The Lovely Bones

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-5

Reading Check

1. How old is Susie Salmon when she is murdered?

2. Who murdered Susie?

3. Who is Franny and why is she in the afterlife?

4. Who is Len Fenerman?

5. What event leads to Susie having a special connection to Ruth?

6. What is odd about the name of Harvey’s deceased wife?

Short Answer

1. What does Susie mean in Chapter 1 when she says of her murder that it happened “back when people believed things like that didn’t happen?”

2. Susie wishes she could tell the principal, Mr. Caden, to comfort Lindsey by making her laugh. What is unique about Susie’s voice and her understanding of her sister Lindsey?

Paired Resource

“Crime Rates”

• This article compares crime rates from 1960 to 2017.
• What happened to crime in the 60s, 70s, and 80s? What were the contributing factors to the crime drop in the late 90s? How does the crime rate relate to the novel’s theme of Isolation and Interconnectivity?

Chapters 6-9

Reading Check

1. What is revealed about Fenerman’s wife?

2. Why is Susie skeptical when Buckley says he has seen her?

3. When is the last time Harvey sees his mother?

4.