One of the two main lessons of the story is the value of preparedness—the other is the importance of teamwork—and preparation is emphasized repeatedly.

Chase travels with his father as John searches for gainful employment. Because that work involves dangerous weather, both father and son must be prepared for any emergency. John teaches Chase to respect those dangers and plan for them in case they happen. To that end, John trains his son always to keep nearby a “go bag” filled with emergency supplies—night lights, nutrition bars, water, communication devices, a high-efficiency blanket, and first aid—and Chase reliably totes that bag everywhere. The bag’s contents prove crucial when their school bus crashes, and they need the very things the bag contains.

The boy is also prepared by training to expect people to issue bad emergency commands and be ready to suffer ridicule from them and others. Chase asks Dr. Krupp to keep the bussed kids at school, but she chastises him, thinking him merely afraid; meanwhile, other students poke fun at him for his apparent cowardice. They have no idea that he’s already thinking ahead on plans to protect Nicole and the others who must ride the bus home.