Tess and Aaron’s relationship is at the heart of the novel. Citing specific evidence from the text, trace how Lord uses key events and motifs to develop their dynamic over the course of the story. By the end of the novel, how have the two children changed one another?

Selecting two supporting characters from among the island’s inhabitants, compare and contrast their personalities, and discuss how they either contribute to or detract from Aaron’s sense of belonging. What point is Lord making through these characters about small communities?

Discuss the novel’s exploration of family. In particular, consider how both Tess’s and Aaron’s ideas of family change over the course of the novel.

Lord uses imagery to capture the sights, sounds, and smells of life on Bethsaida. How does this literary device develop the island setting, contribute to the story’s mood, and offer insight into the narrator’s perspective?

Citing specific evidence from the text, analyze the role of religion in the islanders’ lives. Give particular attention to Reverend Beal’s characterization and the setting of the parish hall. What point about religion is Lord making with this novel?

What do Aaron’s musical skills reveal about his character? Given music’s role in the novel and its connection to Aaron’s belonging in the community, what is the thematic resonance of Aaron’s preference for jazz and improvisation?

Conduct further research on the role of superstitions in maritime communities like the one on Bethsaida. How does this context inform the novel’s setting, characterization, and its examination of the motives behind superstition?

Throughout the novel, Lord alludes to other children’s novels about the foster-care system. Compare and contrast Aaron with the titular protagonists of Anne of Green Gables (1908), The Great Gilly Hopkins (1978), and Bud, Not Buddy (1999). How is Touch Blue’s portrayal of the foster-care system and foster families similar to and different from their presentation in these earlier novels? What is Lord expressing through her allusions to these works?