1. Sonia Slanek discovers an old silent movie, Roses in Ruin, starring Madame Malevich in her youth. What appears to be the plot of the movie? What attitude toward rape is portrayed? Find other examples of the rape theme in literature, art, or movies.

2. Research the crime of rape in American society: its legal implications, statistics about its frequency, the age and status of victims and rapists, and societal attitudes towards the victim and the criminal. Does Peck's novel portray a "typical" situation?

3. Read "The Problem Novel" by Sheila Egoff in Only Connect: Readings on Children's Literature. Discuss Peck's Are You in the House Alone? as a problem novel.

4. Choose another of Peck's works from the following list and discuss it as a literary work and as a "problem novel": Don't Look and It Won't Hurt; Representing Super Doll, Father Figure...