Reading Prompts for The Song of Us
I was an English/language arts teacher for over a decade, and also worked as an ESL and Special Education inclusion teacher for several years. I hope that middle grade educators will find the reading prompts below helpful for young people reading The Song of Us.
The Song of Us is loosely based on the Greek myth, “Orpheus and Eurydice,” but for a modern audience. After reading a version of the myth (or watching a video version), what are some parallels or similarities between Orpheus and Eurydice and The Song of Us? What are some key differences,? Why might the author have chosen to make certain details the same and certain details different?
When Eden and Olivia first meet, Eden describes Olivia as a power ballad, a dance song, and a theme song. What do you think Eden means? Why would she describe Olivia this way? What do we learn about Eden in this poem?
Describe Olivia’s relationship with her mother. Would you consider their relationship strong, weak, or something else? What lines and poems help you understand their relationship?
In the poem, “Every Other Kid” Eden shares a lot about who she is and how she sees other kids and herself. What do you learn about Eden from this poem? What do you learn about her home life? What do you learn about how she compares herself to other kids?
In classic Greek texts and plays, there is often a chorus, or a group of characters who comment on the action of the story and often provide information to the audience about what’s happening. Who is the chorus in The Song of Us? What do you think their role is in this story?
When Olivia goes home, the form of her poems changes. She doesn’t use much capitalization or punctuation. What impact does that have on the poem? Why do you think these poems are so different than Olivia’s poems outside of the house?
In the poem “The problem with rumors is” Olivia shares her mom’s perspective on rumors. What does Olivia’s mother believe about rumors? How do you know?
Eden’s relationship with the Crash changes over the course of the novel. Why? How do you know? What specific situations contribute to her changing relationship with her friend group?