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2. instructions Write “Quickwrites” at the top of the page.
Draw a line halfway down by the hole, splitting your page in two.
You have 5 minutes to write ½ a page.
I’ll collect them when we’ve filled up a single sheet with 4 Quickwrites.
Full credit will be earned for ½ a page of serious thoughts on the subject.

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4. TABLE OF CONTENTS
One Big Hole (cha 13)
Hot (cha 1)
Bullet (cha 14)
Camp Green Lake (cha 2)
Paranoid (cha 15)
Curses (cha 3)
Letter (cha 16)
No Fences (cha 4)
Shovel (cha 17)
Nicknames (cha 5)
Read & Write (cha 18)
Criminals (cha 6)
Skin Color (cha 19)
Defective (cha 7)
Venom (cha 20)
Deadly (cha 8)
God’s Thumb (cha 21)
Lie to Mom (cha 9)
Reading (cha 22)
Fossil (cha 10)
No (cha 23)
New Guy (cha 11)
Canteen (cha 24)
What You Want (cha 12)
I Can Fix That (cha 25)

5. CONTENTS continued…
Thirsty (cha 38)
All Equal (cha 26)
Confession (cha 39)
Slavedriver (cha 27)
Miracles (cha 40)
20 Years (cha 28)
Mother (cha 41)
Lightning (cha 29)
Happy (cha 42)
Bully (cha 30)
Jaffy (cha 43)
No Family (cha 31)
Treasure (cha 44)
Hunting (cha 32)
Covered (cha 45)
Lizards (cha 33)
Images (cha 46)
Ironic (cha 34)
Name (cha 47)
Rowboat (cha 35)
Defender (cha 48)
Grave (cha 36)
B.O. (cha 49)
Hope (cha 37)
Questions (cha 50)

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7. hot
CHAPTER 1
What is the hottest place you’ve ever been? Describe the place. Where was it? What was it like? What did you try to do there? How did you feel doing activities there? Then imagine digging a big hole and describe what that would’ve been like at your hottest place ever.

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9. camp green lake
CHAPTER 2
When you hear the name Camp Green Lake, describe what you think that place should be like? What activities should they have there? What should that place feel like, if you go strictly by the name?

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11. curses
CHAPTER 3
It is believed that Stanley’s family has a curse on it, one that makes them extremely unlucky and one they can’t get rid of. Do you believe in curses? Why or why not? When have you ever thought you experienced someone who was cursed? Or when have you experienced someone who is always unlucky?

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13. no fences
CHAPTER 4
When Stanley finds out that Camp Green Lake doesn’t have any guard fences, even though it’s a prison camp, how do you think this makes him feel? Describe the depth of his emotions. Describe how far away from his family and his old life he must feel.

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15. nicknames
CHAPTER 5
The boys that Stanley meets have some pretty crazy nicknames: Magnet, Armpit, Zigzag, Squid, X-Ray. Why do you think they use nicknames like that? What do you think of nicknames? Have you ever had a nickname? Who chose the name for you? What did you feel about your nickname?

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17. criminals
CHAPTER 6
Stanley is sent to prison for a crime he didn’t do: stealing Clyde Livingston’s sneakers. Why do you think people go to prison for crimes they didn’t commit? How do you feel about that failure of our judicial system? How would you feel if you got convicted of a crime, even though you were innocent? How would you react?

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19. defective
CHAPTER 7
While digging his first hole at Camp Green Lake, Stanley starts to wonder if his shovel is defective because the digging is so hard. But very quickly, he believes that it’s actually him that’s defective. Have you ever felt defective, worthless, or broken? Describe the feelings and why you were feeling that way.

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21. deadly
CHAPTER 8
The yellow-spotted lizard is very deadly. What is the most dangerous animal you’ve ever been near? Describe where you saw it (e.g. zoo, nature, pet), how close you were, and how it made you feel to be around such a deadly animal. What could have happened to you?

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23. lie to mom
CHAPTER 9
Stanley writes a letter to his mom about how he is doing at camp. Why do you think he lies to her? Why does he make up the specific details he makes up? Describe a time you lied to your mom and the reasons that you did it.

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25. fossil
CHAPTER 10
When Stanley is digging, he finds a fossil. What’s the strangest, most unique thing you’ve ever found in the ground? Describe the “fossil,” where you found it, how you found it, and what you thought of it.

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27. new guy
CHAPTER 11
X-Ray tells Stanley that next time he finds something he should give it to X-Ray because he’s been here a really long time and the new guy shouldn’t get any breaks. Describe a time when “the new guy” showed up and started getting treated better than you. Or if you can’t remember a time, imagine what X-Ray is feeling and write what it feels like for him.

