The Pinballs

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1976

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Study Guide

Teaching Guide

Before You Read Beta

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-6

Chapters 7-14

Chapters 15-21

Chapters 22-26

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Choose either Carlie, Harvey, or Thomas J and trace their progress through the novel. What are they like at the beginning? What events or relationships contribute to their evolution?

Choose either Carlie, Harvey, or Thomas J, and analyze their relationship with one adult in the novel. What are their interactions like? How do their interactions affect the child either positively or negatively? Potential pairs include Carlie and Mrs. Mason, Harvey and his father, or Thomas J and Mr. Mason.

How does the way someone treats someone else affect that person? Pick a character, and analyze how different kinds of treatment affect them both positively and negatively.