Discussion Guide

 THIS BOOK WAS ALSO A
G EORGIA CHILDREN’ S B OOK
AWARD NOMINEE FOR
2010-2011
Book
Club
Discussion Guide
Author Information
We were an Air Force family so I grew up all over the
map. We lived in Pennsylvania, Panama, Virginia,
Alaska, northern California, southern California, and
Texas. I have three brothers and a sister—I'm the middle
one. During the years we were living in Alaska I fell in
love with mountains, rivers, fishing, baseball, and
books. Books I read on my own were the best part of
school for me. I was always going on adventures in my
imagination.
as I learn more about whatever has sparked my interest.
Learning to write well takes practice and dedication, just
like learning to play a musical instrument or a sport. It
takes patience too, because revision is a big part of it.
My biggest breakthrough was learning to write with the
five senses. In the world of the story, both writer and
reader are imagining what it's like to be someone else,
so you want to let the reader hear, see, taste, touch, and
smell what your characters are experiencing.
Halfway through my fifth grade year we moved from
Alaska to California, where I roamed the hills behind
our house almost every day after school. In the summers
I went backpacking in the Sierras. It was hard work and
sheer joy, and has been a big part of my life ever since.
After graduating from Stanford University I moved to
southwestern Colorado, where my wife Jean and I have
lived for many years. We do lots of hiking in the nearby
San Juan Mountains, and spend as much time as we can
running rivers in our whitewater raft. You won't be
surprised to learn that I was a reading teacher for many
years before I became a full-time writer.
When I'm starting a new story, it takes a lot of faith. I'm
like a woodcarver staring at a block of wood. It helps
me to remember how, in the story of Pinocchio, that
block of wood turned into a real boy. If you just keep
working, you'll reach a point when the story starts
coming to life. That's what a writer lives for! From that
point on, you're hearing conversations in your head,
you're seeing things happen, and you're just writing it all
down.
Readers often ask me, “What made you want to write in
the first place?” That's easy for me to answer: it was
because I loved reading. If you like reading stories, you
too might start thinking, I want to try that. I want to
write a story!
About half of my ideas for stories come from my own
life experiences, and the other half come from reading,
My first hope for my novels is that they tell a good
story, that the reader will keep turning the pages and
will hate to see the story end. Beyond that, I hope to be
inspiring a love for the natural world. I'd like my readers
to appreciate and to care more about what's happening
to wild creatures, wild places, and the diversity of life.
Photo and author information
taken from Will Hobb’s website:
www.willhobbsauthor.com
Be sure to visit Will's Books. For each book there's a
place where you can click to see pictures and hear how I
came up with the ideas for each of my stories.
Other Books by Author

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Never say die
 Jason’s gold
 Changes in latitudes
Take me to the river
 Howling hill
 Beardance
Crossing the wire
 The maze
 The big wander
Leaving Protection
 Rifer thunder
 Downriver
Jackie’s wild Seattle
 Ghost canoe
 Bearstone
Wild Man Island
 Far north
Down the Yukon
 Kokopelli’s flute
What’s it all about?
W EBSITES
A meteorite is hurtling toward the Black Hills of South Dakota . . .
Brady Steele watches in awe as a fireball comes crashing through the roof
of his house. Brady immediately calls up his cousin, Quinn. They both
love all things extreme, and this is the most extreme thing ever!
Fred, as Brady names his space rock, turns out to be one of the rarest
meteorites ever found. Professor Rip Ripley from the museum in Hill City
Will Hobbs’ official website:
wants to study a sliver of it in search of extraterrestrial bacteria. He's
www.willhobbsauthor.com/
hoping to discover the first proof of life beyond Earth, a momentous
breakthrough for the new science of astrobiology.
During a wild week of extreme bicycling, fishing, and caving, Brady and
Quinn battle their rivals, the notorious Carver boys, for possession of the
HarperCollin’s Go big or go
meteorite. With each new day, Brady is discovering he's able to do strange
home Reading Group Guide:
and wonderful feats that shouldn't be possible. At the same time, he's
files.harpercollins.com/PDF/
developing some frightening symptoms. Could he be infected with
ReadingGuides/0060741414.pdf
long-dormant microbes from space? Is Fred a prize or a menace?
TO CHECK
OUT
Discussion Questions
1) Brady risks his life to save a little boy from
charging buffalo. Why do the tourists ignore
the signs warning them of the danger of getting
too close? How do the tourists put lives at
risk? Why does Brady refuse the reward for
saving the little boy’s life?
2) When Brady and Quinn visit with the professor
to discuss the meteorite they named Fred, the
professor comments, “There’s a world of
difference between the improbable and the
impossible” (page 69). How does this
statement prove to be correct in light of Fred’s
effect on Brady? Is what happens more
improbable or impossible? Why?
3) Quinn’s and Brady’s fathers feel comfortable
leaving their boys alone for several days.
What does this say about their relationships?
In what ways have Quinn and Brady acted to
deserve this trust?
4) Brady and Quinn both love being outdoors and
biking, fishing, and camping. How does their
experience with these sports help them when
they get into trouble? What skills do they have
that help save Brady’s life?
5) Brady’s increased strength and athletic ability
surprise both him and Quinn, but when the
tingling and paralysis begin, Brady refuses to
go to the doctor or to talk to Professor Ripley.
Of what is he most afraid? Why doesn’t he
confide in his father or uncle?
6) When Brady slips and almost falls in the
cavern, how does Quinn react? What does
Quinn’s reaction say about his character? How
does Brady react when Attila saves his life?
Why does Attila save Brady?
7) When Brady and Quinn take Fred to Professor
Ripley, they are thrilled about what they learn.
What information makes them the most
excited? Why? Why does Professor Ripley
discount any danger that Fred might cause
Brady?
8) Google the word “astrobiology.” Does this
new science described by Professor Ripley
(page 108) really exist, and is NASA involved
in its study?
9) On page 127, Brady reminds himself about the
saying on Quinn’s T-shirt, which is the
following: “Go big or go home.” What does
this saying mean to him? How does the book’s
title relate to the story?
10) Quinn does not want to leave the Black Hills to
live in Wyoming, and his father gives him
permission to stay with Brady. Why does
Quinn refuse the offer and move to Wyoming
with his father? How does this decision affect
Brady?
11) In the book who has been laid off from his job
at the Homestead Mine? How does this affect
the main characters?
12) Which dwarf planet does Brady tell the
professor has been disqualified as a planet? Is
this true? Why might some feel strongly about
a planet being disqualified?
13) What was Quinn and Brady’s secret name for
the boat owned by the Carvers? Do you
secretly name things? Is there anyone you
share these secret names with? Why or why
not?
The discussion questions 1-10 came from the Go big or go home HarperCollins’ Reading Group Guide.
Excerpt from Never say die by
Will Hobbs:
www.amazon.com/Never-SayDie-Will-Hobbs/dp/006170878X/
ref=sr_1_2?
s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=137358
5499&sr=12&keywords=never+say+die
HarperCollins’ interview with Will
Hobbs:
www.harpercollins.com/author/
authorExtra.aspx?author
ID=16967&isbn13=9780060741
419&displayType=bookinterview
Goodreads’ trivia and quizzes
for Go big or go home:
www.goodreads.com/trivia/
work/2485197-go-big-or-gohome
United States of YA Image and
list of books came from Epic
Reads:
www.epicreads.com/blog/theunited-states-of-ya/