Book #20: For Your Own Good, Samantha Downing


Synopsis:

Teddy Crutcher has won Teacher of the Year at the esteemed Belmont Academy, home to the best and brightest.


He says his wife couldn't be more proud—though no one has seen her in a while.

Teddy really can’t be bothered with the death of a school parent that’s looking more and more like murder or the student digging a little too deep into Teddy’s personal life. His main focus is on pushing these kids to their full academic potential.

All he wants is for his colleagues—and the endlessly meddlesome parents—to stay out of his way.

It's really too bad that sometimes excellence can come at such a high cost.

USA Today bestselling author Samantha Downing is back with her latest sneaky thriller set at a prestigious private school—complete with interfering parents, overeager students, and one teacher who just wants to teach them all a lesson…



Discussion Questions:

  1. Overall, which characters did like? Which ones did you hate? 
  2. Is there anyone you rooted for? Why?
  3. How does the book capture the feel of a wealthy, elite school? What’s unique about an elite school like Belmont that you wouldn’t find at a public school?
  4. Teddy truly believes he is doing what’s best for the students. Did you believe that at any time? If so, what made you realize he was lying to himself?
  5. Sonia also believes she acted in the best interests of the students. Did she? Why or why not?
  6. Was there anyone who was “thinking of the children”?
  7. Zach and Courtney are current students at Belmont. Did you have any sympathy for what they have to deal with and the adults they are surrounded by? Why or why not?
  8. Fallon has a history of exploiting the mistakes of others—the headmaster who killed himself, Teddy lying to his wife—and she returns to find some way to ruin the rest of Teddy’s life. Did you think she and Zach would work together? If so, did you believe they could outsmart Teddy?
  9. Frank plays a pivotal role in the book, though he is absent for a large part of it. What did you think of how he developed and changed throughout the book?
  10. What shocked you the most and why? Were you surprised at the ending, and by Zach’s decision to become a teacher in the future?

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