Tiny Infinities Discussion Guide

DI S CU S S I ON GU I DE
978-1-4521-6335-2 • $16.99 HC
Ages 10 and up • Grades 5 and up
F&P Text Level Gradient: X
Lexile® Measure: 790L
ABOUT THE BOOK

When twelve-year-old Alice’s dad moves out, leaving her with her depressive mother, Alice does the only thing that
feels right: She retreats to her family’s old Renaissance tent in the backyard, determined to live there until her dad
comes home. In an attempt to keep at least one part of her summer from changing, Alice focuses on her quest to swim
freestyle fast enough to get her name on her swim team’s record board. But summers contain multitudes, and soon
Alice meets an odd new friend, Harriet, whose obsession with the school’s science fair is equal only to her conviction
that Alice’s best stroke is backstroke, not freestyle. Most unexpected of all is an unusual babysitting charge, Piper, who
is mostly deaf and entirely mute—until Alice hears her speak a word.
Funny and devastatingly honest, this sharply observed depiction of family, friendship, and Alice’s determination to
prove herself—as a babysitter, as a friend, as a daughter, as a person—rings loud and true.
ABOUT THIS GUIDE

This guide contains discussion questions designed to spark conversation about the themes and ideas raised by this novel.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jean Heilprin Diehl has an MFA from the
University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop; this
is her first novel. She lives with her family in
Maryland and is now working on a new novel.
For more information or questions about this discussion guide, contact Jaime Wong at [email protected].
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DI S CU S S I ON GU I DE
1. In the prologue, we read the following statement: “What I love most about backstroke is, it proves a person doesn’t need to
be looking straight ahead to know exactly where she’s going.” What do you think this means? Do you agree? Why or why not?
2. Throughout the first chapter of the book Alice is continually running away from someone or something, including the
police and the pool. But what else do you think she’s really running away from? What finally stops her?
3. How would you describe Alice’s relationship and communication style with her father? How about with her mother? What
kind of essential support do they provide Alice? What do you think their relationships might be missing?
4. Alice has a lot of stresses to deal with, including her mom’s long-term recovery and her parents’ separation. What kind of
coping mechanisms does she use? Do you think these are effective? If you were her friend, what advice might you give Alice
to help her deal with her problems?
5. Alice has a remarkable ability to communicate with children. What makes her so good at this? Does she demonstrate the
same abilities and skill when communicating with her peers and with adults?
6. Despite their differences, Alice and Harriett quickly become friends. Why do you think they connect so well with each
other? What are the ingredients of a strong friendship?
7. In Chapter 5, “Teeny Tiny Infinity,” Harriet introduces the concept that the difference between two seemingly opposite
things can be actually very small. How does this idea—the idea of “tiny infinities”—appear throughout the book?
8. One controversial decision that Alice makes is to bring Piper to her backyard and leave Timmy alone while she is
babysitting. Do you think this was a good choice? Why or why not? Given what happened, if you were Alice, would you have
told Mr. and Mrs. Phoebe what happened in the tent? If so, what would you have said to them?
9. When Alice has her outburst at her mother after Harriett’s failed experiment, Harriett comes upstairs to show Mrs. Allyn
the syringes. What does this tell you about Harriett’s personality?
10. In Chapter 19, “The Swim Team Banquet,” Alice receives a fortune cookie fortune that reads, “It is not in your character
to give up.” Thinking back over Alice’s actions throughout the book, do you think this fortune is accurate? This character trait
is frequently called “grit” or “perseverance.” When does Alice demonstrate grit in the novel?
11. Though Piper makes it up, the word “bugfire” holds a particularly special resonance for Alice. What does the word
symbolize to her?
12. Much of this book explores how people deal with change. How does Alice deal with change? Harriett? Owen? What ways
seem to be more effective? Less effective?
13. At the beginning of the story, Alice reacts to the news that her father is leaving by exercising the silent treatment. By the
end of the book, does she still think her greatest power lies in her silence? If not, where does her power come from?
14. In many ways, this novel is about the journey of growing up and getting caught in between childhood and adulthood. How
would you compare Alice at the beginning of the book to Alice at the end? When does she struggle the most with making
adult decisions? Do you think she changes?
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DI S CU S S I ON GU I DE

ABOUT THE BOOK

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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