1. Trace the changes within the maturing character of Nicki from the beginning to the end of Promises Are for Keeping. These changes might be categorized as emotional, as those dealing with adults and authority, and as her ability to take responsibility for herself.

You may want to read Term Paper and trace the changes in Nicki over a greater period.

2. Compare and contrast the differences in the emphasis placed on teenage issues during the decades of the 1980s and the 1990s. This might mean the change in public policies, numbers of crimes, public agencies developed to handle teen-agers, or in the school curriculum. Have the changes always been the result of adult action, or have teenagers also played an important role in bringing about needed changes?

3. Examine Rinaldi's use of dialogue as a means of developing Nicki as a character...