Chris was introduced to the coming-of-age novel "The outsiders," by S.E. Hintin - which is on the suggested reading list for eigth graders. Chris selected this book primarily based on its title and he was queried as to what the title suggests to him. We then read a note from the author to gain insight into his feelings about the book and examined the statement, "Apparently, feeling like an 'outsider' even in your own group is universal" - and the quote "us versus them." This piqued Chris's interest and so we began reading the beginning of the first chapter and discussed the narrator's point of view. Chris remained interested in today's discussion and readings. He was responsive to strategies offered to help him use contextual clues to help him figure out the author's intent based on language and structure.