76 pages • 2 hours read
Gordon KormanRestart
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2017A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
During Reading
Reading Questions & Paired Texts
Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.
CHAPTERS 1-4
1. What causes Chase to develop acute retrograde amnesia?
2. Who assists Chase during his lunch period?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How do Chase’s family members react to his return from the hospital? What impact do their reactions have on Chase?
2. How does Chase’s mother describe his behavior before the accident? What happens to Chase that suggests there are troubles at school from his former life?
3. How do Chase’s friends respond to his interaction with Brendan, and why might Chase be reluctant to identify or be associated with them?
Paired Resource
“Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces that Shape Behavior”
- This 3-minute video explores the ways environmental factors influence individual behavior.
- Shared themes include The Possibility of Change and Growth and True Friendship.
- What invisible influences change the way humans interact and behave? How does acute retrograde amnesia impact Chase’s memory? What effect does Chase’s lack of memory have on his behavior toward family and peers?
CHAPTERS 5-7
Reading Check
1. Where do Brendan and Chase film their first production together?
2. Who claims to be a “2nd rate piano player” at Chase’s school in Chapter 7?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What incidents frame Chase’s understanding of his life before the accident, and why does he become frustrated when receiving this information second-hand?
2. What issues arise when the video club learns Brendan invited Chase to join them? Are the members justified in their feelings?
3. What makes Chase’s peers more amenable to his participation in video club?
Paired Resource
“Can You Really Change Your Personality?”
- This 5-minute video explores scientific research regarding the malleability of personality.
- Shared themes include The Possibility of Change and Growth, Bullying in Middle School, and True Friendship.
- Is it possible for an individual to change their personality? What steps might someone take to make these changes? What factors contribute to Chase’s changing personality?
CHAPTERS 8-12
1. In Chase’s flashback, what does Chase damage that causes his stepsister to squeal?
2. Who joins the video club to be near Chase?
3. What name does Aaron use to refer to Chase?
4. What item has presumably been lost due to Mr. Solway’s amnesia?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How does the football team treat Chase and Hugo differently, and what does this reveal about the team players?
2. Why are Aaron and Bear amazed at Chase’s willingness to complete community service? How does community service uncover differences between Chase and his friends?
3. Why does Aaron warn Chase about defending Brendan? What are the implied consequences of Chase’s action
Paired Resource
“How to Have a Strong Sense of Self and Build Self-Esteem”
- This article from Psychology Today describes the benefits of obtaining a strong sense of self regardless of the expectations of others.
- Shared themes include The Possibility of Change and Growth and True Friendship.
- Why is a strong self-image more important than the image others have of you? What are the implications of Chase’s decision to identify with the video club?
CHAPTERS 13-16
Reading Check
1. What does Frank warn Chase not to tell his mother about?
2. Who do Aaron and Bear blame for their time working in community service?
3. Who accosts Shoshanna at the ice cream store for spending time with Chase?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How does Shoshanna end up working with Chase on her video club project, and why is she reluctant to inform Joel about it?
2. Why is Chase eager to return to playing football?
CHAPTERS 17-20
1. Who returns to Hiawassee Middle School?
2. What do Bear and Aaron use to interrupt Brendan’s music video?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How did Chase’s bullying affect Joel? What are the consequences of Chase’s actions, despite having no memory of his past?
2. What causes Chase to reflect on his treatment of others before the accident? What evidence serves as proof of Chase’s bullying?
Paired Resource
- This article from News in Health explores the connection between social influence and a person’s physical and mental well-being.
- Shared themes include True Friendship.
- What age group is particularly vulnerable to peer influence? What are the benefits of peer relationships? How might Chase’s peers shape his behavior?
CHAPTERS 21-24
Reading Check
1. What consequence is given to Chase because of his perceived actions in the Music Room?
2. Who does Chase avoid following the music room incident?
3. What do Bear and Aaron accuse Chase of stealing?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What narrative does Chase support in the principal’s office, and why? How does this impact his friendships?
2. How do Brendan’s views on Chase’s absence from video club differ from Shoshanna’s?
CHAPTERS 25-30
Reading Check
1. What does Chase find on the roof of his house?
2. Who defends Chase, preventing him from going to a juvenile detention center?
3. Who becomes the new student musical director for the school band?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How has Frank’s character changed over the course of the novel?
2. How does Chase’s attitude and support system in court compare to his previous experience?
Recommended Next Reads
Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
- This novel follows the story of Ally, a girl with dyslexia who uses her behavior to distract others from her academic struggles.
- Shared themes include The Possibility of Growth and Change.
- Shared topics include gaining perspective and the influence of external factors.
- Fish in a Tree on SuperSummary
The Unteachables by Gordon Korman
- This novel is about a group of struggling students who have been assigned to the same classroom due to their “unteachable” nature.
- Shared themes include The Possibility of Growth and Change, True Friendship, and Bullying in Middle School.
- Shared topics include reputation, the influence of external factors, and reconciliation.
