The Pinballs

The Pinballs

• Genre: Fiction; middle grade realistic
• Originally Published: 1976
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 600L; grades 4-6
• Structure/Length: 26 chapters; approx. 144 pages; approx. 2 hours, 44 minutes on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: Accustomed to being bounced from place to place in foster care, untrusting teen Carlie gradually allows herself to become friends with Harvey and Thomas J, two other foster teens in the home where she is placed.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Foster care; stories of past abuse; the mental, emotional, and physical abuse of children; the text also briefly discusses abandonment, alcohol addiction, and suicidal ideation.

Betsy Byars, Author

• Bio: 1928-2020; studied math in college before changing her program of study to English; began writing for young readers when her own children were young; became a popular and prolific writer of fiction for teens and children, including the Newbery Medal-winning Summer of the Swans (1970) and The Night Swimmers (1980), which earned a National Book Award for Young People's Literature; awarded the Regina Medal by the Catholic Library Association for body of work
• Other Works: The Midnight Fox (1968); The 18th Emergency (1973); Cracker Jackson (1985); The Keeper of the Doves (2002); The Moon and I (1991)
• Awards: Josette Frank Children’s Book Award (1977)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• The Effects of Parental Abuse on Children
• Getting What You Want Versus Getting What You Need
• The Importance of Love and Support

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Guide, students will:

• Gain an understanding of the sociocultural and psychological contexts around the American foster care system and childhood abuse/neglect, both of which affect the children’s experiences throughout The Pinballs.
• Study paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of The Effects of Parental Abuse on Children, Getting What You Want Versus Getting What You Need, and The Importance of Love and Support.
• Research the history of the ABC Afterschool Special and then create a graphic T-chart to perform a comparative analysis between the book and the TV movie adaptation of The Pinballs.
• Analyze and evaluate the plot and character details to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding Thomas J’s inability to verbalize his feelings, the children’s emotional transformations over the course of the novel, and other topics.