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Kit's Wilderness by David Almond

Summary

The Watson family moves to Stoneygate, an old coal-mining town, to care for Kit's recently widowed grandfather. When Kit meets John Askew, another boy whose family had both worked and died in the mines, Askew invites Kit to join him to play a game called Death. As Kit's grandfather provides stories of the mine's past and the history of the Watson family, the boys search the mines to find the childhood ghosts of their long-gone ancestors.

229 pages, 6th grade and up

Discussion questions

Spoiler alert! Some of the questions contain key elements of the plot. Do not read if you don't want to know what happens!

  1. While reading the book, did you find any similarities between Lak and Askew? Are their journeys parallel in any way?
  2. Describe Alli's character. What role does she play in the novel? Is it an important one? How do you think the novel would be different without her?
  3. What significance does the Wilderness have in the novel?
  4. Describe the connection between Kit and his grandfather.
  5. Both Kit and Askew see the dead. What is your opinion about seeing ghosts?
  6. Describe Askew. What type of person is he? Does his family play an important role?
  7. What do you think of the ending?
  8. Of what importance, if any did the dead children from the Stoneygate disaster play?
  9. Askew is branded a "bad child." What do you think about that label?

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