Shadow Jumper

This book is often categorized as a mystery. How does the author employ suspense devices, including but not limited to, clues, story structure, or red herrings, to keep the reader guessing?

How would the novel be different if it were written from Beth’s perspective? What would the story gain? What would the story lose?

The novel is told from a limited third-person perspective, meaning that the reader has access to Jack’s thoughts and feelings. How does the perspective in this novel influence the reader’s opinion of Jack’s choices?

Jack harbors suspicions about his neighbor, Mrs. Roberts. What is Mrs. Roberts’s role in the novel? How did your impression of this character (and her significance) evolve throughout the text?

A key motif of children’s literature is the presence of animals, which are often used to either express solidarity between children and animals or emphasize the dichotomy between human and animal. Based on Jack’s experiences, what do the animals and children in the novel have in common?

Part of the conclusion of the story includes Jack’s new acceptance of himself and his skin. To what extent do you believe Jack’s skin condition is psychosomatic? Why do you think this?

Jack and Beth bond over their feelings of isolation. What else do they have in common? Why do they form such an intense friendship so quickly?

What is Kai’s role in the novel? What do his manner of introduction and the sensory details surrounding him reveal? What do his actions, and Jack and Beth’s reactions to him, help them understand about themselves?