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. As evidenced throughout Money Hungry, Raspberry’s experience with the trauma of homelessness deeply affects her relationship with money.

• In what ways does the trauma Raspberry experienced being without a home affect how she feels about money? (topic sentence)
• Citing no less than two examples from the text, describe how the memory of her experience being homeless with her mother influences her motivations around money.
• In your conclusion, discuss how The Lasting Effects of Poverty and Financial Insecurity have shaped Raspberry’s relationship with money. Is Raspberry’s desire for money related more to greed or to a desire for stability?

2. Raspberry and her entire friend group—Mai, Ja’nae, and Zora—each face their own different kind of hardships throughout the novel.