Everlasting Forest Book Club

Guide 3: The Stranger's Deal (Ch. 13 – 20)

Comprehension

1. The Deal: He tells the Fosters where Winnie is in exchange for ownership of the wood. The Fosters get their daughter; he gets the land (and the spring).

2. The Plan: He wants to bottle and sell the water to "deserving" (wealthy) people for a huge profit. He wants to turn the spring into a business.

3. Constable's Attitude: He becomes more suspicious and perhaps a bit resentful that they sold the wood so quickly to a stranger. He finds the situation "queer."

4. Jesse vs. Miles: Jesse sees immortality as a great adventure/vacation. Miles sees it as a burden; he lost his wife and children because he didn't age, and he worries about the purpose of life if it never ends.

5. Mae's Action: She hits the man with the shotgun because he is going to take Winnie and expose the secret. This is a problem because if he dies, Mae will be hanged—and since she can't die, the secret will be revealed to everyone.

Guide 4: The Great Escape (Ch. 21 – Epilogue)

Comprehension

1. The Rescue: Winnie climbs through the window into the jail cell, and Mae climbs out. Winnie hides under the blanket to trick the constable. It's important because it gives the Tucks time to get away.

2. Jesse's Gift: A bottle of the spring water. He wants her to drink it when she turns 17 so she can live forever and they can be together.

3. The Toad: She pours the water on the toad to save it from a dog. She makes the choice because she wants to protect the toad, but it also shows she is beginning to value the "wheel" over living forever.

4. Treegap Transformed: It's now a modern town with paved roads, cars, and businesses. The wood was destroyed by a lightning strike/fire, and the spring is gone.

5. The Cemetery: They find Winnie's gravestone. She lived to be a wife and mother and died at a natural age. Tuck says "Good girl" because she chose to stay on the wheel and live a full, mortal life.

Final Quiz Answer Key

Part 1: Multiple Choice

1. B (A wheel that never stops turning)

2. C (To sell the spring water for profit)

3. A (They didn't age or get hurt for years)

4. C (She takes Mae's place in the cell)

Part 2: Matching

1. D (Pensive sadness)

2. C (Overjoyed)

3. B (Full of danger)

4. A (Helps commit a crime)

Part 3: Short Answer (Sample Responses)

1. The Toad Choice: She wanted to save the toad's life, but deeper down, she realized that Pa Tuck was right—life needs an end to be meaningful. She chose to let her life be "real."

2. Jesse vs. Miles: Jesse is younger and sees only the fun of never growing up. Miles is older and has felt the pain of seeing others die while he stays the same. He feels "stuck" and useless.

3. Mae's Action: Answers vary. Supporting Mae: She was protecting Winnie and the world from a man who would exploit nature. Against Mae: Violence is never the answer, and she put her family at greater risk of exposure.