The Wonder Test discussion questions

Is your book club reading THE WONDER TEST? Here are a few questions to kick off your discussion.

THE WONDER TEST examines the lengths a community will go for excellence. What do you think of the real-life academic pressures kids face? Are the pressures different than when you were growing up? Also, have you noticed any change in the way families in your community, or perhaps your own family, handle stress and pressure—whether it be in academics, sports, career, or simply lifestyle—in the past year and a half?

Lina and Rory are suffering two losses at the book’s opening, the death of two people important to both of them. How realistic is the book’s portrayal of loss and coping? What might you have done differently in Lina’s situation? What might you have done similarly?

Lina Connerly and her husband, Fred, made one choice when they decided to become parents: that they would always answer their child truthfully. What do you think of this approach? Is it sensible? Is it even possible? If you have children or nieces/nephews, how do you handle their difficult questions?

One of the primary themes of THE WONDER TEST is that the correct thing to do is not always the right thing to do. At one point, Lina says of her parenting, “I’m probably doing everything wrong. Still, it seems to work.” What is something you have done “wrong” or against common wisdom that has nonetheless worked for you?

What scene or line in the book resonated most with you? Why?

What character from the book would you least or most want to know in real life? If you had to spend a weekend with either Lina Connerly or George Voss, who would you choose?

Did you attempt to answer any of the test questions posed at the beginning of the chapters? What was your favorite question, or the one most memorable to you, and why?