Why didn’t Will’s father want to call the doctor? What would a father do today if his son were injured?

What is gangrene? Could someone get gangrene today? If so, how would it be treated?

What choices did Will make after his accident? What choices did Cassie make? What, if anything, did they not have choices about?

Do you know anyone who is missing an arm or leg? Have they had any problems finding jobs? Why or why not.

Why is there a drawing of a feather at the beginning of each chapter of Wintering Well?

Some of the boys in Wiscasset made fun of Will because he was disabled. Do people in your town or school do that? What has changed, and what has not changed, about treatment of people with disabilities since 1820?

Lea dedicated Wintering Well to Abby and Ben Park, who, like Lea's daughter Elizabeth, were born in India. Abby and Ben had polio while they were still in India, were adopted by a close friend of Lea's, and grew up as close extended family of the Waits'. Today Ben and Abby are grown up; Ben teaches middle school, and Abby is an occupational therapist with, as this picture shows, a beautiful family. As Lea wrote, "a disability may only be a curve in the road, not a stop sign."

Cassie tries to meet the expectations her family has for her. Do you think she is happy? If Cassie were living today, what do you think she would choose to do? Will, Cassie, Alice, and Nathan all made different choice about their futures. Who do you think made the best choice. Why? Maine became a state in 1820. What difference did that make in the lives of the characters in Wintering Well? Do you feel sorry for anyone in Wintering Well? If so – who do you feel sorry for? Why? What does “wintering well” mean?

Great Blue Heron

If you had lived in Maine in 1819-1820, what would you have chosen to do? Continue in school? Work with your family on their farm or in their business? Be an apprentice?

What were the differences in choices girls and boys had? Are there any differences in choices girls and boys have today?