Tuesday 30 August 2016

Questions for Schools on Spooking



1. How did you find reading the book? Did you get into it straight away or did it take you a while to "get into it"? How did you feel reading it—amused, sad, disturbed, confused, bored...?


2. Describe the main characters—personality traits, motivations, and inner qualities.
• Why do characters do what they do?
• Are their actions justified?
• Describe the relationships in the novel e.g. Tom and Amanda.  Amanda and her friends. Tom and Marcus.     
• How has the past shaped their lives?
• Do you admire or disapprove of them?
• Do they remind you of people you know?
·         Do you have a favourite character?  


3. Are the main characters dynamic—changing or maturing by the end of the book? Do they learn about themselves, how the world works and their role in it?


4. Discuss the plot:
• Do you find the story interesting?
• Is this a plot-driven book—a fast-paced page-turner?
• Can you outline the plot in six stages?
• Were you surprised by complications, twists & turns?


5. Talk about the book's structure.
• Is it a continuous story...or interlocking short stories?
• Does the time-line move forward chronologically?
• Is there a single viewpoint or shifting viewpoints?
• Why might the author have chosen to tell the story
   the way he or she did?
• What difference does the structure make in the way
   you read or understand the book?


6. What main ideas—themes—does the author explore? (Consider the title, often a clue to a theme.) Does the author use symbols to reinforce the main ideas?


7. Which passages did you enjoy most?


8. Is the ending satisfying? If so, why? If not, why not...and how would you change it?


9. If you could ask the author a question, what would you ask? Have you read other books by the same author? If so how does this book compare. If not, does this book inspire you to read others?


10. Has this novel changed you—broadened your perspective? Have you learned something new? What do you think of the Inbetween Place?  

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