The Pinballs

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

From Page to Small Screen: The ABC Afterschool Special Adaptation of The Pinballs

In this activity, students will sharpen their comparative analysis skills by comparing the original book version of The Pinballs to the 1977 TV movie adaptation, all while learning about the cultural significance of the ABC Afterschool Special.

In 1977, The Pinballs was adapted into a TV movie in an ABC Afterschool Special, starring Kristy McNichol as Carlie. Though they’ve fallen out of popularity nowadays, the ABC Afterschool Special was an anthology TV series by the network ABC which highlighted traumatic issues facing teens and young adults, much like the vast majority of Betsy Byars’s books.

Breaking into small groups of 2-3, in this activity you’ll learn more about the concept of an “afterschool special,” and then examine the similarities and differences between the book and the TV movie.

• First, read up on the concept of an “afterschool special.” This Mental Floss article entitled “Traumatic Episodes: A History of the ABC Afterschool Special” provides an overview of the history and cultural importance of the series.
• Next, watch “The Pinballs.” You can watch the TV movie adaptation here: “The Pinballs | Full Movie.” Be sure to take notes on similarities to, and differences from, the book version that you see in the plot, the characters, and the ways in which themes are conveyed.
• Complete a T-chart that compares the book to the adaptation. Using this T-chart template by Smekens Education, perform a deeper comparison of the ABC Afterschool Special to the original book.

Discuss your T-charts with the entire class. How does this adaptation, if at all, diverge from the book? What themes and/or messaging from the book were most prominent in this adaptation? How did The Pinballs contribute to the overall messaging of the ABC Afterschool Special series?

Teaching Suggestion: As with many of the ABC Afterschool Specials from this era, The Pinballs movie emphasizes a positive message around The Importance of Love and Support, especially for teens. If time allows, you may want to have students watch additional ABC Afterschool Specials to get a greater feel for this era, particularly those that relate to the topic of abuse such as “Please Don’t Hit Me, Mom” and “Don’t Touch.” Ask students why they think the “afterschool special” genre faded from importance in modern times. You may also want to have students brainstorm concepts that an “afterschool special” might cover in present-day, and discuss how they differ from the original specials from the 1970s to the 1990s.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Carlie, Harvey, and Thomas J all undergo significant emotional transformations by the end of The Pinballs.

• Focusing on one of the 3 children, how do they change over the course of the novel? (topic sentence)
• What events and/or relationships contribute to their evolution?
• In your conclusion, explore how The Importance of Love and Support is one of the main drivers of emotional change for Carlie, Harvey, and Thomas J.

2. Harvey tends to deal with his trauma by idealizing certain aspects of his life and denying others.

• How does this tactic serve as a potent coping mechanism for Harvey? (topic sentence)
• Is this an effective coping mechanism?
• In your conclusion, draw a connection between Harvey’s maladaptive coping mechanism and the theme of Getting What You Want Versus Getting What You Need.

3. Thomas J spends most of the novel unable to adequately verbalize his feelings.

• Why is Thomas J unable to express his feelings? (topic sentence)
• How does this inability affect his relationships?
• In your conclusion, analyze the extent to which Thomas J’s personality is formed in response to The Effects of Parental Abuse on Children.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. The Pinballs explores how children’s relationships with the caregiving adults in their life are of the utmost importance. Choose either Carlie, Harvey, or Thomas J, and analyze their relationship with one adult in the novel. What is their relationship like? How do their interactions affect the child either positively or negatively? Potential pairs include Carlie and Mrs. Mason, Harvey and his father, or Thomas J and Mr. Mason. In your conclusion, make an assessment about how this relationship speaks to the overall theme of The Effects of Parental Abuse on Children, either directly or indirectly.

2. Initially, Carlie’s personality is argumentative, abrasive, and brash. What about her past has caused this kind of behavior? How does this behavior detract from her overall quality of life? In your conclusion, explore how Carlie’s character transformation, and her eventual softening, is driven by ultimately finding love and support.

3. Throughout The Pinballs, readers primarily see Mr. and Mrs. Mason taking care of the children. What role do Mr. and Mrs. Mason play in the novel and in the children’s lives? Why are the children important to the Masons? What expectations do the children have for the couple? Do they defy or align with those expectations? In your conclusion, explore The Importance of Love and Support, and how, even from non-biological caregivers like the Masons, emotional bonds are life-changing for the children.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-book review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the children is best described as “nonconfrontational,” particularly at the start of the book?

A) Carlie

B) Thomas J

C) Harvey

D) Both Carlie and Thomas J

2. In response to their parental abuse and neglect, how does Thomas J’s coping mechanism compare to Carlie’s?

A) While Thomas J is prone to isolating himself, Carlie occasionally engages in substance abuse.

