Elementary School Literature Writing Topics

Elementary School Fiction Essay Prompts

1. Advanced Elementary

a. Jerry Spinelli Crash

Read Jerry Spinelli's Crash. Write an essay describing how Crash changes as a person throughout the book. What causes Crash to act differently? How do Scooter and Penn affect him? Use examples from the text.

b. Katherine Paterson Jacob Have I Loved

Read Katherine Paterson's Jacob Have I Loved. Consider the title. What does it refer to and how does it relate to the story? Look up the verse and read the Biblical story associated with it. Write an essay discussing why the narrator identifies with that particular verse and how it affects her outlook on life.

c. Louis Sachar Holes

Read Louis Sachar's Holes. Think about the use of nicknames throughout the story. Who is given a nickname, what purpose does it serve, and does it affect the way they are viewed by themselves or others? In what ways are nicknames useful and in what way are they misleading?

2. Early Elementary

a. Ruth Stiles Gannett My Father's Dragon

Read Ruth Stiles Gannett's My Father's Dragon. Elmer had to invade an island, trick the animals and break the law to take the dragon away. Was he stealing or was he rescuing the dragon? Was it okay to break the rules? Why or why not?

b. Michael Bond A Bear Called Paddington

Read Michael Bond's A Bear Called Paddington. Think about the sort of trouble that Paddington gets into at the buffet. Now imagine that he went to a fast food restaurant that had a drive-through window, a bathroom sink that is too high, and a playground with a slide and a ball pit. What might happen to Paddington at a place like that?

c. Lynn Reid Banks The Indian In The Cupboard

Read Lynn Reid Banks' The Indian in the Cupboard. If you had a magical cupboard like Omri's, how would you feel and what would you do? Would you tell someone about it? Would you use it or leave it alone? Why?

Index of Writing Prompts