Tangerine by Edward Bloor
Section I. August 18-August 23: pgs. 1-33
Vocabulary
receding (2)
industrial (8)
muck (15)
koi (19)
exploits (22)
Discussion Questions
1. Why do you think Paul’s mother is so insistent on looking around the house one more time?
2. What incident does Paul remember as he and his mom are about to leave the house?
3. Paul says, “I can see everything. I can see things that Mom and Dad can’t. Or won’t.” What do you
think he means?
4. What is the meaning of the following quotation? “It’s like we are major leaguers who’ve been sent
down to a minor-league city for awhile. We’re expected to do great things here and then move
back up to the big leagues.”
5. Wayne responds to Mrs. Fisher’s questions about the smoke by saying, “They learn to live it, I
guess. When the wind’s up like this, they gotta stay inside, keep the windows closed.” Why do you
think that the developers of Lake Windsor built a subdivision so close to a muck fire?
Section II. August 28-September 15: pgs. 33-94
Vocabulary
torque (34)
identity (34)
majority (60)
magnificent (73)
disintegrating (81)
Discussion Questions
1. Why are we told that Paul doesn’t remember looking at the eclipse?
2. What does Paul realize about Arthur?
3. Paul writes, “Now Mike is dead. But the Dream lives on.” What does he mean?
4. What is the outcome of the meeting?
5. Why is it important for Paul to be around Joey?
6. Why would it be comforting to Paul to know that something in Tangerine has a history and that
something actually belongs here?
7. Discuss the events surrounding the sinkhole. How does the sinkhole affect Paul’s life? What might
the sinkhole symbolize?
Section III. September 18-Oct. 4: 97-160
Vocabulary
menacing (97)
inconsistent (105)
frenzy (118)
mercifully (120)
protest (135)
Discussion Questions
1. What does Paul mean when he says that Tangerine Middle is like a mirror universe to Lake
Windsor? Discuss the differences and whether or not Paul feels comfortable at Tangerine Middle.
2. Why is Paul willing to play second string?
3. What do Arthur and Erik do while Joey is at the Fisher’s house?
4. What happens during Erik’s big moment at the first game? Why does Paul think that someone is
going to pay for Erik’s humiliation?
Section IV. October 5-November 24: 160-237
Vocabulary
Insolently (205)
Contort (205)
Hoist (208)
Discussion Questions
1. Do you think Joey belongs at Lake Windsor like Paul said? Why?
2. What kinds of things does Paul say he can see with his new glasses that his parents can’t see?
What does Paul mean?
3. What does Paul mean when he says that the homes in Lake Windsor are as phony as the “Erik
Fisher Football Hero Smile”?
4. Why do you think that Erik asks for a key to the storage shed?
5. Why isn’t Shandra’s picture in the paper?
Section V. November 27-December 6: pgs. 237-303
Vocabulary
prostrate (251)
apparition (254)
immortality (265)
restitution (272)
nullify (263)
disclosure (273)
notorious (289)
Discussion Questions
1. How does Paul know something goes wrong on Monday? What do you think Paul hoped would
happen?
2. Who figures out what is happening to the fish? Why is this significant?
3. What goes through Paul’s head when he hears that Luis’s aneurysm was caused by a blow to the
head?
4. What does Paul mean when he says, “Luis’s family knows the truth; their lives are not built around
bits and pieces of the truth”?
5. Why do you think that Paul starts to yell at the little boy?
6. Why do you think that Paul’s ritual in the backyard made him feel closer to Luis?
7. Why, for the first time, is Paul no longer afraid of Erik? Discuss what really happened to Paul’s
eyes.
8. Many characters decide to tell the truth at the end of the novel. Discuss each one and their
reasoning for finally revealing what they do. How do truth and lies function in the novel as a
whole?
For each section of the novel (I-V), draw and complete the table below. Make sure to be
thorough in your responses (give as much detail as possible).
Section # _____
What characters
have you met?
Describe each one.
What is the conflict
in the story?
What are your
predictions for the
next section?
Why did you make
those predictions?
(State evidence
from the text)