Use these questions and the activities that follow to get more out of the experience of reading It Only Looks Easy by Pamela Curtis Swallow 

1. When the book opens, Kat is getting ready for what big day?

2.  How does Cheddar get out of Kat’s backyard on the day she gets hit by the car?

3. List the people who still believe Kat is a good person even when it seems like everyone else is wondering if she is a thief and a liar. What is each person’s relationship to Kat?

4. Why do you think Kat chooses to continue spending time with Mrs. Lawrence?

5. Compare Kat’s opinion of Grace at the beginning of the book with her feelings about her toward the end of the book. How does their relationship change? Why?

6. On page 162, Kat is sitting outside the principal’s office listening to a conversation between the principal, Dennis, Mrs. Boyle, and Lieutenant Scott. What do you imagine they say during the minutes that Kat is unable to hear?

7.  List three things Kat does or says that she regrets or feels bad about. Choose one of these things and either justify why Kat did it or explain what she could have done differently.

8.  Do you think Kat is a good person? Why or why not?

9.  Choose one of the characters from the book and examine his or her relationship with Kat. How does the relationship change over the course of the story?

10.  Compare Kat’s behavior at the beginning of the book (for example, when she borrows the bike) with her behavior at the end of the story (for example, her interactions with Mrs. Lawrence). How do the changes in how she acts show what she has learned from her experiences?

11.  List the various parent-child relationships that are part of the plot. Choose one set of characters and explain how you think the parent or parents influence the way the young person acts at school.

12.  Write a paragraph predicting what will happen in Kat’s life during the rest of her seventh-grade year. For example, do you think she will continue helping Grace and spending time with her? What will happen with her relationship to Mrs. Lawrence? Will Kat and Melody become friends? What are some fun things that Kat and Cheddar will do together as Cheddar recovers?  

13.  After the other students at Kat’s school learn about her adventure with the bicycle, some of them seem to have a negative opinion of her. She has to work to earn back her good reputation. Have you ever done something that caused people to look at you differently? How did you gain back their trust or respect?

14.  Grace thinks that Kat has an easier time in school and in life, but Kat tells her, “It only looks easy from the outside” (p. 107). How do you think the title of the book could apply to another character besides Kat?

15.  Do you agree with Mr. Lawrence that Kat is a “level-headed, responsible young lady” who can “be counted upon” (p. 131)? Why or why not?

Note: These questions are keyed to Bloom’s Taxonomy as follows: Knowledge: 1–3; Comprehension: 4–5; Application: 6–7; Analysis: 8–11; Synthesis: 12–13; Evaluation: 14–15.

Activities

1. Write a dialog between Grace and her mother, or Dennis and his mother, in which they confront the big issues that have come up during the course of the story.

2. Think of five creative things Kat could do to earn money and pay off the “Big D.” Write short ads for each one that could be placed in the classified section of the newspaper, or choose one activity and create a flyer for it with a description and illustrations.

3. Write a poem about the most special pet in your life. If you have never had a pet, you can invent the perfect pet or write an “Ode to Cheddar.”

Other Novels by This Author

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