Boy21

Boy21

• Genre: Fiction; young adult realistic
• Originally Published: 2012
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 830L; grades 9-12
• Structure/Length: 3 sections; 40 chapters plus preface; approx. 256 pages; approx. 5 hours on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: High-school senior Finley is asked by his basketball coach to help a new student, Russ, adjust to the school and the team following the murder of Russ’s parents. Russ believes he is from outer space, and he threatens Finley’s place on the team, but the boys find common ground.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Trauma (murder/death of parents); gang violence and drugs; racism; mental illness; sexual references and innuendos; sexual assault references

Matthew Quick, Author

• Bio: Born 1973; grew up in New Jersey and taught high school English there for several years; his novel The Silver Linings Playbook was adapted into an Oscar-winning film; received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from his alma mater, La Salle University, in 2013; lives in North Carolina with his wife, novelist and pianist Alicia Bessette
• Other Works: The Silver Linings Playbook (2008); Every Exquisite Thing (2016); The Reason You’re Alive (2017); We Are the Light (2022)
• Awards: L.A. Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature (finalist; 2012); Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Books (2012); YALSA Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults (2013)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Identity
• Body
• The Importance of Friendship

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the social and historical contexts regarding racially divided communities in the United States, such as Finley’s mob-led town of Bellmont, Massachusetts.
• Analyze paired texts and other brief resources to make connections related to the text’s themes of Identity and The Importance of Friendship.
• Plan, develop, and engage in a debate that explores the motivations of Coach’s actions using text details.

Analyze the power dynamics, family influences, and decision-making of characters in the novel, and evaluate the impact of these factors on the characters' actions and motivations.