114 pages • 3 hours read
Jerry SpinelliA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Hope is a strong motif in the novel. How does the promise of hope support the characters’ well-being in the novel? Consider these questions in formulating a response.
Teaching Suggestion: This Discussion/Analysis prompt encourages students to reframe their responses from the Personal Connection prompt in the context of the novel. As living conditions worsen, characters find hope and joy in simple pleasures, such as Janina’s favorite food, a comb from Mr. Milgrom, and the community the boys form together. Other characters are more skeptical; for example, Uri is constantly concerned for Misha’s well-being since he is distrustful of the changing environment, while many of the boys are not hopeful in the prospect of angels and an afterlife. Ultimately, different characters find their own coping mechanisms in order to deal with the harsh realities of WWII. This prompt connects with the theme Hope as Both a Negative and Positive Force.
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