A Chance in the World

Part 1, Chapters 1-16

Reading Check

1. His recurring memory is of being abandoned by his mother. (Part 1, Chapter 1)

2. His nose is broken, he is malnourished, and he has impetigo. (Part 1, Chapter 4)

3. With Willie and Betty (Part 1, Chapter 5)

4. They force Steve to wash dishes and Reggie hurts him. (Part 1, Chapter 6)

5. Almost as bad as Steve (Part 1, Chapter 8)

6. Mrs. Blake; he reads at her house when he can. (Part 1, Chapter 9)

7. They suspect he has been abused. (Part 1, Chapter 10)

8. He tells him to keep reading and he will find a way out of his situation. (Part 1, Chapter 12)

Short Answer

1. Steve’s desire is to find a family that loves him and will take care of him. (Various chapters)

2. Books provide a place for Steve to escape his situation both mentally and physically. The characters in the stories he reads encourage him to overcome unbelievable odds. (Various chapters)

3. He is angry and violent. (Part 1, Chapter 8)

4. He burns his hands and plots to murder him in a “hunting accident.” (Part 1, Chapter 13)

5. He steals food, reads books, and hides in the basement. (Part 1, Chapter 9)

6. He files a 51A and his psychological evaluation is grounds to remove him. (Part 1, Chapter 16)

Part 2, Chapters 17-35

Reading Check

1. To live with John Sykes (Part 2, Chapter 17)

2. Boston College (Part 2, Chapter 20)

3. They hung a picture of Steve on the wall. (Part 2, Chapter 20)

4. The janitorial staff he works with (Part 2, Chapter 22)

5. He believes Kenny is Steve’s father. (Part 2, Chapter 26)

6. His grandparents (Part 2, Chapter 30)

7. Because they don’t believe Kenny had any children (Part 2, Chapter 31)

8. Kenny’s sister (Part 2, Chapter 32)

9. Warren believes Kenny would have found Steve had he known he had a son. (Part 2, Chapter 33)

Short Answer

1. Marian had struggles with alcohol abuse. Steve and his siblings were all fostered out. For a short time, Marian overcame her alcohol addiction, but eventually, the kids were left in foster care again. Marian dated Steve’s father, Kenny. Eventually Marian died either from smoke inhalation or alcoholism. (Part 2, Chapter 32)

2. Steve doesn’t believe his father has the right to be proud of him because he chose to let him enter the foster care system. He is unwilling to forgive his father. (Various chapters)

3. He doesn’t want to drink with the other students, he doesn’t know his identity, and he has nowhere to go over the holidays. (Part 2, Chapter 21)

4. That he has siblings, and his life was unpleasant before living in foster care (Part 2, Chapter 28)

Part 3, Chapters 36-43

Reading Check

1. He discovers a letter his mom wrote about her intentions to get her children back, but he wasn’t named in the letter. (Part 3, Chapter 36)

2. It is the first family photo he has ever taken. (Part 3, Chapter 39)

3. He cannot imagine ever abandoning them. (Part 3, Chapter 40)

4. He is accused of murder. (Part 3, Chapter 41)

5. Racism (Part 3, Chapter 41)

6. Not following the street rules of street-level criminals and robbing drug dealers (Part 3, Chapter 41)

7. He was shot. (Part 3, Chapter 41)

Short Answer

1. Kenny realizes that no one would have wanted the life his parents had. While he does not condone their behavior toward him, he can understand that their story was a sad one. (Various chapters)

2. Steve now has a family, and he plans to make the most of his time with them. He also embodies the example of Mrs. Levin to do as much good for others as he can. He believes that acts of service and doing right by his family make it so he was not a casualty of his experiences. (Various chapters)

3. That they searched for Steve, but they would not release information about him (Part 3, Chapter 38)

4. Because no one would choose to have her life (Part 3, Chapter 40)