Guide to One Fat Summer, Chapters 15-20
     
    Chapter 15
     
    1. How much weight has Bobby lost since he took the job?
     
    2. Why is Bobby losing weight? What other changes do you see in him?
     
    3. How does he react to Willie and his threats now?
     
    4. To whom else is Bobby starting to stand up?
     
    Vocabulary: calluses (163), dramatically (drama, dramatic) (165), sarcastic (167), ponytail (166), medallion (169)
     
     
    Chapter 16
     
    1. Why do you think Bobby is nervous about Willie being after him?
     
    2. Yet, he is excited by the danger that Willie poses. Why?
     
    3. Why does Captain Marks tell Willie not to eat?
     
    4. Should Bobby listen to Captain Marks? Why or why not? After all, Captain Marks is imaginary, isn’t he?
     
    Vocabulary: jittery (182), spine (183); diseases (183), figments of my imagination (186)
     
     
    Chapter 17
     
    1. How many times does Mrs. Marks offer Bobby food in this chapter?
     
    2. What kind of food does she offer?
     
    3. Why did Mrs. Marks want to return to Rumson Lake rather than spend the night in New York City?
     
    4. Do you think that Bobby will be able to keep the weight off that he has lost? Explain.
     
     
    Vocabulary: cross-examined (192), tramp (200), protective (203), obstacle(s) (196), appetite (189)
     
     
     

    Chapter 18
     
    1. Should Bobby have quit his job in order to avoid trouble with Willie?
     
    2. Why do you think that Pete is cool towards Bobby?
     
    3. Are you surprised that Willie has a gun? Why or why not?
     
    4. Could Bobby have avoided being nearly alone on the beach? Should he have done so?
     
    Vocabulary: shingles (208), carpentry (208), economics (211), framed (212), accelerator (213)
     
     
    Chapter 19
     
    1. Why does Pete attack Willie and Jim?
     
    2. Was he right to do that?
     
    3. How do Bobby, Joanie, and Jim react to Pete’s actions?
     
    4. Why did Bobby nearly get carried away into doing something he would have regretted when he and Willie were underwater?
     
    Vocabulary: binoculars (219), stalk(ing) (220), amble(d) (221), snatched (223), shrieked (223)
     
     
    Chapter 20:
     
    1. Do you think Bobby could have stood up to Dr. Kahn in demanding a raise at the beginning of the summer?
     
    2. Why is he able to do so now?
     
    3. Compare the other instances of Bobby demanding more money from Dr. Kahn in chapter 15. How are the two occasions alike? How are they different?
     
     
    Vocabulary: retching (232), surveying (231), presentable (230), erecting (229), renege(s) (230)
     

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    Modified from Zalesky, Barbara. Teacher’s Guide. Jacksonville, IL: Perma-Bound, 1993.