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. Max is falsely accused of assault and kidnapping, and he chooses to run away.

• How is Max’s decision to escape both wise and foolish? (topic sentence)
• What might have happened if he had turned himself in right away? Who likely would have won the legal fight, and what would have happened to each person involved—the Undertaker, Rachel, her mother, and Max?
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, sum up how the Undertaker’s attempt to take Rachel from the mine leads to his failure and Max’s redemption.

2. Rachel believes that magic exists in the world.

• How does she believe that books create magic? (topic sentence)
• How does her belief in magic help her reconcile herself to her father’s death? Support your ideas with details from the text.