Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Alex’s relationship with Kate is in some ways atypical.

• Why might Alex’s relationship with his grandmother be considered unusual, and how does it change over the course of the novel? (topic sentence)
• Give examples from the beginning, middle, and end of the story that demonstrate the characteristics of their relationship as it changes over the course of the story.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how Alex’s changing relationship with Kate supports the novel’s larger thematic concern with Surface Appearances Versus Inner Truth.

2. Alex matures considerably throughout the course of the novel.

• How does Alex’s ability to stay calm, focus, and see the bigger picture grow during this story? (topic sentence)
• Give examples from the beginning, middle, and end of the story that demonstrate the growth in Alex’s ability to calm himself and keep things in perspective.