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 below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the novel over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Luke’s attitude toward his home changes throughout the novel.

• How does Luke feel toward his home before the forest comes down, and what causes his change in perspective? (topic sentence)
• Cite evidence from the book showing Luke’s life before and after the forest comes down.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how the changes in Luke’s life impact his attitude toward staying home and hidden all the time and his ultimate decision to accept a fake ID.

2. Jen and Luke’s experiences as shadow children are very different despite them both being illegal.

• How do the two families’ economic statuses impact the experiences of their shadow children? (topic sentence)
• Cite evidence from the book to show the way Luke’s parents believe they must protect Luke; then cite evidence to show how Jen’s family operates differently.