
IMPORTANT: Comprehension questions will be in chronological order as you read through the story. Page numbers are approximate, and will vary with different editions of the book.
Section 1: Chapters 1-14
Vocabulary
- bilge: the bottom part of the hull of a ship
- bludgeon: a heavy object used as a weapon
- capricious: when one’s mood changes unexpectedly
- dolt: a dumb or stupid person
- impulsive: done without forethought
- motley: variation in appearance
- spire: a long tapering tower, usually the tower of a church
Comprehension Questions
- Sophie has a dream that she is engulfed by a wall of water. pg. 2
- According to her father, Sophie’s three sides are a dreamy and romantic side, a logical and down-to-earth side, and a hardheaded and impulsive side. pg. 3
- Sophie doesn’t like the Ohio river because there are no waves or tides, and there is no sea-life. pg. 8
- Sophie’s mom doesn’t take her to Connecticut because she imagines bad things happening on the ocean. pg. 10
- Sophie likes the name of the boat because she can imagine herself wandering. pg. 11
- Brian feels uneasy about the boat once it is in the water, and says it feels small. pg. 15
- Uncle dock believes that the journey will take three to four weeks. pg. 20
- Cody wants to slug Uncle Stew when he calls Sophie “the Orphan.” pg. 23
- Sophie likes killing the fish to prove to her uncle that isn’t chicken. pg. 34
- The other boats at Vineyard Haven are much cleaner, and more expensive looking than the Wanderer. pg. 40-41
- Cody feels good about himself when he sees Sophie and Uncle Dock juggling because he successfully taught them. pg. 54
Section 2: Chapters 15-35
Vocabulary
- beauteous: beautiful
- gallant: heroic of brave
- gargantuan: extremely large
- gimbal: a mechanism that keeps a compass level on a ship
- languish: communication conveyed by speech or writing
- motley: variation in appearance
- phosphorescent: emitting light without heat
Comprehension Questions
- Sophie realizes that if she were thrown into the ocean she would be in danger, while it saved the lobster. pg. 59
- Cody thinks they keep stopping because there is something wrong with the boat that only uncle Dock knows. pg. 61
- Cody does most of the cooking because he likes doing it more than anyone else. pg. 63
- Sophie likes to write everything down to remember all the details in her life. pg. 64
- Dock changed his name because his name used to be Jonah, and that name is bad luck for sailors. pg. 67
- Cody finds a bead necklace and gives it to Sophie while the two are exploring the island. pg. 78
- Sophie doesn’t like using the autohelm because she likes to be in control of the boat. pg. 106
- Sophie thinks that the ocean is like her in that it has many sides. pg. 118
- Bompie is always getting into trouble with water in Sophie’s stories. pg. 139
- Sophie wishes she could get insurance that made her and everyone around her happy. pg. 144
Section 3: Chapters 36-60
Vocabulary
- funk: a sad or melancholy state
- halyard: a rope on a ship that raises the sail
- helm: the steering wheel of a ship
- leer: to look at something or someone maliciously
- oblivious: to be unaware of one’s surroundings
- queasy: a nauseated feeling
- succumb: to give in to some outside pressure
Comprehension Questions
- Sophie says the waves are like walls of water. pg. 167
- Brian calls Sophie selfish because she wants to do all the chores on the Wanderer. pg. 168
- Sophie feels like a “stupid little sea flea” because she is avoiding Brian and he is avoiding her. pg. 169
- Cody likes to stay on deck during storms because it helps him forget his fear. pg. 170
- When the wave crashes on her head, Sophie hears a child’s voice yelling, “Mommy! Daddy!” pg. 183
- Sophie can tell Uncle Mo is trying to be nicer to Cody because he is nor barking at him and he is not calling him “knucklehead doofus.” pg. 206
- Everyone is afraid to sleep because they fear the wave will return. pg. 190
- Cody asks Sophie for pie when he is recovering because Bompie always has pie when he survives something. pg. 191
- Cody determines the boat’s position by spotting and contacting a Canadian Warship. pg. 200
- Cody and Sophie both said “giddy-up, giddy-up!” to themselves when they were under the wave. pg. 209
Section 4: Chapters 61-78
Vocabulary
- careen: to move uncontrollably and quickly
- flibbertigibbet: an excessively talkative person
- gawk: to stare at something with an open or shocked expression
- hallucinate: to experience something that doesn’t happen in reality
- peculiar: unusual or odd
- peer: to look at something intently
- pining: to decline mentally because of sadness
Comprehension Questions
- Uncle Mo and Uncle Stew are arguing about who will deal with the repairs for the Wanderer. pg. 218
- Cody and Sophie are still writing in their journals because the journey isn’t over yet. pg. 220
- Uncle Mo and Uncle Stew both end up driving to Bompies. pg. 225
- Sophie feels “pushed and pulled” on the way to see Bompie because she is excited but also nervous to meet him. pg. 226
- Cody knows about Sophie’s past because of the stories she told him. pg. 236
- Bompie’s house is named “Walnut Tree Cottage.” pg. 241
- They find Bompie’s house by knocking on a neighbor’s door and asking for directions. pg. 242
- Sophie knows about about all of Bompie’s stories because of the letters he wrote her. pg. 250
- Uncle Dock settles the argument by offering to stay in England to watch over Bompie. pg. 257
- Uncle Mo brings drawings and sketches as gifts for everyone. pg. 258
