DISCUSSION GUIDE
Warning: Some of these questions reveal key elements of the plot.
About the Book:
Thirteen-year-old Lily Crabtree is furious when she and her mother are forced to move into their uncle's home in historic Cape May, NJ, but her fury turns into fear when she learns that the house -- and perhaps the whole town -- is haunted. With the help of a new friend, local boy Vaz, Lily uncovers a 50-year-old plot with a mystery at its center. As she races to solve it, Lily risks losing her heart -- and maybe even her life.
Discussion Questions:
1. What brings Lily and her mother to Cape May, NJ? What is Lily's reaction to the move?
2. What kind of person do you think Lily is at the beginning of the book? Is she the type of person who might believe in ghosts? Why or why not?
3. At first, Lily doesn't seem to like Vaz. Why do you think that is? What causes her to change her mind?
4. Why do you think the author chose to tell the story using different voices? How would the story be different if it were told from Lily's point of view only?
5. When Lily asks her mother whether she believes in ghosts, her mother replies: "Only the live ones." What do you think she meant by that? What kinds of ghosts are haunting Lily and her mother?
6. What does the title mean to you? Do the store names "Something Fishy" and "Trinket" have any significance? What, if anything, do details like these add to the story?
7. When Lily and Vaz go to visit Bailey Burton for the first time, Bailey looks at Vaz and says, "You're very dark. What are you?" What do you think Bailey meant by his comment? Have there been any instances in your own life that people judged you by the way that you looked?
8. Lily's father is gone but not dead, and Vaz's father is dead but not gone. How does the presence of Vaz's father affect Vaz? How does the absence of Lily's father affect Lily? Which situation do you think is more difficult?
9. When Lily is about to open the treasure chest, she gives Ms. Reedy the gun so that the librarian can guard her brother, Bailey Burton. After everything that Ms. Reedy had done to Lily and her family, do you think this was the right decision? Would you have trusted Ms. Reedy enough to give her the gun?
10. Towards the end of the novel, Max tells Lily that people linger on the earth after death until they "learn." What do you think is meant by that? Which ghosts learn? Which don't? And what is it that you think Lily, herself, learned?