Before the Ever After

Use these links to supplement and complement students’ reading of the work and to increase their overall enjoyment of literature. Challenge them to discern parallel themes, engage through visual and aural stimuli, and delve deeper into the thematic possibilities presented by the title.

Recommended Texts for Pairing

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

• a children’s story in verse, published by HarperCollins
• In The Giving Tree, a tree gives of itself until it has nothing left. Zachariah, Sr. references the book in “The Trees.”
• shares the theme of A Support Network’s Role in Coping with Difficulties

Final Season by Tim Green

• a juvenile novel published by Scholastic about a sixth grader whose father is diagnosed with a life-altering disease

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

• a multi-award-winning middle grade verse novel; published by Clarion Books
• Two 12-year-old twins discover that their father has been keeping his declining health a secret.
• Shares the theme of A Support Network’s Role in Coping with Difficulties

Other Student Resources

“Is It Ethical to Be a Football Fan?” The New York Times column

• a Student Opinion piece from The New York Times that includes a 30-minute audio clip
• This column summarizes a podcast episode on the ethics of football fandom.