Pages 1 – 26 (Chapter 1- 3, lab experiment #2)

1. Identify the setting of the story.

2. What does Antsy think is his role in his family? Explain.

4. What can we infer when Antsy and the boys are talking about firecrackers? Antsy wants to know how long it will take for the fuse to burn because "fireworks are not my particular academic strength." Howie responds, "Twelve point five seconds, but that's just an estimate."

5. Why does Antsy identify with the Schwa?

Pages 26 – 52 (Chapter 3, Lab experiment #2- end of chapter 5)

1. What is "The Schwa Effect"? How did the boys prove/disprove it? Be specific!

2. Explain Stealth Economics. What is the "hook" that makes it work? (p. 30-33)

3. Why do you think the Schwa and Antsy willingly participate in Stealth Economics?

4. On page 39, Antsy compares Wendell Tiggor to meatloaf. From that comparison, what can we infer Antsy thinks of Wendell?

5. What ultimately convinces the Schwa to accept the dare to enter Old Man Crawley's apartment? Explain your answer.

6. What is ironic about Old Man Crawley when we finally meet him? Why is this surprising? What threat does he make to convince Antsy and Schwa to come back to Crawley's apartment for their punishment?

Pages 53-80 (Chapter 6 & 7)

2. How does Antsy diffuse the argument at the family dinner table? What can you infer that Frankie feels about Antsy's "invisibility"?

3. What are the "sins" and "virtues"? Name them.

4. Why do the Schwa and Antsy continue to walk the dogs?

5. We get an idea of how the experiments affected the Schwa. How do you think he felt and why? What other insights do we get about his "invisibility"?

6. What does the Schwa collect? Why is this an appropriate thing for him to collect?

8. On page 75, Antsy is playing video games with Howie and Ira when he makes the statement, "Hey is it just me, or is this game less fun than it used to be?" Is he just referring to the game? How might this relate to the bamboo plant that Antsy remembers from science class?

Chapter 8

  1. What can Lexie "see" about Antsy's accompanying her?
  2. What does Lexie mean when she says that Mr. Crawley considers Antsy to be "safe"?
  3. Why is Antsy annoyed that the Schwa showed up Saturday morning?
  1. What can we infer when Antsy reacts the way he does to Lexie feeling Calvin's face?
  2. At the end of the chapter, Antsy says, "I forgot she was blind, because I knew she was seeing everything" (90). What can we infer Lexie "sees" in Antsy's "joke" about the Schwa being "Funny in the head" (90)?

Chapter 9

  1. Why does Calvin want to give Antsy the paper clip from the Titanic?
  2. What does Lexie mean when she tells Antsy, "Sometimes I think my grandfather died long before I was born" (97)?
  3. The Schwa thinks people are changed by traumatic experience. Why might he have said that?
  4. What explanation does Antsy give for "directed trauma" (98)? What does Lexie call it instead?
  5. Do you think Crawley likes Antsy? Why or why not?

Chapter 10

  1. Before now, how had Antsy's role in the family help avoid the "Big One"?
  2. What is the "Big One" about? Over what, REALLY, is the conflict between his parents?
  3. What does Antsy realize is his real role in the family? What decision does he come to about it? Why do you think he acts on that decision in the manner he does?
  4. What can we infer about why Lexie lied to Calvin about the fact that Antsy was no longer escorting her?

Chapter 11

  1. Name two ways in which Antsy's presence is "felt" in this chapter.
  2. What can we infer about Crawley and his feelings about hospitals when Antsy says, "His nails dug into my forearm, although I don't think he did it to hurt me, and he said: 'Don't let them leave me alone'" (118)?
  3. What does Crawley understand about Lexie's feelings for Antsy?
  4. Lexie may be physically blind, but how is Antsy "blind"?

Chapter 12

  1. How does Antsy describe the movie to Lexie?
  2. At the beginning of the novel, Antsy says, "... it seems like my brain is always twitching in unexpected directions, especially when there are girls around. I'll say stupid things, like pointing out they got mud on their shoes or mustard on the tip of their nose ..." Compare this admission to his behavior on dates with Lexie.
  3. What makes Antsy feel insecure about his relationship with Lexie at the end of the chapter? How would this make YOU feel?

