Describe the role of misunderstandings, personality conflicts, and character growth in the novel. What are some of the misconceptions that occur between Juli and Bryce and their families? How might some of these conflicts have been resolved with communication and compassion? How do the perspectives of the characters cause friction between them? Which of the characters experience personal growth in the novel? What factors influence that growth?

Teaching Suggestion: Students may benefit from creating a graphic organizer to analyze the characters in the novel. Consider asking students to divide a paper into four columns to analyze Juli, Bryce, the Bakers, and the Loskis. Students can then break family members into smaller groups, naming the characters in each family. When they have established the characters in the novel, students may wish to take notes on each character, describing misunderstandings, personality conflicts, and character growth.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students who would benefit from ways to focus and structure their thinking might limit their topic to one of the elements, such as misunderstandings, and apply it to 1-3 characters in the novel. Consider permitting students to work in small groups for their analysis.