Additional Resources

Continue the Conversation: after you've finished the book, use these discussion questions to dig deeper into the themes.

• Florian learns several helpful safety tips, including "don't walk alone down an alley full of dumpsters" and "don't antagonize your captor." What other safety advice have you heard?

• Why is Florian afraid at first to tell Margaret about TOAST? Have you ever been afraid to tell your friends something about yourself?

• When Florian decides to go to the Romanian Embassy, he disobeys Marcus and lies to his parents. The result is that he and Margaret are put in danger and Marcus almost loses his job! Does he learn from his mistake? How do you know?

• Margaret desperately wants to know who her birth parents are, but when Florian finds out, he decides not to tell her. Why? Do you think he made the right decision?

Creative Writing Prompts: Try out one or more of these creative writing prompts.

• Try TOAST on yourself! Go into your bedroom or somewhere else you spend a lot of time and make a list of anything that would give a stranger a clue about your activities, personality, or interests. Then, write down a few things even Florian wouldn't know about you unless you told him.

• Go to an art museum (or the website of an art museum) and look at the paintings in their collection. Pick a favorite and write a description of it. Talk about the colors, the artistic style, and any small details other people might overlook. Then, imagine what might be beyond the edges of the painting and describe that! Who or what else might be nearby?

• Conduct a research investigation. Choose a topic you've always had questions about, like how electricity works or what causes people to sneeze, then use library books or the internet to research the answer. Write a summary of your findings, and don't forget to mention your sources!