Whirligig Study Questions

Name: ______

Whirligig Study Questions Directions: Answer all questions thoughtfully and thoroughly. Chapter 1 - “Party Time” (pp. 3-18) 1. What is one task Brent always does when he moves to a new place?

2. In what grade is Brent?

3. Page 13, “Over the years he’d grown adept at creating alternate pasts for himself.” What does Brent mean by this?

4. Page 15, “…as if turned to stone by her curse.” Describe why Brent feels this way.

5. Page 16, “He was a leper now.” Why does Brent feel like a leper? What is a leper?

6. Who is Brianna and explain what kind of person she is with examples from the book.

7. How does Chaz make Brent feel even worse?

8. What is Brent’s solution to his new problem?

9. While lost on the interstate, why does Brent feel his life is over? Is he justified or is he overreacting? Explain.

Chapter 2 - “Weeksboro, Maine” (pp. 19-32) 1. What language is Stephanie learning?

2. Who are Alexandria and Stephanie?

3. What do the girls find at the abandoned house? Give specific details.

4. What is written on the whirligig Stephanie & Alexandra see? Name: ______

5. Why are Stephanie and Alexandra at the abandoned house?

6. Stephanie is logical and scientific; yet still pays her respects in case “unseen forces do exist.” What does she do to pay her respects?

7. Why does Alexandria feel that the whirligig is a good place to visualize good things?

8. What is the outcome of Stephanie’s visualization episode under the whirligig?

Chapter 3 (pp. 33-54) “The Afterlife” 1. Describe what happened in the car accident in which Brent was involved.

2. Who is being discussed in the following quote? “ She would have spread joy all over the country.” 3. “I also believed this happened for a reason…That the universe required this. For some reason.” This quote expresses another theme in Whirligig. Explain what is meant by this quote.

4.. Who is Mrs. Zamora and what does she want Brent to do to make restitution?

5. Why does he agree to do it?

6. By what method will Brent travel? 7. What states must he visit? 8. What does Brent purchase to help him accomplish his mission?

9. Where does Brent go first? 10. What is the first whirligig that Brent makes? Where does he place it?

11. What must Brent do after he makes each whirligig? 12. Where does Brent set up his first whirligig, what does it look like and what goes through his mind as he is putting it together?

9. Now that you know what Brent is doing, what was the previous chapter describing?

Chapter Four (pp. 55-62)“Miami, Florida” Name: ______

1. Describe Flaco. Where is he from originally?

2. What does Flaco mean when he says “Muy tranquilo”? What is he describing?

3. Where did Flaco’s family move? How old was he?

4. Why did Flaco drop out of school?

5. What simile did Flaco use on page 59 to describe his wife? What tragedy happened to Flaco and his wife?

6. Why does Flaco take a long drive to the Gulf?

7. Flaco went to the beach to see what kind of bird? What was his reaction when he finally saw one? Why does he find it so appealing?

8. Describe the Whirligig Flaco saw at the diner.

9. What effect does the Whirligig have on Flaco? (In other words, what realization does he have?)

10. Do you think Flaco finally found a “Muy tranquilo” way of living? Explain why or why not.

11. Why doesn’t running away solve problems?

Chapter 5 (pp. 63-75)“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” 1. Why does he like the community on the bus so much?

2. What incident happens in San Diego that causes Brent to be more cautious?

3. “They held the gaze like tango dancers.” (p. 64) To whom is this quote

referring?

4. Who is Emil? Name: ______

5. What kind of whirligig does Brent decide to make? How does Brent paint Lea into the whirligig?

6. “He had no desire to revive that life. It had all been crumpled in the crash.” What does this indicate about Brent’s old self?

7. What song does Brent play for Lea?

8. What are some of the normal teenage concerns that Brent now realizes don’t really matter?

Chapters 6-7 “Bellevue Washington” and “Apprentices” (pp. 76-101) 1. Of what descent (background/nationality) is Anthony? What does he play?

2. Why doesn’t he know exactly when his birthday is?

3. What false expectations do Anthony’s parents have of him?

4. When Anthony is in class he is actually pretending to be or do what?

5. What would Anthony love to do more than anything else?

6. Why do you think parents force their children into participating in things they don’t

enjoy?

7. Mr. Mintz gave Anthony and his mother some words of wisdom. What were they?

8. Who left Brent a note?

9. What hobbies does Brent pick up on his trip? Name: ______

10. What kind of whirligig did Brent make in Florida? How is Lea worked into this

whirligig?

11. What do the children tell Brent that causes him to think about moving the location of the whirligig? Why does he leave it there anyway?

Chapter 8 (pp. 102-114) “San Diego, California” 1. What favor did Jenny’s grandmother ask of her?

2. What serious illness did Jenny’s grandmother have?

3. Describe Jenny

4. Describe the journey. (Where they went—give specific examples)

5. Why did Jenny’s grandmother want to go on the journey?

6. Why did Jenny believe she was so interested in her heritage? (p. 110)

7. What was the last thing that Jenny and her grandmother saw?

8. Why was it (answer from above) so special? Explain your answer. Don’t forget to mention the historical event Jenny’s grandmother experienced when explaining your answer.

9. “The car was sitting in the driveway and was hot as a sauna inside.” This is an example of what literary element?

10. “The breeze picked up, making the spout clack up and down like a sewing machine needle.” This is an example of what literary element? What is being described? (p. 113)

11. What does the whirligig mean to her? Name: ______

Chapter 9 (pp. 115-133) “Everybody Swing” 1. Brent had an opportunity to visit relatives of his. Why does he choose to continue on his trip without stopping to visit his aunt and uncle?

2. Describe the person Brent meets on the beach. 3. The following quote refers to a musician from 1681 that is still listened to today. “The darkness swallows up most of us.” How does this quote relate to Brent’s life?

4. Why won’t Lea be “swallowed up”?

5. What does Brent use for materials to make his last whirligig?

6. What does he tell the woman that he hadn’t told anyone else?

7. What does she help him realize?

8. To what is the following quote referring? “It was like falling down the basement stairs, unexpected and unstoppable.” (p. 128)

9. “Only someone with a strong life force could possibly have created that.” Explain who says this quote and why.

10. It felt like his rite of reentry.” What is Brent reentering?

11. “When they’d met, he was longing to be swallowed by the blackness. She’d set him in motion, motion that he was now transferring to others.” What is Brent essentially “transferring to others”?

12. In your opinion, do you think Brent has changed as a result of completing his task? Explain your answer.

13. How does Brent feel about going back to Chicago?