CHOICES FOR READER RESPONSE ENTRIES (TERMS 2 & 3)
These prompts are meant to push your thinking about your book. Some prompts will sound similar to others. Please keep these prompts in the Independent Reading section of your binders.. Your responses should be thoughtfully explained in a careful and detailed manner. Careful and detailed means going beyond the surface in your explanation and giving evidence through examples or direct quotes to support your position. *
1. What is the goal of the main character in your book? If the climax of a book is defined as the point at which the main character succeeds or fails in his or her goal or objective, what is the climax of your book? What or who stood in his/her way?
2. Pick out a wonderful, descriptive writing as you read, and copy several of your favorite passages. Comment on how the author succeeded in writing good description: what were his or her “tricks of the trade?” Why did these passages stand out for you?
3. What was the lead of the book or chapter? Copy the lead, then comment on why it worked to get your attention or why it didn’t work. As you progress through the book, how does the lead take on different or deeper meanings? Explain.
4. Pay attention to the author’s use of verbs in this book. List some of the best ones and then comment on how the author’s strong use of verbs makes the action more dramatic.
5. Describe a character. Is this character realistically or unrealistically portrayed? Is his or her life anything like yours? What is the character facing? Mention the most important aspects of the character’s personality, beliefs, motivation, etc. Then go on to tell why that particular aspect of the character is crucial to the book.
6. What is particularly interesting or unique or successful about the plot?
Is it different? Describe some of these elements of the book: conflicts, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution.
7. Are you learning anything from reading this book? about yourself? about life? about human behavior? about any topic in particular?

8. Pick one or more quotes from the book, copy them and discuss their significance to you and/or the book.
9. Does the book have a message? Describe.
10. What connections are there between this book and your own life? In detail, explain how you identify or do not identify with the issues and characters in this book. Give several examples from the book to support your answer.
11. What are the “best” parts of the book? Explain in a thoughtful way.
Repeat the process for the “worst” parts of the book.
12. How does the main character handle the conflicts in the book? Give some examples of the main character’s conflict handling ability? What is his/her decision making process like when s/he handles these problems?
How does this style work?
13. What is the author saying about life and living? Explain your interpretation and give examples to support your position.
14. What parts of the book seem most believable and most unbelievable?
Explain your opinion, and give examples for each category.
15. What do you feel are the most important words in the book? sentences? paragraphs? How did you decide? Explain and give your reasoning for each.
16. What are some symbols in the book? What does each one symbolize?
How does each one help the progress of the book or its themes.
17. Notice conversation in the book. What are the characters talking about on the surface? What are they talking about below the surface? Pay particular attention to arguments or deep discussions. Cite particular conversations in the book that stand out for you. What about the dialogue is interesting, realistic, amusing, important, etc.?
18. Where do you see creativity and originality in this book? Cite those

parts. Why are they creative or original?
19. State your feelings, thoughts, reactions, and questions about the situations in the book. Give explanations of the situations which prompt your thinking.
20. Are you being manipulated by the writer? Where and how does this occur?
21. What about this book makes it a good choice for middle school students?
22. Look at the title. Make some sense of it as you progress through the book. Is it fitting or significant? What other titles would be fitting? Why?
23. Look at the cover of the book. Make sense of it as you progress through the book. Is it fitting or significant? What other cover designs would be fitting? Why?
24. Write a letter to a character. What wisdom or insight do you have to offer. Cite particular examples from the book, and speak to the character about these situations.
25. How would you cast/direct a movie of this book?
26. What are the issues in the book? (e.g. racism, sexism, family, loss, etc.)
What is the book saying about these issues? Make use of examples.
27. Which character reminds you of someone? Write why.
28. Compare one of the characters in this book to another character in the book. Where are there similarities in lessons learned, growth, confusions, changes in perspective, human behavior, etc?
29. What guesses can you make about an author’s life? Look up some autobiographical information on him/her, and use that information to compare to the message, plot, character, etc. How does the author’s life connect with the book?

30. How is the ending of the book significant? How would you have changed it? Explain.
31. How have you changed as a result of reading this book? Explain.
32. What are the flaws of the main characters and how do they affect the story?
33. Do any characters in the book relate to you in any way? If so, who and how?
34. Which was the most significant chapter you have read so far? Why?
Does something happen to the main character? Explain.
35. What is the genre of this particular book? Does this particular genre interest you more or less than others? Explain why.
36. What kind of reader would you recommend this book to? Old, Young,
Smart, Female, etc. Why?
37. Who is your favorite character? Describe him/her and tell why.
38. What stands out about the author’s writing style? How does it affect you as a reader?
39. Describe the relationships between characters in your book. What makes them work or not work?
40. Do any of the events in this book remind you of anything in your own life? How are things the same or different? Would you rather be yourself or a character in the book during this event?
41. Have you seen any foreshadowing in the book? What was foreshadowed and how? Why do you think the author chose to foreshadow these events?
42. If you could be any one of the characters, which one would you be?
Why? What do they do to make you wish you were them?