skip navigation links

Readers > Talk it Up! > Discussion guides > When Zachary Beaver Came to Town

When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt

Summary

Toby Wilson is having the toughest summer of his life. It's the summer his mother leaves town to try her luck as a country singer in Nashville. The summer his best friend Cal's brother is serving in Vietnam. And the summer Zachary Beaver, the fattest boy in the world, arrives in Toby's sleepy Texas town. Seemingly abanonded in a trailer as the driver in a truck pulls away, Zachary isn't getting out and everyone in town is trying to get in. After Toby and Cal befriend Zachary, they learn that everyone has a different perspective in life and that making one friend in a summer can be a great thing.

227 pages, 5th 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. Describe Antler, Texas. What kind of town is it? What is it like for Toby to live there?
  2. How do you feel about Toby's mother's decision to leave Antler? Is she right to pursue her dream?
  3. What is it like for Zachary to live inside the trailer? How does he deal with it?
  4. Have you ever gone to a circus sideshow? What was it like?
  5. There is lots of humor in this book. Find one of the parts you thought was funny and share with the group.
  6. What are Scarlet's feelings for Toby? How are Toby's feelings for her different?
  7. Do you believe Zachary's stories? Why do you think he tells stories about his life?
  8. Toby thinks about Cal's brother Wayne a lot. Why might this be? Is Cal concerned about his brother serving in Vietnam? Is Toby?
  9. The friends successfully baptise Zachary in the river. What does this symbolize?

Created in part with funds granted by the Oregon State Library under the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the Oregon State Library. Send feedback to Katie O'Dell, Reading Promotions Coordinator