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. The bond between twins is portrayed as immensely powerful in the novel.

• What similarities exist between the bond between Alex and Aaron and the bond between Mr. Today and Justine? (topic sentence)
• Explain how the bond between Alex and Aaron is similar to that between Mr. Today and Justine; then describe how the twins differ in the way they think about things and react to situations, despite their having grown up together.
• In your concluding sentences, explain how the bonds between twins motivated Mr. Today’s decision-making about Alex.

2. Mr. Today fights a war against his sister to protect his magical kingdom.

• What were Mr. Today’s successes in the battle and what are his mistakes? (topic sentence)
• Describe how Mr.