- Bea realises there is a lot to learn about boats! Have you ever been sailing? If not, would you like to? If so, do you know the meanings of any of the nautical terms in the book?
- Did you find Ashleigh Barton’s depiction of a small, coastal Australian town authentic? Is Willow similar or different to any places you’ve visited or lived in?
- Consider the chapter titles. Did you notice them? If so, how did they affect your reading experience? Choose one chapter title and consider how it relates to the chapter that follows.
- What do you think the key themes of How to Sail to Somewhere are and why?
- What do we learn about Byron through Bea and her family’s memories of him? Do you feel like we know him as a character despite never meeting him ourselves?
- Why do you think Bea starts hearing Byron’s voice in her head? How does it help her to feel connected to her uncle? Why do you think it stops?
- At several points in the novel, Bea and Arabella struggle with whether to tell the truth or lie to the adults around them. Do you agree with their choices? How might the events of the novel had been different if Arabella, Bea (and maybe even Byron) had told the truth at key moments?
- ‘I’m happy to talk about it. It’s probably better to talk about it. Better than shutting it out and pretending it didn’t happen like my dad does anyway.’ Like Bea’s parents with Byron, Bea thinks. Why do grown-ups act like make-believe is just for children when they’re so good at pretending? (page 111)’. Both Bea and Arabella have lost someone very close to them. How do they work through their grief similarly or differently to each-other, and to their parents? Do you think there’s a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to do so? Why or why not?
- The beached whale reappears in several ways throughout the novel. Why do you think that is? What might the whale represent to Bea?
- How does Bea grow and change because of her friendship with Arabella? What might the future look like for both girls?
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A beautiful and deeply moving story about friendship, family, hope and the power of the ocean, for middle-grade readers who love a mystery, from popular children's author Ashleigh Barton.
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