76 pages • 2 hours read
Ned VizziniIt's Kind of a Funny Story
Ned VizziniFiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2006A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
During Reading
Reading Questions & Paired Texts
Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.
PART 1
Reading Check
1. What does Craig call his spirals?
2. What does Craig like to draw?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Why does Craig almost wish that he was abused or experienced some other trauma?
2. Why does Craig miss living in Manhattan?
3. What are two of the things Craig thinks he should be doing to be “normal”?
Paired Resource
“Psychologist vs. Psychiatrist: What Is the Difference?”
- This article from UCLA explains the difference in the types of mental health professionals.
- The information in this article connects to the theme of The Impact of Mental Illness.
- Why might it be important that these two types of doctors work together to help Craig?
PART 2
Reading Check
1. What is Craig supposed to bring to Aaron’s “real party”?
2. What drug do Aaron and Craig frequently use?
3. What is the name of the voice in Craig’s head?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How does Craig remember losing all his friends?
2. What did Craig think “making out” meant?
3. What makes Craig officially think he’s depressed?
4. What does Nia think Craig’s “problem” is?
Paired Resource
- This article from Britain’s National Health Service explains the types of antidepressants and how they help people.
- This information connects to the theme of The Impact of Mental Illness.
- Why is it problematic that Craig doesn’t refill his prescription?
PART 3-4
Reading Check
1. Where does Craig go instead of continuing his plan for suicide?
2. Who does Craig’s mom bring with her to visit Craig?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What is Nia’s “reason” for being on antidepressants, according to Craig?
2. How does Craig first find the number of a suicide hotline?
Paired Resource
- This link connects directly to the 988 hotline and includes information for getting help.
- This information can be utilized in discussions on the themes of The Impact of Mental Illness and The Importance of Human Connection.
- How might you spread awareness about this resource so that everyone who needs it knows about it?
PART 5
Reading Check
1. Which question on the intake form does Craig lie about?
2. What does Sarah offer to bring Craig?
3. Who is the first friend Craig calls while in the ward?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Why does Craig feel self-conscious compared to the other residents?
2. Why does Craig refer to Jennifer as J/C?
3. How does Aaron handle learning the news that Craig is in the hospital?
PART 6
Reading Check
1. What do Craig and Noelle do during their 7am meeting?
2. What group is Craig put into by Nurse Monica?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How does Craig feel about his fight with Aaron the previous day?
2. Why does Noelle say they cannot meet again until Tuesday?
Paired Resource
- This article from the American Psychiatric Association describes the benefits of art therapy for mental health patients.
- These ideas connect to the theme The Impact of Mental Illness.
- What other kinds of hobbies/activities might be beneficial for one’s mental health?
PART 7
Reading Check
1. When is Craig getting discharged?
2. What do the residents use instead of poker chips for their card tournament?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Why does Craig hang up on his principal when he calls?
2. Why does Dr. Minerva not want Craig to become too attached to the other residents?
PART 8
Reading Check
1. What song do the residents sing in music class?
2. What does Noelle’s shirt say on their second date?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What does Bobby mean when he says he used to be a “garbage head”?
2. Why does it bother Craig that Nia has been thinking about checking into a mental health facility herself?
3. What does Craig do instead of asking Nia to leave?
PART 9-10
Reading Check
1. Where does Craig realize most of his anxiety and depression come from?
2. What does Aaron bring Craig on his last day?
3. What does Craig want to do in the very last lines of the novel?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Why is Craig initially hesitant to leave Executive Prep High School?
2. Why doesn’t Bobby want to exchange numbers with Craig?
3. What does Craig credit Muqtada with saving him from?
Recommended Next Reads
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
- After a traumatic incident at a high school party, Melinda must grapple with her mental health throughout her freshman year of high school.
- Shared themes include The Impact of Mental Illness and Unique Pressures of Young Adulthood.
- Shared topics include depression, loss of friends, and loneliness.
- Speak on SuperSummary
Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
- When Darius visits his family in Iran, he must come to terms with the cultural differences in how mental health and mental illness are perceived.
- Shared themes include The Impact of Mental Illness and The Importance of Human Connection.
- Shared topics include depression, medication, and father-son connections.
- Darius the Great is Not Okay on SuperSummary
Reading Questions Answer Key
PART 1
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. Craig almost wishes he experienced abuse or some other trauma because then he would have a clear concern to work on in therapy. He’s frustrated that his depression doesn’t have a clear cause. (Chapter 2)
2. Craig likes being among the wealthy and powerful people that live in the city. (Chapter 5)
3. He thinks he should be making out with girls and playing sports, among other “normal” things. (Chapter 6)
PART 2
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. Craig was so focused on the entrance exam to an elite high school that he ignored everyone. By the time he got into the school, Aaron was the only one left. (Chapter 7)
2. Craig thought it was synonymous with “hooking up” or having sex. (Chapter 8)
3. Craig is struggling at his new school. He ends up throwing up due to stress while out to dinner with his parents. He tells his parents that he believes he is depressed. (Chapter 11)
4. Nia worries that he’s not connected to other people. She even suggests that he share his depression with Aaron so that they can connect more deeply as friends. (Chapter 13)
PART 3-4
Reading Check
1. The local hospital (Chapter 17)
2. The family dog, Jordan (Chapter 18)
Short Answer
1. Craig assumes it is because her father died when she was young. He is jealous that she has a “reason.” (Chapter 14)
2. Craig reads through a book his mother has called How to Survive the Loss of Love. The text tells him to find the suicide hotline in the yellow pages of the phone book, which he does; at first, he gets an anxiety management center, as it serves the overflow calls from the suicide hotline. The responder advises Craig to call the National Suicide Hotline, where a person named Marissa advises Craig to check into the hospital. (Chapter 15)
PART 5
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. Craig comes from a far more privileged background, which makes him feel both uncomfortable and a sense of self-loathing because he doesn’t see his problems as important as theirs. (Chapter 20)
2. Jennifer is transgender, and the C is in reference to her former name Charles. (Chapter 23)
3. Aaron is sarcastic and makes jokes on the phone, which ends up causing a fight between Aaron and Craig. (Chapter 28)
PART 6
Reading Check
1. They ask/answer questions. (Chapter 31)
2. Arts and Crafts (Chapter 30, 32)
Short Answer
1. Craig is glad that he told Aaron off for not being a supportive friend. (Chapter 30)
2. Noelle is worried that she and Craig will become too close, especially since she knows they are both leaving soon. (Chapter 32)
PART 7
Reading Check
1. Thursday (Chapter 34)
2. Buttons (Chapter 35)
Short Answer
1. Craig is sure that the principal is calling to expel him from the school for being “weak” and missing class. He hangs up the phone before the principal has a chance to explain the call. (Chapter 33)
2. Dr. Minerva says that people do not make good anchors, meaning she wants Craig to find ways to support himself rather than relying on others. (Chapter 34)
PART 8
Reading Check
1. “I Shot the Sheriff” (Chapter 37)
2. “I hate boys” (Chapter 41)
Short Answer
1. It means that Bobby used to do any drug that was given to him, regardless of what it was or where it came from. (Chapter 36)
2. Craig feels as though Nia is belittling his suicidal experience. (Chapter 39)
3. Craig takes Nia to his room, and they begin making out. (Chapter 40)
PART 9-10
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. Craig thinks that success is tied to being rich; he believes the school can help him become a successful person. (Chapter 44)
2. Bobby doesn’t want to discourage Craig on his road to recovery, which implies that Bobby doesn’t think his own story will have a happy ending. (Chapter 46)
3. Craig credits his roommate with saving him from his interaction with Nia. (Chapter 48)
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