Alabama Moon

Describe the character growth of Hal and Moon and how their growth compares. Use these questions to discuss plot and character details to support your answers.

• How does Hal change from the novel’s beginning to the novel’s conclusion?
• Who or what brought about the changes in Hal?
• How has Moon grown in the novel?
• What does Moon begin to understand about how he lived before his father died?
• Describe the characters who are antagonists toward Moon and Hal.
• Do all the antagonists have bad intentions for Moon?
• Are the antagonists in the novel important to Hal’s and Moon’s character growth?
• How could the antagonists have worked to help Moon rather than isolating him from authority figures?

Teaching Suggestion: Students may want to compile ideas for these questions through brainstorming in their notes or as bulleted points in small groups before joining a larger, whole-class discussion. Alternatively, you might provide students additional time to analyze the prompt independently before discussing aloud.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students who require additional assistance with whole-text analysis may benefit from focusing their discussion on Moon’s character growth in the novel.