68 pages • 2 hours read
John David AndersonPosted
John David AndersonFiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2018A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
During Reading
Reading Questions & Paired Texts
Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.
PROLOGUE-CHAPTER 5
Reading Check
1. Where does Eric go to school?
2. Who is in Eric’s friend group?
3. What is a “nudge” at Eric’s school?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What does Ruby get caught doing in class, and what is her teacher’s reaction?
2. What new policy does the school start and how do the students react?
3. How did the protagonist get his nickname?
4. How do Eric and his friend group react to Rose sitting with them at lunch?
CHAPTERS 6-10
Reading Check
1. What talent does Rose reveal she has?
2. What game does Rose initiate at lunch?
3. Which conflict are Eric and Wolf assigned to research in class?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How is Bench pulling away from his friends?
2. Why does Wolf invite Rose to help him and Eric with their project, and how does Eric react?
3. What does Mr. Sword assign students involving sticky notes, and what is Eric’s response?
Paired Resource
“How Parents, Teachers, and Kids Can Take Action to Prevent Bullying”
- This resource from the American Psychological Association presents ways people can work to prevent and respond to bullying.
- The ideas presented in the article connect to the novel’s themes of Sticky Notes, Anonymity Gives People Power, and Similarities and Differences Are Illusions.
- What advice from the article might have prevented the bullying incident at BMS that resulted in loss of phone privileges?
CHAPTERS 11-14
Reading Check
1. Where does Eric look to see if his mother was popular when she was younger?
2. What does the school ban next?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. When he is finally put in to play in the football game, what does Bench do, and how does it affect Eric?
2. What can be inferred by Bench lying to his friends about his plans on the night they play Dungeons and Dragons?
3. When she visits his house, what does Rose offer to do and how does Eric respond?
Paired Resource
- This brief article explores methods and tips for making new friends and mentions stages of friendship.
- This information connects to the theme Similarities and Differences Are Illusions.
- At what stage of friendship are Rose and Eric? Is there evidence to support the idea that they will become good friends?
CHAPTERS 15-18
Reading Check
1. Who makes it all the way down the Gauntlet?
2. What does Rose write on the sticky note that the bully must wear all day?
3. Who wrote on Wolf’s locker?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Why does Rose challenge a peer to the Gauntlet?
2. How does the school begin to rally around Rose?
Paired Resource
“Centering Youth Voices: Addressing Identity-Based Bullying”
- This resource from the Anti-Defamation League includes a 9-minute video, background, and additional resources that focus on raising the voices of young people and trying to prevent identity-based bullying. (Teacher-appropriate; not student-facing without teacher guidance and/or excerpting; the video may broach sensitive topics requiring additional context or pre-teaching.)
- The ideas represented in this resource connect to the themes of Sticky Notes, Anonymity Gives People Power, and Similarities and Differences Are Illusions.
CHAPTERS 19-20
Reading Check
1. Who reveals to the principal who wrote on Wolf’s locker?
2. What did Rose find on her locker that shows Bench was supporting her during her quest on the Gauntlet?
3. What decision about school has Wolf made?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How does the school unite to demonstrate support for Wolf?
2. At the end of the novel, how does Eric feel about his friend group?
Paired Resource
- This 8-minute TED Talk explores some of the ways words can help others and includes personal examples from speaker Taylor Bertolini.
- The speaker’s message connects to the themes Sticky Notes and Similarities and Differences Are Illusions.
- How does Campus Cursive compare to the sticky notes on Wolf’s locker?
Recommended Next Reads
Wonder by R. J. Palacio
- Ten-year-old Auggie has a genetic condition that affects his outer physical appearance, and when he begins attending school, some of his peers torment him. His inner strength, good friends, and family help him traverse the year. When a group of bullies attacks Auggie on a field trip, the rest of the school rises up to protect him.
- Shared themes include Sticky Notes, Anonymity Gives People Power, and Similarities and Differences Are Illusions.
- Shared topics include school, friendship, family, cruelty and compassion, bullying, and choices.
