Do you have to write a report on this book for class? Here are some questions to think about and explore in your paper. Many of the comments came from other teens who wrote to me about Thin Ice. Answering even one of the questions will add something to your book report because no one else will have answered it in the very same way. And don't forget to check out the titles I suggest at the bottom because doing some related reading always impresses teachers! Don't be offended that many of them look like “picture books.” They're all excellent, loaded with information, and quick reads. Good luck.

GRIEF AND LOSS

“She just got really self-centered, didn’t she?”—Liz, age 15

1. Arden’s never really had to share or think about others. Did this make it easier or harder for her to deal with being alone?

2. Losing the only other living member of her family was a huge thing. Does going through something like that make it okay to be self-centered? What other ways might grief affect people?

3. Why didn’t Arden want people to help her?

ART

“She shouldn’t have stopped doing her art. It would have made her happier when she got so down after he was gone.”—Haylee, age 14

1. Why did Arden stop making frames?

2. Have you ever stopped doing something you love? Why?

SEARCHING

“I liked how she did all that hunting for him on her own. I know I’d do the same thing.”—Alex, 8th grade

1. Arden believed something no one else believed—that Scott was alive. Why do you suppose she couldn’t persuade anyone she was right?

2.She was searching for her brother. What else was she looking for? Why did those things seem important to her?

RELATED READING

If you're doing a report and want to go deeper than just talking about Thin Ice, there are many terrific books about related subjects. By the end of the book Arden decides she wants to be an artist—to make the stuff on the inside of frames. What's it like to have that desire? A couple of fun books on female artists are Runaway Girl: The Artist Louise Bourgois by Jan Greenberg and Margaret Bourke White by Susan Goldman Rubin. I researched A LOT on the subject of dead bodies and missing persons when I was writing this book. If you're interested in that area you might want to check out Crime Scene Investigation by Cyril Wecht or Bone Detectives by Donna M. Jackson.