The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime that Changed Their Lives (2017)

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the book over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Explain how the unique narrative structure of The 57 Bus impacts the overall messaging of the book.

• How does the use and style of section headings shape the narrative in general? (topic sentence)
• How does the style impact the reader’s understanding of Sasha’s and Richard’s story?
• In your conclusion, explain how the author’s technique of placing the reader within the narrative impacts the book’s message related to The Role of the Reporter in Narrative Nonfiction.

2. Explain how the author uses different types of texts in The 57 Bus, from official documents to poems to text messages.

• Why does the author use such a variety of sources? (topic sentence)
• What is the impact of each kind of text? Compare and contrast at least 3 of the different types of texts.