Suburban Mosaic

Book of the Year!

Fostering cultural understanding through literature

2011 - 2012

Now in its eighth year, the 2011-2012 Suburban Mosaic theme focuses on making a difference.

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Extra Credit

by Andrew Clements

Grades 3 - 5 Title

Discussion Questions

  1. What kind of a person is Abby? What is her life like?Extra Credit
  2. What kind of a person is Sadeed? What is his life like?
  3. Compare Abby and Sadeed. How are they different? How are they similar?
  4. At the beginning of the book, Sadeed thinks the pen pal project will be "a terrible waste of time and paper and stamps" (p. 50). How does his opinion of the project and Abby change throughout the story?
  5. Abby thinks that she is writing to a girl named Amira, but her letters are actually being answered by Amira's brother, Sadeed. Why must Sadeed keep this a secret?
  6. The correspondence causes difficulties for Abby, Amira, and Sadeed. What problems do they encounter? Why do Abby, Amira, and Sadeed have to stop exchanging letters?
  7. At the beginning of the book, Abby is convinced that the Illinois landscape "is very flat and boring" (96). How does her opinion change throughout the story? Why?
  8. Have you ever had a pen pal? What was it like to get to know someone by exchanging letters?

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