- Wonder on SuperSummary
The Prettiest by Brigit Young
- Eve, Sophie, and Nessa attend middle school together and discover someone has posted a list ranking some girls in school based on their looks. The three work together to fight this sexism and figure out who made the list.
- Shared themes include Sticky Notes, Anonymity Gives People Power, and Similarities and Differences Are Illusions.
- Shared topics include middle school, technology, bullying, cruelty and compassion, friendship, and fighting for what is right.
Reading Questions Answer Key
PROLOGUE-CHAPTER 5
Reading Check
1. Branton Middle School (Chapter 1)
2. Deedee, Bench, and Wolf (Chapter 2)
3. A bully shoves or intentionally knocks into someone. (Chapter 5)
Short Answer
1. Ruby is texting about her science teacher, including calling him names, swearing, and complaining about him. (Chapter 1)
2. The school bans cellphones. Many students protest, but the ban remains. (Chapter 2)
3. Eric gets his nickname “Frost” because he once wrote a poem based on one of Frost’s poems. He won a contest with his poem, and his teacher referred to him as Robert Frost. (Chapter 3)
4. When Rose sits down at their table, the atmosphere becomes awkward. Wolf is the only one who seems not to notice. The quiet and lack of fluid conversation illustrate the group’s uncertainty and discomfort. (Chapters 4-5)
CHAPTERS 6-10
Reading Check
1. Origami (Chapters 6)
2. Rose rolls Deedee’s dice; if it is even, Rose will share something, but if it is odd, she will ask one of the boys to share. (Chapter 8)
3. The nuclear arms race (Chapter 9)
Short Answer
1. Bench does not sit with his friends at lunch. He also lashes out in small ways, refusing to wave (which Eric explains away) and disagreeing with Rose about the Gauntlet. (Chapters 6-8)
2. The reader can infer that Wolf genuinely likes Rose based on his repeated requests for her to join in different situations. He also says she is intelligent and will help them do well on the project. (Chapter 9)
3. Mr. Sword assigns his class to write aphorisms on sticky notes, have them approved, and post them in places where they will be meaningful around the school. Eric takes time to try to write a thoughtful saying. (Chapter 10)
CHAPTERS 11-14
Reading Check
1. Her yearbooks (Chapter 13)
2. Sticky notes (Chapter 14)
Short Answer
1. Bench makes a game-winning catch, making him the hero of the school. Happy for his friend, Eric still feels nervous, as if something is strange and different. He muses, “…things like this didn’t happen to guys like us.” (Chapter 11)
2. Bench prefers to go to dinner with his football friends but knows it will hurt his other friends’ feelings, so he lies to Eric and the others. (Chapter 12)
3. Rose offers to stop spending time with Eric and his friends if that would help mend their friendships. Eric realizes relationships have shifted and will not simply shift back; when people grow and change, their friendships sometimes change too. He also recognizes he likes Rose. He awkwardly tells her he wants her to continue as part of their friend group. (Chapter 14)
CHAPTERS 15-18
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. Rose stands up to stop the bullies threatening Deedee and Eric in the bathroom. She dares Cameron to try the Gauntlet, and if she makes it farther, he will have to wear a sticky note with a message of her choice. (Chapter 15)
2. Rose makes it all the way down the Gauntlet, a feat that is unheard of. People rush up to her, surround her, and offer “admiring looks,” although many were shunning or making fun of her before this success. (Chapter 17)
CHAPTERS 19-20
Reading Check
1. Bench and Eric (Chapter 19)
2. A sticky note to encourage her during the Gauntlet (Chapter 19)
3. Wolf decides to switch to another school. (Chapter 19)
Short Answer
1. Students and teachers cover Wolf’s locker with sticky notes with supportive messages, including “You are not alone.” (Chapter 19)
2. Eric recognizes the comfort and strength in his friend group and their shared interests, including red soda and Dr. Who; he views Bench’s occasional participation as welcome and hopeful. (Chapter 20)
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