Chapter 13

  1. What does Mrs. Greenblatt find in her bushes?
  2. Why are things strained between Howie and Ira and Antsy?
  3. How does the Schwa react when he sees Lexie kiss Antsy?
  4. On page 141 Antsy says, "She reached out and touched my cheek. I thought about how that felt. I'll bet no one had ever touched the Schwa's face until Lexie had. Touch is a freaky thing when you're not used to it. It makes you feel all kinds of things." What did touch make Calvin feel? Antsy?
  5. What does it mean when Antsy says, "I think you're going to have to ride without training wheels for a while"? Why does he do this?
  6. Why does Antsy's dad call him "Anthony" instead of "Antsy"?

Chapter 14

  1. Why does Antsy get so frustrated with the Schwa's dad in the beginning of this chapter?
  2. Why do you think the Schwa chooses to tell Antsy the story about his mother?
  3. How did Schwa start his paperclip collection? Why does he take it?
  4. On page 150, the Schwa says, "...if nothing and no one remembers you, then you were never really there." How does that relate to how the Schwa's dad tries to cope with his wife's disappearance?

Chapter 15

  1. Do you think Crawley misses the Schwa? Why or why not? Use details from the story to explain / support your answer.
  2. (Reference pages 159-161) Why is the episode in the kitchen with Antsy's mom important to the story? What does it help Antsy understand? How does this episode also show that Antsy has "grown up"?

Chapter 16

  1. At the beginning of Chapter 16, what does Antsy bring Crawley?
  2. Explain the differing philosophies of Crawley and Antsy regarding friendship. What does Crawley believe? Antsy? With whom do you side and why?
  3. The title of Chapter 16 is "A Late-Night Trip to the Land of Beef That Could Turn a Person into a Vegetarian." What has that got to do with Antsy meeting Gunther?

Chapter 17

  1. Why doesn't Antsy ask the Schwa to come with Antsy and Lexie to perform trauma therapy on Old Man Crawley? Why doesn't Antsy ask Calvin about his "big plans"?
  2. What is Crawley's trauma therapy?

Chapter 18

  1. How does the Schwa try to get everyone to notice him? Does it work? Why or why not?
  2. What is your mood at the end of Chapter 18 when the Schwa is feeling sorry for himself? Do you think he's got a reason to feel sorry for himself, or do you side with Antsy? Explain your answer.

Chapter 19

  1. What is Calvin's "trauma therapy"?
  2. Why doesn't Gunther tell the police or anyone else what he knew? Do you agree with his reasons? Explain your answer.
  3. As Gunther is telling Calvin about his mother, what similarities do you notice about her fears and Calvin's fears?
  4. How does Calvin react to the story of his mother's disappearance?
  5. How have the family roles with Frankie and Antsy changed at the end of chapter 19?
  6. What surprising information about his father does Antsy learn?
  7. On page 203, Antsy remarks, "So they hadn't even noticed I was gone. But that was okay. I could live without being the center of attention. I didn't need my face on a billboard, or on a mug shot. And it occurred to me that going unnoticed sometimes meant that you were trusted to do the right thing." How does this mark a change in Antsy's character?

Chapter 20

  1. Who made the Schwa's mother "disappear" and how?
  2. Do you agree with what the Schwa's father did?
  3. How true is at least a part of the rumors surrounding the Schwa and his mother/father?

Chapter 21

  1. Why do you think Antsy's dad tells Antsy about being fired but wants to keep it from his wife?
  2. Name two ways Mr. Crawley makes Antsy "pay" for the helicopter ride over NYC. What does this action tell you about his feelings toward the helicopter incident? about his feelings for Antsy?
  3. What is the Wendell Tiggor Reading Room?
  4. How does Antsy start vandalizing Brooklyn and why?

Chapter 22

  1. What is Antsy surprised to find at school and where does he find it?
  2. Why does Antsy spend an hour every evening making phone calls?
  3. How does Antsy think he has wronged the Schwa?
  4. Who is Margaret Taylor?
  5. Who did Crawley get to replace Calvin and Antsy to walk the sins and virtues?
  6. Is Calvin invisible now? Explain your answer.