Tamaya’s friends think she’s a “Goody Two-shoes.” Why does this description upset Tamaya? Why do Tamaya’s friends think that it’s bad to be good? Do you agree? Explain your answer using evidence from the novel.

Fuzzy Mud is a sci-fi thriller. Describe several ways that Sachar builds suspense in the novel. In what ways did the suspense affect you as a reader?

Tamaya is faced with a moral dilemma, or Hobson’s choice: disobeying her mother and walking home alone, or disobeying school rules and following Marshall through the woods. Why do you think she chooses to follow Marshall? What consequences—good and bad—result from her choice?