Feel free to use these questions for your book club discussions.
1. Geek Girl begins with Jen making the bet with her friends. What do you think her motivations were for the bet? Do you think she had specific motivations in choosing Trevor over another of his friends?
2. Jen spent years trying to hold herself emotionally distant from her foster families. Do you think her feelings for Trevor helped soften her feelings towards the Clark’s? Do you think the change in her attitude made her desire a real family, or do you think that would have happened anyway?
3. Geek Girl touches on the subjects of abuse, molestation and drug use. Do you feel these subjects were approached in a way that makes them believable without the use of any in depth detail being given? Do you feel that it is more appropriate for the teen or young adult reader to have these presented in such a manner?
4. Jen’s personal morality seems in contrast to the way she lives her life. Why do you think she is this way?
5. Beth, Ella and Seth, Jen’s Goth friends, were all minor characters, and yet they were pivotal to the story. Why do you think it was important to include them to understand Jen’s story better? Do you think the story could have been told just as well without them? Do you think Jane was important to the story? What about Todd and Tamara?
6. Do you think Jen was right in her decision to go visit her mother in prison after all those years? Do you think it helped her resolve some issues and feelings from her past?
7. Do you think Trevor overreacted when he found out about the bet? What do you think his reasons were for being so angry at Jen for it?
8. What was your initial reaction at Trevor’s forgiveness of Jen? Did it feel realistic? Do you think he should have forgiven her sooner? Why do you think he waited so long to tell her that he had forgiven her?
9. There is a scene in which the main character from Heart on a Chain is seen. Did you recognize the scene?
10. There are references to some early sitcoms that depicted “perfect” families, which were added to show the contrast between them and Jen’s reality. Do you think those will be understood by today’s teens? There are also many sci-fi movie references made by Jen and Trev in their conversations. Do you think those add to or detract from the story?
