A Monster Calls

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

From the Page to the Silver Screen: A Comparative Analysis of A Monster Calls

In this activity, students will consider what may be gained—and what might be lost—in the film adaptation of Patrick Ness’s A Monster Calls.

Five years after the publication of A Monster Calls, Focus Features released a film adaptation of the work, with the screenplay written by Patrick Ness and directed by J.A. Bayona. In any adaptation, there is a risk of losing the original essence of the work, but there is also the chance of enhancing and amplifying the original work’s message. In this activity, you will form in groups of 3-4 and create a side-by-side comparison of the film version of A Monster Calls to see if it captures the spirit of the book:

• Watch the official trailer for the film, along with “Liam Neeson Reads A Monster Calls.” What are your initial impressions of the film adaptation? Do Conor and the monster meet your expectations? Do they look, sound, and act as you imagined?
• Review the book’s core themes. Which themes do you think might be the most difficult to translate into a screen adaptation? Which themes do you think might be even stronger in film form?
• Compare and contrast. What do you see as the key similarities and differences between the book and the movie? Discuss key elements like plot, characters, themes, and motifs.

Finally, as a class, debate the ultimate question: Does the film version capture the spirit of the book? Why or why not?

Teaching Suggestion: Rather than having students view brief scenes from the movie (linked above), you may elect to have students watch the entire 2016 film adaptation of A Monster Calls before engaging in this discussion. To get students thinking about the qualities that do or do not work well in the transition from book to film, you might ask them to make a list of books they have read with film adaptations and to discuss what made them successful and why. This could also be a take-home journal activity for independent reflection.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. At the start of the book, Conor keeps his nightmare a secret from everyone.

• Why doesn’t Conor tell people about his nightmare at the beginning of the book? (topic sentence)
• Discuss how 2-3 characters and/or events challenge Conor’s decision to keep this secret.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how Conor’s nightmare connects to the theme of The Power of Guilt and Shame.

2. When Conor learns that he won’t be punished for destroying his grandmother’s sitting room or for attacking Harry, he is disappointed.

• Why is Conor unhappy about not receiving a punishment for his bad behavior? (topic sentence)
• Choose 2-3 instances in the book that show why being invisible is worse than being punished.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explore how The Cyclical Nature of Isolation has a devastating effect on Conor.

3. Throughout the book, the author does not name Conor’s mother’s illness.

• How does leaving Conor’s mother’s illness unnamed affect the story? (topic sentence)
• Choose 2-3 things that the author chooses to focus on instead of the specifics of Conor’s mother’s illness.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, describe how taking the focus away from the specifics of illness itself redirects the reader’s attention to The Difficult Necessity of Grieving and The Necessity of Confronting Difficult Truths.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by textual details, and a conclusion.

1. Conor has the chance to tell Miss Kwan about Harry bullying him several times. Why does he lie and say that everything is fine? Consider the character of Harry more generally in your response. What is the dynamic between Conor and Harry initially? Why does Harry eventually withdraw his bullying and punishment of Conor? In your conclusion, explore how The Power of Guilt and Shame compels Conor to seek punishment from Harry.

2. The monster in the story is a variant of the Green Man, a personification of nature that occurs across many cultural traditions. Through the monster, how does Ness both participate in and reinvent notions of the relationship between nature, death, and rebirth? Use examples from the novel, as well as your own research, to support your claim. In your conclusion, describe how one of the monster’s primary functions is to help Conor understand The Necessity of Confronting Difficult Truths around life and death.

3. The monster says that Conor’s thoughts don’t matter, but his actions do. What does the monster mean by this? Which thoughts, exactly, does the monster want to dissuade Conor of their importance? How does Conor use his actions wisely in the final chapters of the book? In your conclusion, describe how Conor confronts The Difficult Necessity of Grieving and takes action to offer his mother love and support in her final moments.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. At what time does Conor initially see the yew tree on the hill transform into a humanoid monster in Chapter 1?

