What differences does Mrs. Olinski experience when she returns to teaching, and how do they affect her? What lessons does she need to learn from these differences to complete her character arc? Cite specific examples from the text to support your argument.

How is Julian Singh received by his peers at Epiphany Middle School? In what ways does the book interrogate or fail to interrogate the concepts of racism and xenophobia that define his early experiences there?

Discuss the roles of kindness and cruelty in the narrative arc of Konigsberg’s novel. In what ways are the story’s major plot points underscored by one or the other? Cite specific examples from the text to support your argument.