Choose either Carlie, Harvey, or Thomas J and trace their progress through the novel. What are they like at the beginning? What events or relationships contribute to their evolution?

Choose either Carlie, Harvey, or Thomas J, and analyze their relationship with one adult in the novel. What are their interactions like? How do their interactions affect the child either positively or negatively? Potential pairs include Carlie and Mrs. Mason, Harvey and his father, or Thomas J and Mr. Mason.

How does the way someone treats someone else affect that person? Pick a character, and analyze how different kinds of treatment affect them both positively and negatively.