The Last Kids on Earth

56 pages • 1 hour read

The Last Kids on Earth

Fiction | Graphic Novel/Book | Middle Grade | Published in 2015

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Introduction

Before Reading

During Reading

After Reading

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.

PROLOGUE-CHAPTER 6

Reading Check

1. How many days has the monster apocalypse been raging?

2. Where is Jack fighting the monster when the story begins?

3. Who is Quint?

4. Where did Jack last see June?

5. What has Quint named his heavily fortified vehicle?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does Jack photograph the monsters?

2. How is Quint using his skills to face the apocalypse?

3. What does Jack do at the treehouse to ensure his survival?

4. Who is Rover, and how does Jack feel about him?

5. How is Jack facing the apocalypse?

Paired Resource

“Kid of the Year Gitanjali Rao”

In this article, Time for Kids presents Gitanjali Rao, the Kid of the Year, who discusses her innovation process and shares an inspirational message for other young people.
Theme connections include The Resourceful Innovation of Adolescent Imagination and Standing Up for Who—and What—You Believe In.
In what ways have Jack and Quint followed Gitanjali’s advice?

“Lonely in LA”

This article from the Los Angeles Times explores how meaningful friendships helped people survive the pandemic.
A theme connection is Genuine Friendship as a Form of Survival.
In what ways did people connect and support each other during the pandemic? How do Quint and Jack help each other survive?

CHAPTERS 7-12

Reading Check

1. Whom do Quint and Jack find when searching for June?

2. What does Quint get for his birthday?

3. What is Quint doing in the neighbor’s garage?

4. How does Blarg pose a unique risk to Jack?

5. What chases the friends in a hall at the school?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How do Jack and his friends have fun together?

2. How does Jack’s first ride on Rover go?

3. What does Jack believe about June, and what does it reveal about him?

4. Why does Jack hate schools more than most people?

5. How is the reality of reuniting with June different from what Jack imagined?

Paired Resource

“Friends = Happiness”

Eyva Dusetzina’s five-minute Ted Talk examines the power of friendship and ways to be a good friend.
Theme connections include Genuine Friendship as a Form of Survival and Standing Up for Who—and What—You Believe In.
What are some of the ways friends help each other, according to Dusetzina? How strong is the friendship between Jack and Quint?

“Teen Activists Participate in Amnesty International’s Get on the Bus”

Teen Vogue’s interview with two activists highlights the importance of upstanders taking action.
A theme connection is Standing Up for Who—and What—You Believe In.
What is activism really about? How can participating in activism empower young people? Where do the characters in the novel help each other?

CHAPTERS 13-18

Reading Check

1. What game does June introduce Jack to?

2. Why doesn’t June want to leave the school?

3. What does Quint realize about Blarg?

4. How does TV help the friends against Blarg?

5. Who wins: Blarg or the team of friends?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How does Quint use his skills to prepare to fight?

2. How do Jack and Rover help the others escape Blarg?

3. Why does Jack refuse to abandon the treehouse as Blarg approaches?

4. How do Jack and Quint complement each other in the battle to survive?

5. What mood does the last chapter build, and how?

Paired Resource

Six-minute TED Talk

Kenneth Shinozuka presents an invention he developed to help keep his grandfather with dementia safe.
Theme connections include The Resourceful Innovation of Adolescent Imagination and Standing Up for Who—and What—You Believe In.
How does Shinozuka plan to help people with Alzheimer’s? How do Quint’s inventions help keep himself and his friends safe?

Recommended Next Reads

Welcome to Dweeb Club by Betsy Uhrig

Jason and his friends sign up for a club in middle school to solve mysteries. While looking at security cameras, they see themselves as high schoolers in the future and wonder if they can change what they see.
Shared themes include Genuine Friendship as a Form of Survival, Standing Up for Who—and What—You Believe In, and The Resourceful Innovation of Adolescent Imagination.
Shared topics include friends, school, identity, solving problems, cooperation, mysteries, and technology.

