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. Consider the role that storytelling plays in the novel.

• How does storytelling help Felix through the dangers and traumas he faces while searching for his parents? (topic sentence)
• Describe 2-3 examples from the novel in which storytelling helps Felix overcome a particular situation or several situations.
• In your concluding sentences, discuss the point Gleitzman’s novel makes about The Power of Storytelling.

2. Examine Barney’s role in the novel.

• Why is Barney willing to take risks for the children? (topic sentence)
• Identify 2-3 examples in which Barney goes to great lengths to keep the children safe. What is his reaction to these events? How is his personality revealed?
• In your concluding sentences, explain how Barney’s sacrifices speak to the larger theme of Altruism Among the Persecuted.