1. What is the importance of the salesman who tries to sell a lightning rod to Jim and Will at the start of the novel?

2. Jim and Will come to understand the sinister nature of the carnival. Why is Charlie, Will's father, the only other person who recognizes the threat?

3. Some characters are named after characteristics they embody. Identify some of these individuals and explain the reasoning behind their names.

4. What does the lightning rod symbolize? Why is it described as being "finely scratched and etched with strange languages, names that could tie the tongue or break the jaw, numerals that added to incomprehensible sums, pictographs of insectanimals all bristle, chaff, and claw"?

5. Explore the relationship between Will and his father.

6. What makes Will and Jim such close friends? Is this bond solely a product of small-town life?

7. What initially convinces you that the carnival has a hidden malevolent side?

8. Jim and Will are accused of theft by Miss Foley. Will thinks, "No one'll believe anything we say from now on! Not about carnivals, not about carousels, not about mirrors or evil nephews, not about nothing!" How do Jim and Will prove their honesty to others?

9. What is a calliope and what role does it play in the novel?

10. Church bells are mentioned multiple times throughout the novel. What is their significance? Discuss their impact on the storyline.