Spy School by Stuart Gibbs

When middle schooler Ben is recruited to a CIA school, he realizes his dream. Almost immediately, though, he discovers the danger and intrigue his new life holds.
Shared themes include Genuine Friendship as a Form of Survival, Standing Up for Who—and What—You Believe In, and The Resourceful Innovation of Adolescent Imagination.
Shared topics include school, technology, friends, danger, identity, teamwork, mysteries, and trust.
Spy School on SuperSummary

Reading Questions Answer Key

PROLOGUE-CHAPTER 6

Reading Check

1. 42 days (Prologue)

2. At a CVS (Chapter 1)

3. A resourceful scientist and inventor and Jack’s best friend (Chapters 3-6)

4. At their school (Chapter 3)

5. Big Mama (Chapter 5)

Short Answer

1. Jack has built an identity for himself as a “monster photographer.” He uses the photographs to study the monsters and learn how to survive them. (Chapter 1)

2. Quint has been studying and innovating. He builds Big Mama, a fortified vehicle he and Jack use to travel more safely. Quint is also classifying the monsters. (Chapters 4-6)

3. Jack keeps a bucket of water at the treehouse as well as a chalkboard and a map, which help him plan. He has also been gathering weapons—a hockey stick and a bat—to fight the monsters. He mentions the treehouse is “defended,” which he details more later in the novel. (Chapters 2-6)

4. Rover is a new type of monster Jack encounters when trying to get gas for Big Mama. Initially, Jack thought Rover was going to attack him, but Rover instead follows him and becomes his pet. Jack likes having him around, gladly checking off the badge he created called “FEAT: Get an Awesome Pet.” (Chapter 6)

5. Jack is treating the monster apocalypse like a video game. He has developed feats to accomplish and is finding some joy in the freedom and adventure of the times. (Chapters 1-6)

CHAPTERS 7-12

Reading Check

1. Dirk, the bully (Chapter 7)

2. A ping pong table (Chapter 8)

3. Developing weapons to make the treehouse more secure (Chapter 9)

4. Blarg has Jack’s scent and seems to be tracking Jack. (Chapter 10)

5. A zombie ball (Chapter 11)

Short Answer

1. They take things from the town for fun: “[f]ireworks, video games, trampolines—everything.” The friends find and eat junk food. While they dig a moat for protection, they also use it for fun as a pool. (Chapter 9)

2. Jack uses a saddle Quint developed to ride Rover. Rover is fast and wild, so the ride is dangerous, but the two start to work together. At the end of the ride, from a high vantage point, Jack sees the middle school and June’s sweatshirt hanging outside, which renews his determination to find her. (Chapter 10)

3. Jack believes June needs to be rescued and imagines saving her from danger. These visions reveal Jack’s crush on June, sexist ideas, and views of the apocalypse as a video game. (Chapter 10)

4. Jack has been moved between foster families and from school to school—10 in 13 years—which has been difficult for him. As he starts at a new school, he feels different from other kids. The school emphasizes his separateness. (Chapter 11)

5. Jack imagines saving June with his friends, but June ends up saving Jack, Quint, and Dirk from the zombie ball instead. She also seems to be doing fine on her own, which contrasts with Jack’s repeated visions of her in peril and him saving the day. (Chapters 11-12)

CHAPTERS 13-18

Reading Check

1. Throwing tennis balls at zombies (Chapter 13)

2. June saw her parents drive past on a bus. They tried to get off to get to her, so she hopes they will return and find her. (Chapter 13)

3. Blarg can’t see well without lots of light. (Chapter 14)

4. They catapult a big-screen television at him. (Chapter 16)

5. The team of friends (Chapters 17-18)

Short Answer

1. Quint assembles weapons using his scientific knowledge. Examples include “stink bombs” and “acid eye blast capsules.” He relies on his intelligence and innovation rather than strength. (Chapter 14)

2. To save his friends, Jack runs away from Big Mama; the lights on his shoes draw Blarg’s attention away from them. Rover arrives and helps Jack travel faster. (Chapters 15-16)

3. Jack has been moved to numerous foster families and houses, and he has never really felt at home in any of them. The treehouse is the first place where he feels at home, so he is determined to fight for it. (Chapter 17)

4. Jack is impulsive and rushes into battle, while Quint is more calculating, planning and developing weapons and ideas that complement Jack’s brash actions. Together, they face far better odds than they do individually. (Chapters 13-18)

5. The last chapter builds moods of joy, celebration, and hope. This can be seen when the four friends are together in the treehouse, forming a battle-tested “team” and family. Jack plans rest and fun for them as he recuperates and prepares for the next battle, adding a dash of anticipation. (Chapter 18)