From alcohol to sex and from losing friends to getting along with parents, My Sister's Wedding could be the story of any fifteen-year-old girl. Use the following questions to:

    •    further connect to the character Maddie
    •    have a book talk with friends or family
    •    have a classroom discussion about literary elements such as plot, word choice, dialogue, and sensory language.

 Plot questions:

    1.    Where is the climax in this story?

    2.    There are several sub-plots in the story. What are they and how do they each connect to one another and to the main plot?

    3.    Why do you think the author chose to have Maddie not end up with either Justin or Sean?

    4.    What do you think happens to Maddie after the story ends?

 Analyzing literary elements:

    1.    Metaphor and simile are used through out the story. Find some places where they are used effectively and find places where they are not.

    2.    Does the dialogue in the story sound authentic? Why or why not?

    3.    Find places in the story where you feel the author made a good word choice and find places where the author made bad word choices.

 Relating to the character:

    1.    In what ways are you similar to Maddie? How are you different?

    2.    Other people’s drinking deeply affects Maddie. Has this ever happened to you?

    3.    Maddie pushes away her best friend when she needs him the most. Have you ever done this? Why?

    4.    Maddie has to end a relationship with Justin even though it’s obvious she still cares about him. Did she do the right thing? What would you have done?