1. From Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884) to J. D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye (1951), a consistent theme in many American novels is the alienation and estrangement of young people from the significant adults around them. How does this theme play itself out in The Hero?

2. Patricia Windsor says that she was first attracted to writing fiction for young adults by the prospect that such books could deal realistically with the difficulties often faced by youth. Do you find The Hero consistently realistic?

Do its arguably unrealistic elements necessarily detract from its portrayal of the complex problems encountered by the young? Is it possible that fantasy and science fiction novels might nonetheless be used to convey true things about persons in the "real" world?

3. Dale, in the midst of all his troubles, often reflects back on the joyful simplicity of...