- The Unteachables on SuperSummary
Reading Questions Answer Key
CHAPTERS 1-4
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. Chase recognizes that his father is overly boisterous and happy to see him, while his stepmother and half-sister appear displeased at his return. These reactions cause Chase to question his character. (Chapter 1)
2. Chase’s mother tells him that he is a bully at school. Shoshanna’s behavior is indicative of this, because she dumps frozen yogurt on Chase’s head as retribution for his ill-treatment of her brother. (Chapters 2-3)
3. Chase approaches Brendan because his injured shoulder has forced him to seek help at lunch. Chase’s friends, seeing this, have a physical altercation with Brendan and pull Chase back to their table. Chase is likely reluctant to identify with and be associated with his friends’ bullying and apologizes to Brendan for their behavior. (Chapter 4)
CHAPTERS 5-7
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. Chase’s mother reveals to Chase that he set off a cherry bomb during a piano performance and impresses upon him the severity of his actions. Chase becomes frustrated; he is unsure of the severity of his prank because he is viewing his behavior from the perspectives of others. (Chapter 5)
2. Brendan invites Chase to join the video club, which outrages the other members because of their past experiences with Chase’s bullying. Shoshanna is especially angry, and she may be justified, as Chase’s bullying caused her brother to leave Hiawassee Middle School and put his life in danger. (Chapters 2, 7)
3. The video club begins to welcome the idea of Chase’s participation when Mrs. DeLeo points out that Chase can interview the jocks in the school—something the members have been reluctant to do because of the team’s hostility toward them. (Chapter 7)
CHAPTERS 8-12
Reading Check
1. A teddy bear (Chapter 8)
2. Kimberly (Chapter 10)
3. Ambrose (Chapter 11)
4. His Medal of Honor (Chapter 12)
Short Answer
1. Hugo is initially denied entry into the locker room with his video camera, while Chase is welcomed. After Chase brings Hugo in with him, Hugo is subsequently demeaned, whereas Chase experiences camaraderie with the players. This interaction reveals that the players identify with Chase, viewing him as one of their own, and that they consider Hugo an outsider. (Chapter 9)
2. Aaron and Bear expect Chase to be reluctant to perform community service because of his prior attitude toward it. The differences between Chase and his friends are emphasized during this activity: Chase strives to be respectful of the residents in assisted living and attempts to learn their history, while Bear and Aaron attempt to benefit during community service, stealing snacks and money from the facility. (Chapter 9)
3. Joey, a football player, pushes Brendan around while the two are exiting an assembly. Chase intervenes, earning the ire of Joey, who informs Chase of his past mistreatment of Brendan. Chase lays claim to his membership in the video club, earning a warning from Aaron, who tells Chase not to betray his team. The warning implies that Chase may become a victim of bullying himself if he refuses to behave like the rest of the football players. (Chapter 10)
CHAPTERS 13-16
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. Shoshanna receives a tip from Chase that Solway would be a good person to interview for her project, but Solway turns her away. His demeanor changes when Chase arrives, which irritates Shoshanna; she is reluctant to work with Chase because he previously abused her brother, and she wonders how she will explain her cooperation with Chase to Joel—indicating that she feels she is betraying him by working with Chase. (Chapter 13)
2. Without a clear sense of his identity, Chase feels that he lacks purpose. He believes participating in football may help him to reclaim his identity and renew his friendship with Aaron and Bear. (Chapter 14)
CHAPTERS 17-20
Reading Check
1. Joel (Chapter 17)
2. A fire extinguisher (Chapter 20)
Short Answer
1. While Joel acknowledges that Chase may have changed his behavior, Chase’s bullying has had long-term effects on his psyche: Joel still has difficulty returning to school out of fear that he may yet be bullied. Along with the mistreatment from Joel’s family members, Chase suffers the consequences of his former bullying because people are willing to believe he is up to no good, regardless of his intentions. (Chapters 17, 20)
2. Chase begins to reflect on his behavior and seek the opinions of others after reading the description of his behavior from the perspective of the judge who sentenced him. He is troubled by the judge’s words and asks Brendan to tell him about the person he was before the accident. Brendan points to the scar on his eyebrow as proof of Chase’s bullying, because Chase caused the injury. (Chapter 18)
CHAPTERS 21-24
Reading Check
1. Removal from video club (Chapter 21)
2. Aaron and Bear (Chapter 23)
3. Solway’s Medal of Honor (Chapter 23)
Short Answer
1. Chase supports Aaron and Bear’s narrative of extinguishing a fire because he senses this is what the principal wants to hear. His decision to lie to the principal isolates Chase from his peers: He no longer wishes to spend time with Aaron and Bear, he is removed from video club, and he has driven a wedge between him and his new friends through his betrayal. (Chapters 21-24)
2. Shoshanna believes Chase has participated in an elaborate ruse to infiltrate and betray the video club, while Brendan believes the incident was a misunderstanding. He becomes angry when the other club members refuse to give Chase a second chance. (Chapters 22, 24)
CHAPTERS 25-30
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. Frank initially praises his son for being able to escape the consequences of his actions, like when he gets away with lying to the principal about his involvement in the music room incident. However, after Chase takes ownership for stealing the Medal of Honor, Frank becomes proud of the person his son has become, which shows Frank’s character growth. (Chapters 21, 29)
2. In his previous court appearance, Chase felt hostility and was only supported by his family. Now, he feels remorse for his crimes and is supported by friends in addition to his family, who are all willing to vouch for his changed behavior. (Chapter 29)
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