YA Textbook Reflection Chapter 15

Chapter 15: 10 Questions to Ask about a Novel

• Summary: Richard Peck was a well known author who made many contributions to the modern young adult literature world.  He composed a list of 10 pertinent questions that can be asked to entice readers to look further into the story being read.  This list allows readers to delve deeper and attain a broader understanding of the piece of literature being read. Here are the ten questions to ask about a novel:

1. What would the story be like if the main character were of the opposite sex?
2. Why is the story set where it is?
3. If you were to film the story, would you use black and white or color and why?
4. If you could not use all of the characters, which would you eliminate and why?
5. How is the main character different from you?
6. Would this story make a good TV series? Why/why not?
7. What one thing in the story has happened to you?
8. Reread the first paragraph of Chapter 1.  What is in it to make you read on? If nothing, why did you continue to read?
9. If you had to design a new cover for the book, what would it look like?
10. What does the title tell you about the book? Does it tell the truth?

Reflection/Response: Richard Peck designed these ten questions to allow readers to look much deeper into the book rather than examining it from a surface level.  We as librarians should utilize this questioning strategy when talking with students about the books they’ve just read. We can facilitate the reader in recognizing that there’s more to the story than what meets the eye, and hopefully provide more of an appreciation for the book they read and the author who wrote it.  Not only do these questions make the reader understand the literature more in depth but it also promotes critical thinking skills and inferencing skills. It allows the reader to practice identifying with characters, understand the author’s intent, recognize symbolism, and be aware of the book even down to the packaging.  Once I acquire my own library, I believe these questions will be blown up to poster size and displayed around the reading area. The questioning can be utilized before, during, and after a student reads a book, rather than bombarding them with all ten at the end of their book (even though their answer might change after completing the book).