The Field Guide

What is Mallory’s reason for removing the random junk the kids find in the kitchen wall? What is Jared’s evidence for thinking she’s wrong, and what do his observations say about his character?

Pick another literary work, movie, or TV show that explores how a young character becomes alienated from their family. Compare and contrast how this theme is explored in both The Field Guide and this other work. How does Alienation from Family create an element of horror?

List three of the items in the library that suggest the room’s owner was interested in faeries. Why does each item point to such creatures?

The boggart hurts Mallory and Simon but spares Jared. Why is this, and why does it put Jared into an even worse position than his siblings?

How does the novel’s third-person limited perspective affect the novel’s tone and reader’s relationship with characters and events? How might the novel read differently if told from a different sibling’s perspective, or from an omniscient third-person perspective, where the narrator is privy to all events and each character’s thoughts?

The Field Guide contains horrific elements, such as the boggart’s killing of Simon’s pets. Is it a horror novel? Consider the tone and ending when making your argument, and cite examples from the text.

Describe the thing that makes Mallory change her mind and accept that Jared didn’t commit the vandalism. How is she convinced?

Explain Mallory’s theory for why there must be a secret door to the library. How does Jared reason out the probable location of such a door?