DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Reconstructing Amelia |
1. What
is Amelia’s relationship like with her mother? Why doesn’t she share
more with Kate? Why are adolescents often so reluctant to talk to their
parents about the events in their lives—especially problems they are
having with friends?
2. Describe
Amelia. Is she a typical teenager? Talk about her friendship with
Sylvia. What drew the girls together? What about her relationships with
Zadie and Dylan? What made her feel so close to her Internet friend,
Ben?
3. Might
Amelia’s situation have been different if she’d had a larger family
around her? What if that family had been larger, but more filled with
conflict?
4. Is
Kate a good mother? She believes she knows her daughter well, but does
she? What does she discover about Amelia that surprises her? What does
she discover that confirms her deepest beliefs about Amelia and their
relationship?
5. What
kind of a support network does Kate have to rely on? Does she bear any
blame for the events that occur? Is there any way she could have
prevented the tragedy? What about Grace Hall—how much, if any,
responsibility does the school bear for Amelia’s death? Who can you turn
to for help in handling a problem involving your child?
6. Why
is being popular so important in adolescence? Has the Internet and
social networking added to the pressures teenagers must cope with?
7. What
impact does class play in the story? What about sexuality—Amelia’s
recognition of her own desires? What about Amelia’s need to be
perfect—her drive to be a good student?
8. Why
does such a smart girl like Amelia fall into the trap of the secret
clubs? Why isn’t she more suspicious of the Magpies and the boys around
them? How did her keeping the secret about the Maggies impact her
relationship with Sylvia? Why are some children cruel to others? Did
your school have a hierarchy or clubs like the Magpies? Where did you
fit it?
9. If
you have a child, how much do you know about his or her life? How far
should parents go to monitor their child’s life? Do children have a
right to privacy the way adults do? What might someone learn if they
tried to “reconstruct” you from your emails, correspondence, texts,
tweets, messages, blog posts, and Facebook updates? Does social media
make us too connected? What is your opinion of social media—do you think
it’s a positive development or an erosion of who we are and how we
interact?
10. How
does the author ratchet up the suspense in the story? What clues does
she provide to point you toward the truth—or away from it?
11. Bullying
is a major topic across the media and throughout society. Do you believe
it is a serious issue, or do you think it’s a phase that all children go
through? How has the rise of the Internet contributed to the severity of
bullying and to our awareness of it? Can we decrease the incidents of
bullying? How do we learn to stand up to mean people?
12. Does
Kate get closure when she discovers the truth? Where do you think she
will go from here?
13. What
inspired you or your group to choose Reconstructing Amelia? Did it meet
your expectations? Is it an accurate representation of modern parenting
and growing up in twenty-first century America? What did you take away
from reading the book? * Some questions from Reading Group Guides
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