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 below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Friends of Juli and Bryce get little attention in the novel.

• Why does the author emphasize the influence of parents and family on the main characters instead of peers? (topic sentence)
• Describe the influence of Bryce’s family on his behavior and compare it to the influence of Juli’s family on her behavior. Then describe why you believe the author emphasizes the influence of family on behavior.
• In your concluding sentences, explain whether you agree with the author that parents influence character more than peers.

2. Seeing Uncle David and realizing the extent of her parents’ sacrifice for his care are important steps in Juli’s coming of age.

• How does Uncle David impact the plot, characters, or other story elements, other than financially? (topic sentence)
• Explain how Uncle David might have impacted the perspectives of the Baker family, how his story affects the Loski family, and how Uncle David impacts the plot and story elements.