Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Have you ever wanted to live away from home? What would be the pros and cons? What is it like to attend a boarding school?

Teaching Suggestion: Most of the novel takes place at the boarding school Miles starts attending: Culver Creek. Some students might know about boarding schools, but very few students attend these schools in high school, so it might help to build understanding of what this world is like. Starting with the more general questions about living away from home could provide students access to this setting. The following articles could expand student understanding.

• This article by Thought Co. is an exploration of boarding schools as institutions.
• This article by Teen Vogue examines the world of boarding schools through a student perspective.

2. What are some things that cause guilt? How can guilt affect people’s lives? What might help people if they feel guilty?

Teaching Suggestion: Guilt and trauma affect the characters throughout the novel, including Alaska’s guilt over her mother’s death and the guilt Miles, the Colonel, and Takumi feel over Alaska’s death.