B) While Thomas J is eager to please the adults around him, Carlie is abrasive and confrontational.

C) While Thomas J engages in self-harm, Carlie disassociates at the least opportune moments.

D) While Thomas J is in denial, Carlie is prone to catastrophizing.

3. In Chapter 14, reflecting upon his mother’s life at the communal farm, Harvey has a hard time envisioning what others might not like about his mother. What does this moment foreshadow?

A) This moment foreshadows how Harvey will become the most disliked kid at the Mason home.

B) This moment foreshadows Harvey’s epiphany that he’s created an idealized, fictional version of his mother in his head.

C) This moment foreshadows how Harvey’s mother will ultimately be shunned from the communal farm.

D) This moment foreshadows how Harvey’s mother will seek out her family once again, in search of people who find her likable.

4. How do lists emphasize the theme of The Effects of Parental Abuse on Children?

A) The lists help the children name and work through their trauma and help them visualize what they want for their future.

B) Each of their abusive parental figures, coincidentally, would have them make lists.

C) Mr. and Mrs. Mason instruct the children to make lists of all the things they have to be grateful for, in spite of their abuse.

D) The children are instructed by Mr. Mason to make lists whenever they feel triggered by their trauma.

5. Which of the following is not an example of the one of the lists created by the children?

A) “Books That I Have Enjoyed”

B) “Bad Things That Have Happened to Me”

C) “Promises My Mother Broke”

D) “Games My Dad Never Played With Me”

6. Which of the following statements best describes what Harvey’s puppy symbolizes?

A) The emotional core of Harvey’s mother

B) Breaking down one of Harvey’s emotional barriers

C) Harvey’s sense of empathy

D) Harvey’s relationship with Carlie

7. Which statement best paraphrases how The Importance of Love and Support is a key theme in The Pinballs?

A) The love and support of your parents is all that matters in this world.

B) You can only find true love and support after you’ve endured deep, painful trauma.

C) Part of growing up is realizing that finding true sources of love and support are rare.

D) Love and support is crucial to the process of healing emotional and physical trauma.

8. Which of the following best describes how Harvey would characterize his father’s crying in the hospital, immediately after the drunk driving incident in which he ran over Harvey’s legs?

A) Performative crying, because Harvey’s father is not really crying for Harvey—he’s crying for himself and the trouble he’s in with the police

B) Genuine tears, because Harvey’s father truly cannot believe that he ran over his son

C) Painful tears, because Harvey’s father is an empath and feels the pain of his son as if it were his own

D) Unexpected crying, since his father has never been known to show any emotion at all

9. Which statement best paraphrases how Getting What You Want Versus Getting What You Need is a key theme in The Pinballs?

A) The children tend to want frivolities (candy, toys, etc.) when really they need love and support.

B) The children all have parents that succumbed to short-term desires in favor of long-term goals.

C) The children’s coping strategies to survive their abuse do not necessarily lead them toward behaviors that are best for their growth and happiness.

D) The children want to stay at the Masons’ home, but really what they need is to repair their relationship with their parents.

10. Which of the following adjectives best characterizes Thomas J’s relationship with the Benson twins?

A) Stable

B) Forgiving

C) Genuine

D) Cold

11. Which of the following is the correct order of events?

A) Harvey is run over by his father’s car, Carlie loses an earning, Harvey gets a puppy

B) Harvey gets a puppy, Harvey is run over by his father’s car, Carlie loses an earring

C) Carlie loses an earring, Harvey gets a puppy, Harvey is run over by his father’s car

D) Harvey gets a puppy, Carlie loses an earring, Harvey is run over by his father’s car

12. What is the clearest evidence of Carlie’s character evolution by the end of the novel?

A) Carlie becomes meek and soft, different from her usual abrasive self.

B) Carlie runs away from the Mason home, proving that she’s become truly independent.

C) Carlie finally expresses an interest in school to use education as a means of bettering her life.

D) Carlie changes her mind about her, Thomas J, and Harvey being pinballs.

13. What is the primary type of abuse that Thomas J endured?

A) Neglect

B) Physical

C) Emotional

D) Sexual

14. Harvey experiences a trauma-related reaction that the other children do not. What is it?

A) Suicidal ideation

B) Self-harm desires

C) A drive for substance abuse

D) A need for social isolation

15. Which of the following is the earliest pivotal moment when Harvey’s character began to change?

A) When he gets a puppy

B) When he realized he had an idealized version of his mother in his head

C) When he gets a life-threatening foot infection

D) When the Benson twins pass away

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. How does Harvey initially deceive Carlie about what happened with his legs? Why does he do this?

2. How do Mr. Mason’s stories of his own youth help Thomas J grow as a character?