Full Tilt

Throughout the novel, Blake and Quinn struggle to heal their relationship. What do you think has caused the two brothers to grow apart? What are some key points in the plot that show their differences, and what are some key points where they begin to appreciate what they have in common? How does the reader know that the two are learning from one another and, finally, beginning to find some middle ground and heal their relationship?

Teaching Suggestion: This question encourages students to analyze how the brothers differ, why their differences exist, and how various elements of the novel demonstrate the positive changes they undergo. Depending on the capabilities of your students, you might either allow them to stay plot-focused or push them to consider how things like diction, imagery, symbolism, and the characters’ thoughts convey these changes. You might also challenge students to think about how these character arcs support the novel’s themes of Finding Balance and Overcoming Trauma.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students with attentional and executive function challenges may benefit from seeing the questions in a bulleted list rather than as a block of text. Encourage them to see how these questions are structured—there are several questions that ask students to establish the boys’ differences and the causes of these differences, and then there are chronological questions that ask for evidence of how the boys change and grow.