation Jim is having with Max. What does she overhear?

9. Rita tells the family that they have to get going asap because someone has contacted their grandmother. What happened and why is Rita concerned?

10. April's reaction to the person at the hotel door is interrupted by Jim, who scuffles with them while the Corrigans listen from inside the suite. Later on, they go out to check and what do they find?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In this coming of age story, April does reach a level of maturity, as we can see by reading the Epilogue. She has had to make choices that she would not have made as the carefree teen she once was. Give two examples that occur in Chapter 14 that show she must accept reality. Explain how her choices reflect her growing maturity and how these choices are different from those she might have made only a few months before.

Essay Topic 2

Rising action in a story or novel leads up to the climax. It is usually composed of conflict of some sort that will ultimately lead to a climax in the story. List five examples where Duncan introduces conflict into the rising action to lead the story to a climax