We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

What is the nature of your relationship with one or all of your siblings? In what ways has this relationship influenced your own development? If you do not have a sibling, discuss a relationship with a cousin or close friend.

Teaching Suggestion: You might want to introduce the novel with the statistic that nearly 80% of people have siblings. As such, the social, psychological, and familial development of the majority of people is influenced by sibling relationships. At the same time, consider saying that for many people who don’t have siblings, a cousin or close friend often plays a very similar role. 

• This article from the National Library of Medicine describes psychological perspectives on sibling relationships.
• This article from The Guardian reflects on the enduring nature of sibling relationships.

Short Activity

In the novel, the narrator buries objects in the yard that she thinks will protect her living family members. Draw or photograph an object that holds a special place in your family. Then, write about its importance in a journal entry in which you analyze the likely reasons for the object’s importance.

Teaching Suggestion: Before students begin writing about importance, suggest that they complete sensory descriptions of the objects—sight, sound, smell, and texture sensations, along with taste if the “object” is a treasured recipe.

• This article from Southern Living defines the importance of family heirlooms in the fourth paragraph.
• This article from NPR provides reader submissions on precious objects in their family history.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students who are verbal learners and those who would benefit from a more creative response might try allowing the objects to speak in the first person.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

Many children, like the main character in We Have Always Lived in the Castle, maintain secret hiding places, where they go when they want to be alone or when they feel anxious or scared. As a child, did you maintain such a space? Why or why not? If so, use sensory detail to describe the location, its founding, and its use. If not, describe your ideal hiding place.

Teaching Suggestion: You may wish to suggest that students draw these spaces in as much detail as possible before speaking or writing.

• This article from Junior Magazine explores the function of children’s hiding places.
• This article from Best Case Parenting examines the ways in which hiding places such as a closet may serve as a place for imagination or fear.

Differentiation Suggestion: Allow kinesthetic learners to construct 3-D models of their real or imagined hiding places using art materials.