1. How does friendship save the lives of the four friends, either literally or metaphorically?

2. Describe the role men and boys play in the novel. What lessons about friendship can we learn from them?

3. Imagine that you’re Tibby, interviewing one of the girls. Write out the scene.

4. How does each girl approach the search for love, either platonic or romantic?

5. What life lesson does each girl learn during the summer, or how does each girl change?

6. Explain the significance of one of the chapter-opening quotations and how it relates to the chapter contents.