When You’re Brave Enough

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Take a cue from Lacey’s passion for theater and invite students to adapt When You’re Brave Enough into a Reader’s Theater script and performance, bringing Lacey’s journey to life through dialogue, narration, and expressive reading.

Talk with students about how to best break the novel into six to eight key scenes. Then, assign small groups of students to each adapt one scene into a script with dialogue and stage directions, keeping the original plot and character voices intact. In developing their script, students may need to add a narrator as well as identifying and adapting all other speaking parts. Ask students to all use the same script format to make the entire script easy for readers to follow. When student groups have their draft scripts, have them exchange scripts with each other to read through, editing as necessary and working together to develop a cohesive performance.

Once the script is finalized, ask for volunteers or assign roles. Switch up readers for different scenes to ensure everyone gets a chance to participate. Consider having students perform for other classes or record performed scenes, releasing them as a class podcast.

Following their Reader’s Theater performance, ask students to reflect on how the experience affected them. What skills did they hone? What choices did they make to help get across the characters’ personalities and their emotions? How was their understanding of the book different from other books they’ve read on their own?

Questions for Discussion or Reflective Writing

• How does Lacey feel about moving to Rhode Island? Why do you think she feels that way? Have you ever wanted a fresh start? Why did you want a change?
• Why does Lacey want space from Grace? How does Grace feel about what is happening to their friendship? Why is it difficult for Lacey to believe that people will accept her as she changes? Have you ever felt a tension between being yourself and being what those around you expect you to be? What did you do about it?
• Why is Lacey so worried about having her first kiss? Why does the tradition of the lead actors sharing a real kiss make Lacey uncomfortable? What makes it difficult for her to decide what she wants to do? What would you do if you were in Lacey’s position?
• What questions is Lacey asking herself? How do those questions help her think through her feelings, her relationships, and her faith? Why is it not always easy to know yourself?
• Why does Lacey go out of her way to impress Nell? What makes her go along with the plan for getting her together with Violet? What happens when the whole kissing plan goes wrong?
• How does Lacey feel about her dad’s reaction when she shares her identity with him? Why do you think his response is complicated and less than enthusiastic? How do their conversations change the way they understand each other?
• Lacey says she wants to be someone who is brave enough to love. Why do you think love requires bravery? How do the different relationships in Lacey’s life help her understand what that means?

Related Resources

Readers Theater from the National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance

Tips on Scripting by Aaron Shepard