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. The friendship between Agatha and Sophie is built on Agatha’s belief that she needs Sophie and Sophie encouraging that idea.

• How does the power dynamic shift between Agatha and Sophie? (topic sentence)
• Include at least three quotations and key details from scenes in the book that depict this dynamic shift and explain your reasoning.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, identify a lesson Agatha or Sophie has learned from their relationship and discuss why it is important.

2. The Storian records fairy tales and foreshadows events, and it writes Agatha and Sophie into their own fairy tale.

• Do Sophie and Agatha have more control over their fate, or does the Storian? (topic sentence)
• Incorporate at least three quotations or specific details to build your analysis and explain the relevance of each piece of evidence.