The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Set in the 1970s, the novel is an unusual murder mystery that focuses on a family in grief over the rape and murder of their fourteen-year-old daughter. A strange twist of fate brings justice and closure in the end. Although grief, alienation, and cruelty are all found in this novel, its tone is one of optimism and hope. Death is not the end for the murdered narrator or for her family, but the beginning of a new relationship and an understanding and compassion that probably could be not achieved in any other way. Studying The Lovely Bones can give insight into the complexity and depth of human relationships.

About the Series:

Novel/Drama curriculum units contain complete lesson plans with preliminary and follow-up work, teacher notes with plot summary, background, and rationale, ready-to-use worksheets, and suggested answers for student questions. These study guides encourage the development of thinking, reading, speaking, research, and writing skills as well as critical thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.