5. Which of the following does Frankie persuade Penny to do once Me-me and Pop-pop leave the house to go pay a house visit to a married couple whom they know?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to the narrative in Chapter 17 of the book, what are Penny's thoughts in relation to the people who stop by to visit her while she is in the hospital?

2. According to the narrative in Chapter 20 of the book, do any new beings enter Penny's life after she returns home from the hospital?

3. According to the narrative in Chapter 17 of the book, how do Penny's relatives make her feel special while she is in the hospital?

4. According to the text in Chapter 13 of the book, what normal events take place in Penny's life on her birthday?

5. According to the text in Chapter 18, what happens to the eight-year-old female cancer patient after all the other children (with the exception of Penny) have been released from the hospital and gone home?

6. According to the text in the fourteenth chapter of the book, what does Penny do in order to keep her dying Scarlett O'Hara comfortable during the last hours of her life?

7. Based on the narrative in Chapter 14 of the book, why has Frankie decided to run to Penny's house and hide there?

8. According to the text in Chapter 15 of the book, what are some of the reasons that Penny should not join Frankie in going to the public pool?

9. According to the text in Chapter 16 of the book, how is Penny distracted to the point that she injures her arm while putting the laundry through the wringer of the washing machine in Nonny's basement?

10. Based on the text in Chapter 20 of the book, how has Penny's bedroom been changed when she returns home following her stay in the hospital?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Introduced early in the story, Penny's Uncle Dominic lives in a car in the Faluccis' front yard. As the story continues, it becomes evident that the man is stable in many ways, and in fact, is a source of stability in Penny's life - always there to rescue Penny, listen to her problems, fix the toilet, and listen to the ball games on the car radio with her. Is he merely a misunderstood eccentric sort living in a car? Does he live in the car because he is frugal? Or does he live in it because he is poor? Cite text and/or paraphrase scenarios from the book to support your position.

Essay Topic 2

Throughout most of the book, the details surrounding Penny's father's demise are kept from Penny by relatives from both her mother's and father's side. Could the basis for keeping such details from Penny be based on the relatives' determination to protect Penny? O to protect her father? Cite text and/or paraphrase scenarios from the book to support your position?

Essay Topic 3

Even though he initially drove Penny to the hospital following her accident with the washing machine, Uncle Dominic does not visit her during her lengthy hospital stay. In time, Penny learns that he has traveled to Florida and been there during her time of recuperation. Upon his return, a confrontation occurs between Penny's mother and Uncle Dominic. What was the reason for Uncle Dominic's decision to travel and stay in Florida during the time that Penny was in the hospital? Does his decision to spend time in Florida during Penny's hospital stay indicate that he is not concerned about Penny? Did it indicate that he was more concerned about his own reason(s) for going to Florida than comforting Penny during the time that she needed moral support? Or could there have been another underlying reason(s) for his departure to Florida following Penny's accident? Cite text and/or paraphrase scenarios from the book to support your position.

(see the answer keys)

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