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29. what you want Mr. Pendanski asks the important question:
CHAPTER 12
Mr. Pendanski asks the important question:
“What do you want to do with your life? You need to think about that. It’s important to have goals.”
Why is it important for Stanley and Zero and those guys to know what they want to do? Why is it important for you to know?

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31. one big hole
CHAPTER 13
Stanley thinks that his life seems “like one big hole.” How does his life feel like a hole? What different deeper meanings could “hole” have for the way his life feels? Explain.

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33. bullet
CHAPTER 14
Why do you think Stanley let X-Ray take the credit for finding the “bullet casing”? What was he trying to get out of the deal?

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35. paranoid
CHAPTER 15
Do you think Zigzag has good reason to be paranoid about the cameras watching them everywhere they go? Do you ever get paranoid in today’s world with how much you are being watched? Why?

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37. letter
CHAPTER 16
What do you think it means to Stanley to receive a letter in the mail from his mom? What kinds of thoughts/feelings do you think it stirs up in him, especially considering the kind of place Camp Green Lake is?

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39. shovel
CHAPTER 17
Why do you think Zigzag whacks Stanley in the head with the shovel? What ways could it be because of more than the dirt? What deeper reasons/fears/desires could Zigzag have been overtaken by?

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41. read & write
CHAPTER 18
How do you think Stanley feels when Zero asks Stanley to teach him how to read? How would you feel if one of your friends asked you? Do you think you could do it?

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43. skin color
CHAPTER 19
Stanley says there aren’t any racial problems – even though they are a mix of black, white, and Hispanic – but in what ways do you think the real world might be better if were all the same color of reddish brown dirt?

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45. venom
CHAPTER 20
What do you think of the Warden after she pulls out and explains her lipstick? How do you think Stanley and the boys feel about her?

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47. god's thumb
CHAPTER 21
What do you think “found refuge on God’s thumb” could possibly mean? Discuss all the different deeper meanings it could have.

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49. reading
CHAPTER 22
Do you think Zero should dig Stanley’s hole in exchange for learning to read? That’s hours of hard labor in the baking-hot Texas sun. How much is it worth to be able to read? If you couldn’t read, would you dig Stanley’s hole for him to teach you?

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51. no
CHAPTER 23
Why do you think Kate Barlow said “No” when Charles Walker asked her on a date?

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53. canteen
CHAPTER 24
The day after the rattlesnake venom nail polish scene when Mr. Sir drives the water truck to refill their canteens, he pours Stanley’s water on the ground instead of filling up his canteen. What do you think of the way Stanley responds? Why doesn’t he fight back? Why does he say “Thank you” to Mr. Sir? Should he have reacted differently?

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55. i can fix that
CHAPTER 25
Why does Kate Barlow keep asking Sam to fix things? Why is she sad when the schoolhouse doesn’t need anything else fixed? And why does Hattie Parker yell that “God will punish you!” (note: remember Sam has “dark fingers”)

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57. all equal
CHAPTER 26
When the town tries to hang Sam for kissing her, Kate Barlow says that “[w]e’re all equal under the eyes of God.” Is she right? Are we all equal? Write about some ways that we might not be equal. Then write about some ways we might not be treated equal.

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59. slavedriver
CHAPTER 27
How do you think Stanley feels when the boys say things like …
“Who died and made you king?”
“It must be nice to have your own personal slave.”
“Same old story, the white boy sits around while the black boy does all the work.”
What do you think he wants to do when he hears them accuse him of being a racist?

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61. 20 years
CHAPTER 28
Why do you think Kate Barlow has “been wishing she was dead for the last twenty years”?

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63. lightning
CHAPTER 29
When the storm rolls in, Stanley can see the mountain that looks like God’s Thumb off in the distance across the lake. Describe what he sees. Describe … the lake bed, the mountain, the storm clouds, the lightning. Describe the sound, smell, taste of the air before this storm out here in the desert. Describe, describe, describe.

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65. bully
CHAPTER 30
When Mr. Pendanski sees Stanley getting picked on, why does he say, “Go ahead, Stanley. Hit him back. You’re bigger”? What is he hoping will happen? What should Stanley do?

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67. no family
CHAPTER 31
Now that we’ve learned that Zero doesn’t have a family and is a “ward of the state,” how does that change how you feel about Zero? As a kid without a family, how do you think Zero feels about Stanley? How do you think Zero feels about all the guys at the camp? What do they mean to him?

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69. hunting
CHAPTER 32
Why does Stanley steal the water truck and chase after Zero? Why does he risk his life to go find a runaway foster kid? Would you go hunting for Zero? Why or why not?

