Introduction
The Lovely Bones is a story written from a fourteen-year-old girls’ point of view about the life of her family she is no longer part of after she becomes a victim of murder.
- Tell us about the unusual perspective Alice Sebold has chosen for this book. Why is it so different from other stories and what would happen to the story if it was written from a third-person point of view
- Compare and contrast two of the following The Lovely Bones-characters: Susie’s murderer: Mr. Harvey. Susie’s father: Jack. Susie’s mother: Abigail. Susie’s sister: Lindsey. Susie’s brother: Buckley. Susie’s almost-boyfriend: Ray Singh. The last person Susie touches before she leaves earth: Ruth Connor. You must explain why you chose these two
- Make a map of where the following events in the book took place:
- the place where Susie was murdered
- Susie’s home where her family lives – the place where Susie’s murderer (still) lives
- the scaffold where Susie and Ray almost kissed Ruth Connors place
- the place where Susie goes after she’s murdered, the place Buckley calls the In Between
Understanding
- Write a full description (physical and emotional) of Susie Salmon. Draw a portrait to accompany her description …
- What symbolism can you find? List as many symbols as you can. Where do you think they stand for? E. g. Susie’s remaining bones that represent her body …
- Which of the following themes has had a big role in The Lovely Bones? Love, Grief, Loss, Acceptance, Good versus Evil, Friendship, Loyalty, Money, Sacrificing, Family. Which of these themes appealed to you? Explain why you think so using quotations from the book
Personal Opinion
- In 2004, The Lovely Bones won the Richard and Judy Best Read Award (given by the British Book Awards). Now we want to know what you thought of it. Did The Lovely Bones truly deserve the Richard and Judy Best Read Award or do you think the book wasn’t that good a read at all? Write down your own brief opinion on The Lovely Bones:
- Pretend to be a salesman and ‘’sell’’ the book. You should absolutely read The Lovely Bones because
- a. My favorite part of the book was ….. b. Now draw a picture illustrating this part of the book …..
- Write a letter to the author, telling her how enjoyable her book was. Or in case you didn’t find it enjoyable; tell Alice Sebold how she can make the book enjoyable for you too. Think of adjusting her use of language, adding pictures to the book, or write more dialogue (remember that Alice’s feelings are very important and that she shouldn’t feel offended by your letter)
