Throughout the novel, Alex meets different people who contribute to his emotional development. Describe the relationships Alex has with other people and how each one develops in the novel. How do Alex’s relationships change and evolve? How has Alex’s perspective on Sol changed by the novel’s conclusion? What emotional gains does Alex make, and how are those changes brought about? How does Alex solve problems differently after meeting Sol?

Teaching Suggestion: Consider suggesting that students create a list of characters in the novel and compare Alex’s relationship with each one at the beginning of the novel to that at the novel’s conclusion. Students may need to look back on the text as they consider how Alex has grown. You might also take this opportunity to discuss dynamic characters and why the protagonist in a story is usually dynamic.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English language learners or students who might benefit from additional assistance, working with partners to discuss people and events in the novel prior to engaging in a formal discussion might be helpful. Students might also be aided by using a T-chart to organize their thoughts, or sentence stems to help focus on the questions (“Alex’s relationship with ____ has changed by the end of the novel.