A) 11:11 pm

B) 12:05 am

C) 12:07 am

D) 12:34 pm

2. Which of the following best describes why Conor pushes away Lily, his one good friend?

A) Because she inadvertently causes him to feel worse about the situation with his mother, thus reinforcing the cyclical nature of isolation

B) Because she joins forces with Harry suddenly, which forces him to endure additional taunting and ridicule

C) Because she has a fantastic relationship with her vibrant and healthy mother, thus causing Conor to feel worse about his own ill mother.

D) Because she begins to form romantic feelings for Conor, which he cannot handle due to the situation with his mother.

3. Which of the following plot scenarios from the first section of the novel most directly hints at Conor’s feeling of deep loneliness?

A)  Conor cannot seem to discern whether the monster is real or a dream.

B) Conor refuses to reveal the full details of his nightmare to anyone.

C) Conor is so desperate for company that he seeks solace in his elderly grandmother.

D) Conor has a heart-to-heart with his mother, telling her no one understands him.

4. What does the monster mean when it says that “stories are wild creatures” in Chapter 7?

A) They’re “wild” because stories can set loose dangerous thoughts, emotions, and ideas.

B) They’re “wild” because they move faster than you can catch them sometimes.

C) They’re “wild” in that they are chained to the same tropes, metaphors, and plot points.

D) They’re “wild” because they cannot be contained in any one form.

5. What literary device is the author using to describe which theme when Conor is “surrounded by land mines” in Chapter 9?

A) Hyperbole to describe Difficult Truths

B) Personification to describe Guilt and Shame

C) Metaphor to describe Social Isolation

D) Irony to describe the Necessity of Grieving

6. When school administrators do not reprimand Conor for bad behavior, how does that make him feel and why?

A) It makes him feel relieved, because he can’t deal with the stress of punishment on top of his mother’s illness.

B) It makes him feel numb, because he needs to be punished in order to feel anything.

C)  It makes him feel invincible, because he feels like he can get away with anything.

D) It makes him feel bad, because he wants some sense of normalcy.

7. What is responsible for “half of all healing,” according to the monster in Chapter 16?

A) Ancient medicine

B) Optimism

C) Belief

D) Freedom

8. Which of the following best describes how rage affects Conor as he helps the monster destroy the Parson’s home in Chapter 17?

A) It makes him lose himself and relieves his stress.

B) It fuels his worry about his mother.

C) It encourages him to get in touch with his own inner monster.

D) It adds another layer to his guilt and shame.

9. Who writes Conor a heartfelt letter, entitled “A Note” in Chapter 25?

A) Conor’s mother

B) Lily

C) Conor’s father

D) Miss Kwan

10. Which one of Conor’s personality traits can be viewed as a trauma response?

A) His fierce independence

B) His indecisiveness

C) His low self-esteem

D) His clinginess

11. What does the monster encourage Conor to do as he gazes upon his mother lying in her hospital bed?

A) Be true to himself

B) Never let go

C) Be unafraid

D) Tell the truth

12. What is the larger significance of the time of day the monster comes to visit Conor?

A) It’s the time that corresponds to the birth of the universe.

B) It’s the time when Conor was born.

C) It’s the time that corresponds to his grandmother’s address.

D) It’s the time when Conor’s mother will eventually die.

13. Which is the primary monster being referred to when Conor realizes that some monsters cannot be defeated?

A)  The innate evil of humankind

B)  His grandmother’s coldness

C)  His mother’s illness

D)  His father’s bitterness

14. Which of the following is the strongest example of the theme of The Cyclical Nature of Isolation?

A)  When the monster envelops Conor in a cloak of invisibility

B)  When Harry instructs Conor’s classmates to force him to sit alone at lunch

C)  When Conor’s mother tells him to keep the details of her illness a secret

D)  When Lily tries to help, but inadvertently causes Conor to feel even more alone

15. Who does Conor openly beg for help at the end of the novel?

A)  The monster

B)  Conor’s father

C)  Conor’s grandmother

D)  Lily

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating textual details to support your response.

1. What are 2 examples of the way that yew trees symbolize the dual nature of death and healing in the novel?

2. How do the monster’s 3 tales help prepare Conor to confront the truth about his nightmare?