Teachers’ Guide

Elsewhereby Gabrielle Zevin

Introduction Liz awakens in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliarroom. Why is she on a ship in the middle of theocean? Where is the ship heading? And who isthis other girl named Thandi who is sharing herroom? Liz finally comes to understand that shehas been killed by a hit-and-run driver and isbound for a place called Elsewhere.

Liz arrives in Elsewhere and is greeted by hergrandmother Betty, a woman who died evenbefore Liz was born. On the drive to her home,Betty explains how Elsewhere operates. Liz willlive in Elsewhere and age in reverse. She isexpected to decide on some sort of avocation (a job she loves) and to go on with her life untilshe becomes a baby. At that point, Liz will be“released” to return to Earth and given an entirely new life.

Liz resists the customs of Elsewhere. She isangered that instead of growing older andobtaining her driver’s license and falling in love,she will get younger. She refuses to do more than

sit each day at the Observation Deck and watchher family and friends back on Earth through thebinoculars. Eventually, bored with doing nothingbut viewing the events on Earth, Liz begins toaccept her new life. She elects to help domesticpets become acclimated to life in Elsewhere andends up adopting a dog named Sadie on the firstday of her job. Later, Liz meets Owen Wells andfalls in love.

Life, though, is no easier in Elsewhere than it was on Earth, and Liz has to learn how to dealwith loss and change. In Owen’s previous life onEarth, he was married. When his wife arrives inElsewhere, Liz is displaced. She decides to takeadvantage of a special clause, known as theSneaker Clause, and return to Earth now ratherthan wait for her inevitable infancy. At the lastminute, Liz changes her mind. Owen rescues Lizfrom the water so she can return to life onElsewhere. Liz continues to grow younger until,as the novel ends, she is released into the River tobe born anew on Earth. Elsewhere explores howwe all must cope with life and whatever is tocome after our lives end.

Classroom ConnectionsReading and English Language Arts classesaddress skills that often overlap. Therefore, acritical reading of this novel can be used in anyclassroom setting that focuses on the reading,comprehension, and discussion of text. Since this novel relies on powerful imagery, subtlesymbolism, and other advanced components ofliterature, a study of this story can extend beyond basic skills in reading to include moresophisticated skills such as identifying symbolismand understanding figurative language.

Moreover, since reading and writing are skillsthat share many of the same characteristics,students can be encouraged to write in responseto their reading. This novel can also be tied toother topics such as careers, grief and loss, andrelationships. School counselors can be involvedin the planning and delivery of instruction aboutthis novel.

Language Arts /English /Reading Standards:

(www.ncte.org/about/over/standards/110846.htm)

These standards, set by the International ReadingAssociation (IRA) and the National Council ofTeachers of English (NCTE), can be developedthrough a study of this novel:

• Students read a wide range of print and non-printtexts to build an understanding of texts, ofthemselves, and of the cultures of the UnitedStates and the world; to acquire new information;to respond to the needs and demands of societyand the workplace; and for personal fulfillment.Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction,classic and contemporary works.

• Students read a wide range of literature frommany periods in many genres to build anunderstanding of the many dimensions (e.g.,philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of humanexperience.

• Students apply a wide range of strategies tocomprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciatetexts. They draw on their prior experience, theirinteractions with other readers and writers, theirknowledge of word meaning and of other texts,their word identification strategies, and theirunderstanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure,context, graphics).

• Students adjust their use of spoken, written, andvisual language (e.g., conventions, style,vocabulary) to communicate effectively with avariety of audiences and for different purposes.

• Students employ a wide range of strategies asthey write and use different writing processelements appropriately to communicate withdifferent audiences for a variety of purposes.

• Students apply knowledge of language structure,language conventions (e.g., spelling andpunctuation), media techniques, figurativelanguage, and genre to create, critique, anddiscuss print and non-print texts.

• Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective,creative, and critical members of a variety ofliteracy communities.

• Students use spoken, written, and visual languageto accomplish their own purposes (e.g., forlearning, enjoyment, persuasion, and theexchange of information).

Pre-reading ActivityMuch of Liz’s initial anger at finding herself in Elsewhere is that her future plans are allcanceled. Since everyone in Elsewhere ages inreverse, Liz will never have the chance to get herdriver’s license, go to the prom, or graduate fromhigh school. Compile a list of three goals youhope to accomplish in the next year. Why is eachgoal important? How must you go aboutaccomplishing these goals?

Discussion Questionsn Water is a powerful image and symbol thatruns throughout the book. Liz’s story opens onthe ocean; the Well is in the water; theObservation Decks face the water; Liz cancommunicate through a water source with herbrother, Alvy. What other aspects of theimportance of water are evident in the novel?Why does the author elect to use water as suchan essential symbol? Comment on some of theother symbols, such as Liz’s stitches, the watchher father gave her, and the snow globe.

n This novel is divided into three separate partsand also employs a prologue and an epilogue.Understanding the structure of the novel isimportant to understanding the story itself. Why

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is the scene with Liz’s dog, Lucy, the first glimpsethe author provides of the story? How does thisscene foreshadow what will come later in thenovel? How does the epilogue bring the novel notto a close but to a resolution? What purpose dothe three parts serve? What important eventsoccur in each of the three parts?

