Paranormal Mystery Book Series: Discussion Questions For Young Readers

If you're trying to get a young reader more interested in reading, helping them improve their literary chops can be fun and rewarding. Whether your young reader is obsessed with a paranormal mystery book series or a vampire steampunk dystopian epic, you can help them get more out of their reading by facilitating reflection and discussion.

Here are some book discussion questions that work great for young readers:

Impressions versus Expectations

Book discussion questions can be a great way to delve deeper into a novel's themes, characters, and/or plot twists. These questions can help spark lively discussions and encourage readers to think critically about the book.

  • Impressions: when young readers are diving into a literary world, they are forming impressions that shape how they process what they read. After reading a novel, you might ask them questions like, "what was your first impression of the main character or did your opinion of the character change as you read the book?" To help them make sense of these impressions, you can have them research the impressions made by other readers in Online reviews.
  • Suspense: readers of all ages can be titillated by a suspenseful yarn. When your young reader finishes a novel, you might ask them, "how did the author build suspense throughout the book or were there any moments that particularly stood out to you?" If an adaptation of the story has been made into a movie, you can have your young reader compare how the director and author created suspense within the story.

Speculation and Setting

Playing detective can be fun for a young reader. If you're hoping to facilitate discussion about a book while they're in the process of reading, you might want to ask them questions that encourage curiosity.

  • Detective: if your young reader is diving into a mystery story, you might encourage them to keep a reading journal. They can ask and answer questions like, "who do you think was responsible for the crime or mystery at the center of the book or are there any red herrings or unexpected twists to come?" By answering these questions as they read, your young reader can play detective and develop their anticipatory reading skills.
  • Setting: stories can transport us into fantastical worlds. Asking your young reader to answer questions like, "how did the setting impact the story or were there any descriptions that particularly stood out to you?" can help them connect with the story. Another benefit of asking these types of questions is you will prompt your young reader to flex their descriptive skills.

These book discussion questions are a great starting point for exploring the complexities of a novel. Feel free to add your own questions or modify the ones provided to best suit the needs of your book club or discussion group. The important thing is to have fun and engage in meaningful conversations about the book!

Share