General

Discussion

Questions

1.  What sort of place is the orphanage? Is your view of the orphanage changing as you read more about it? Is this a lace you wold like to visit or live?
2.  Everyone would like to have a miracle. Would you set out on a quest like Kelsey’s if you thought you could find one?
3.  Do you think there really is a war? Or is the war imaginary?
4.  Where do you think Silence came from? Is he an orphan and could he have come from the orphanage?
5.  Would you ever buy a memory? If so, what kind would you buy? Would you ever sell one?
6.  Are bad memories valuable? Why or why not?
7.  What do you think it takes to manufacture  miracle? Is that even possible?
8.  Are the Pontiff’s good guardians of the orphanage? Why or why not?
9.  In chapter four, was it a good idea for Kelsey to keep Silence? What are the possible benefits or problems of traveling with someone like Silence on a quest?
10.  Why do you think there are no miracles on Mondays?
11.  How would you recognize a miracle? How can you tell if one is real?
12.  What is the significance of the woman in purple? Why does Kelsey find her annoying?
13.  Why do children disappear when their plants die?
14.  Did Nicholas create a miracle? Why doesn’t Nicholas know whether he created one or not? Should he feel different if he had created one? Why or why not?
15.  What makes Megan and Silence get along together so well? Why do you suppose Kelsey dislikes Megan so much? Does Megan find Kelsey equally as annoying?
16.  Is Kelsey imagining the noises she hears chasing her? What is causing them and why does Kelsey fear them?
17.  Is Megan really a healer? What makes a good healer and how does Megan measure up to those traits?
18.  Silence is a mute, and yet he “talks” to the birds. How do you think he does this?
19.  Why don’t the mentors or the adults in the Orphanage help the children to create miracles?
20.  Was renting the horse to cross the desert a good idea? What were the cost/ consequences of this action?
21.  Why do the Pontiffs and others have a difficult time believing that Nicholas had created a miracle?
22.  Would you by miracle seeds if you found them? Why or why not?
23.  Are there times when taking a shortcut to a miracle would be acceptable? If so, when are these times?
24.  Junko became lazy after she created a miracle. Why do some people quit working after they achieve an accomplishment? How does that impact the goals and achievements of a group?
25.  Why does Kelsey like Roland so much? How would you react to meeting someone like Roland?
26.  Why do you think the other children forgot about Junko once she left the orphanage?
27.  How does someone become the “owner” of a story?
28.  How can someone want to be healed but at the same time not know that they are broken?
29.  What would a miracle smell like?
30.  How was Kelsey equipped to battle the Wind of Fear? Are there things that help equip us in our lives to handle fear better? If so, what sorts of things?
31.  Why do miracles need people?
32.  What caused the snow at the orphanage? Why didn’t the children recognize the snow?
33. What were the king’s original goals for the orphanage? What kept the orphanage from achieving these goals? Have you ever created similar obstacles to achieving the goals in your own life?
34. Which character is your favorite? Why do you like this character?
35.  Do you identify more with Kelsey or with Nicholas? What is it about the character that you identify with? Are there specific aspects of these characters to which you can not relate?