n There are many characters who are part of thestory of Elsewhere, all of them critical to it. Theauthor, Gabrielle Zevin, introduces the charactersearly in the story. Liz meets Thandi and Curtis onthe ship, Grandma Betty upon her arrival, AldousGhent at the acclimation session, and Owen atthe Well. No characters, not even the canine ones,are minor to the story. Explore how thecharacters move the novel forward. For instance,what important role does Esther, the supervisorat the Observation Deck, play? Why is Thandicritical to the story? Could the novel be completewithout Sadie or Lucy or Alvy? How does each ofthem help Liz adjust to life on Elsewhere andcome to understand that life on Elsewhere issomething to be cherished?

n Notice the allusions made to classic andcontemporary literature throughout the novel. Lizrecalls a line about antique lands. Aldous Ghentprompts Liz to read Shakespeare’s A MidsummerNight’s Dream. Liz reads E. B. White’s Charlotte’sWeb as she grows younger. Finally, Owen readsNatalie Babbitt’s Tuck Everlasting to Liz whenshe is no longer able to read on her own. Everyone of these titles deals with some aspect of lifeas it relates to Elsewhere as well as Earth. Howdoes each address some facet of Liz’s life andexperiences?

n How does the author use humor in the novel?What examples of wordplay are evident? Forinstance, Liz is aboard a ship called the Nile andThandi tells her she is in denial (de-nile). Anotherexample of this gentle humor is when Liz meetsSadie and informs the dog that she is drinkingfrom a toilet. Locate other instances of humorand discuss how it is used in the novel. Is thehumor intended to defuse the emotion of aserious situation or scene? Is it more of a way toshow how Liz is becoming acclimated to life onElsewhere?

n Be sure to visit the Web site for the book at:www.fsgkidsbooks.com/elsewhere/index.htm. How

does the structure of the site reflect the structureand content of the novel?

n Liz and all the other arrivals in Elsewhere areencouraged to find an avocation to pursue duringtheir time there. Ghent explains to Liz that anavocation is something that makes one’s soulcomplete (page 74). Some of the residents ofElsewhere work in avocations similar to the jobsthey did on Earth; others have new ones. MarilynMonroe becomes a psychiatrist. Curtis Jestdecides to be a fisherman and comments thatJohn Lennon is a gardener. How do theavocations of Monroe, Lennon, Owen, Betty,Curtis, and other characters reflect what theyreally want out of their new lives?

About the AuthorElsewhere is the first young-adult novel by authorGabrielle Zevin, but it is nother first piece of writing.Gabrielle is the author of one book for adults,Margarettown, and severalscreenplays, includingConversations with OtherWomen, which was made into a film starring Helena Bonham Carter andAaron Eckhart. She is a graduate of HarvardUniversity with a degree in English and AmericanLiterature and lives in New York City with herpug dog, Mrs. DeWinter, and her partner of tenyears, director Hans Canosa.

Gabrielle says, “When I was around eight, Ilearned how to touch-type at school, and Ireceived a computer as a present. I startedwriting plays, and for many years I thought Iwould be a playwright. Over the years, I hadstudiously managed to write everything butnovels — I had been a copious pen pal, a first-class transcriptionist, a professional screenwriter(still am, actually), a teen music reviewer, amediocre research-paper writer, and, of course, awriter of plays. So, although I was not writingnovels, I was always writing something. Actually,I hadn’t ever felt any particular calling to be anovelist, and I clearly remember telling a friendof mine about six months before I started workon Elsewhere that I would NEVER write a novel.

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Elsewhereby Gabrielle Zevin

ISBN-10: 0-374-32091-8 · ISBN-13: 978-0-374-32091-1

An ALA Notable Book

A Booklist Editors’ Choice

Fanfare, The Horn Book’s Honor List

A Kirkus Reviews Best Children’s Book of the Year

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

H “A work of powerful beauty.” — Starred, Booklist

H “With an intriguing and well-developed premise, thoughtful characterization, andrefreshing style, Zevin’s poignant novel rewards readers with a view of death thatcelebrates the rich complexities of being alive.” — Starred, The Horn Book

H “This intriguing novel . . . provides much to think about and discuss.” — Starred, School Library Journal

FARRAR, STRAUS AND GIROUX19 Union Square West, New York, NY 10003

Visit www.fsgkidsbooks.com for more information about titles, authors, and illustrators and to access other Teachers’ Guides, Bibliographies, and more.

This guide was prepared by Teri Lesesne, former middle school English teacher and Professor of Library Science at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas.

And then I thought of the idea for Elsewhere,which did not seem to want to be a play or ascreenplay. It kept sounding awfully novelish inmy head, and though I was a little scared, I justsat in front of my computer and started to type.So it was fortunate that I liked typing, because Iwould be typing Liz’s story for many a moon.

“Although I still write screenplays, I’ve writtentwo other novels since writing Elsewhere. AndI’m happy to report that I still like the sound ofthe keys.”

For more on Gabrielle Zevin:Web sites:

www.fsgkidsbooks.comContains more information about the author andher book

www.fsgkidsbooks.com/elsewhereContains everything about Elsewhere andincludes a biographical sketch of and aninterview with the author

www.teenreads.com/authors/au-zevin-gabrielle.aspFeatures biographical information and aninterview with the author