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71. lizards
CHAPTER 33
Describe how Stanley feels when he sees the yellow-spotted lizards down the hole. Then describe how you would respond if you saw them. What would you do? How would you feel? What would you be afraid of losing if the lizards kill you?

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73. ironic
CHAPTER 34
When Stanley finds the rowboat way out on the lake, he thinks, “Someone may have drown here – at the same spot where I could very well die of thirst.” Explain how this is ironic. Then explain how this irony makes Stanley feel.

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75. rowboat
CHAPTER 35
Explain whose rowboat Zero found. How did the boat get out here? What was happening when the boat rowed out here? Give the short history of this rowboat and why it’s out in the middle of the lake with these jars of sploosh.

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77. grave
CHAPTER 36
While they’re trudging toward God’s Thumb, Stanley thinks that he might have to dig one last hole for Zero’s grave. What would that be like for Stanley to have to dig this kid’s grave, the same kid he was teaching to read? What would it be like for him to see a kid his own age die?

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79. hope
CHAPTER 37
As Stanley and Zero get close to God’s Thumb, Stanley realizes that the Big Thumb is “his only hope.” What does it feel like to have only one hope left? How do you react when there’s only one chance possible? And what happens to your feelings when that hope doesn’t work out?

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81. thirsty
CHAPTER 38
Describe the thirstiest you have ever been. Where were you? How come you were so thirsty? How did the thirst affect you? How did your next drink taste and feel?

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83. confession
CHAPTER 39
Zero confesses that he stole the shoes that ended up putting Stanley in prison camp. After all they’ve been through together, how do you think this makes Stanley feel? Describe the conflicting, opposite thoughts and emotions swirling through Stanley.

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85. miracles
CHAPTER 40
When Stanley goes hunting down the mountain for the shovel, he finds it lying next to the bag of glass jars, which are all unbroken. “He was amazed.” Isn’t this just a little too lucky for them? Is this a miracle? Do miracles like this really happen in life? What’s the closest thing in your life or the life of someone close to you that you could consider a miracle? If you can’t think of anything, why not?

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87. mother
CHAPTER 41
At one point Zero told Stanley that he didn’t have a mother. Then here, Zero says that “everyone has to have a mother.” How do his two versions of “have a mother” possibly mean different things? What does it mean to have a mother (or father)?

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89. happy Stanley says that . . . “he has no reason to be happy”
CHAPTER 42
Stanley says that . . .
“he has no reason to be happy”
“he couldn’t remember the last time he felt happiness”
“no one liked him, and the truth was, he didn’t especially like himself.”
But “he liked himself now.” Why does Stanley like himself now? Why – in possibly the worst circumstances of his whole life – is Stanley happy now?

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91. jaffy
CHAPTER 43
Zero explains that whenever his mom left and told him to wait for her to come back, he’d hold his stuffed giraffe named Jaffy. Think back about the stuffed animals you had (or didn’t have) when you were a kid. Which one was your “Jaffy” that you’d take everywhere? Describe it. How did “Jaffy” make you feel? If you didn’t have a “Jaffy,” what did you do when you really needed comfort during tough times?

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93. treasure
CHAPTER 44
Zero and Stanley find the hole where Stanley found the mysterious KB item and start digging for Kissin’ Kate’s buried treasure. Think about Kate Barlow, what we know about her, and what she’s famous for. What could possibly be in her buried treasure? Explain all the options and why you think they could be in Kate’s treasure.

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95. covered
CHAPTER 45
How do you think Stanley feels to be covered in yellow-spotted lizards? What about at this point in his journey? How do you think he feels differently now than he would’ve felt when he first arrived at Camp Green Lake?

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97. images
CHAPTER 46
Why doesn’t Stanley want to die “with the images of the Warden, Mr. Sir, and the lizards etched into his brain”? Why would he rather see “his mother’s face”? And after he remembers his mother, why does he think that this is “where he wants to be when he dies”? How can he possibly think that way?

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99. name
CHAPTER 47
How do you think Stanley feels when he sees his name on the suitcase they find in the hole?

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101. defender
CHAPTER 48
After all they’ve gone through, Stanley and Zero finally have someone on their side, defending them so they don’t have to suffer injustice. Why is this a big deal? How do you think it feels for them to have Stanley’s lawyer there?

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103. b.o.
CHAPTER 49
When Stanley and Zero are driving with Stanley’s lawyer, they are told, “No offense, but you boys really smell bad.”
What’s the worst you personally have ever smelled? Describe the situation and the smell.

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105. questions
CHAPTER 50
After reading Stanley’s pretty miraculous journey and all this business about the legend and the curse and Kissin’ Kate, what lingering questions do you have in your mind? What issues do you need cleared up? What problems did you have with the details of the story?

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