One thematic focus of this novel is Love as a Means of Empowerment. As January comes of age, she must find the courage to be herself and stand up for what she believes in. How does love help promote these positive changes in January?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt asks students to analyze how one of the novel’s thematic elements relates to the novel’s coming-of-age structure. It requires that they recognize a particular kind of change in January, then demonstrate how the emotion of love—feeling loved and being loved—contributes to January’s empowerment as she learns to stand up for herself and her beliefs. After students have finished writing or discussing this prompt, you might extend the discussion by asking whether love also holds January back in any way, guiding students to a more nuanced appreciation of how love is depicted in the novel.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students who benefit from strategies in organizational and analytical thinking may find it helpful to use a graphic organizer that breaks the prompt apart into the necessary components for a successful response. Such an organizer might, for example, ask them to

• Explicitly list evidence that shows how January initially struggles with being her authentic self and standing up for what she believes.