When the World Tips Over

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What was your favorite storyline in the book? What did you like about it?

2. What did you think of the book’s use of ephemera like Miles’s emails, Marigold’s stories, Bernadette’s letters, and the occasional excerpt from the Paradise Gazette? What do these add to the larger narrative?

3. How do this novel’s themes and characters compare to those of Nelson’s other young adults novels, The Sky is Everywhere or I’ll Give You the Sun?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. What commonalities exist among the many love stories in the novel? Which couple’s story did you find the most affecting?

2. Which character’s conflict did you identify most strongly with, and why?

3. Have you had an experience, as have several characters in the book, where a personal transformation is triggered by interaction with another person? Who are the people who have helped you open up?

4. What did you think of the book’s theme about how blessings and curses can be handed down throughout families? Have you had experience with this?