36 Fiction Reading Response Questions
These reading response prompts are perfect for book clubs, literature circles, independent reading, guided discussions, and more! The standards-based questions will work with ANY fiction book or short story.
Ideas for using these literature response questions with students:
- Discussion Starters
- Novel Study Questions
- Comprehension Assessment
- Guided Reading Groups
- Book Club Conversations
- Literature Circle Discussions
- Structured Literary Analysis
- Partner Talks
- Writing Prompts
- Literacy Center Activities
- Speaking & Listening Practice
1. Describe a character that changed during the story. Explain how and why they changed.
2. If you were transported to the setting of this book, what would you see, hear, or smell?
3. Is this book fiction or nonfiction? How do you know?
4. Why do you think the author wrote this book?
5. If you had to trade places with one of the characters from this story, who would it be? Why?
6. Describe the most exciting part of the story. Explain why it was exciting.
7. How would the story change if it was told from a different point of view?
8. Which character do you like most? Explain why.
9. Does the title of the book fit the story? Why or why not?
10. If you could change one thing about this story, what would you change? Why?
Reading Response Dice Activities
🎲 Make literary analysis fun!
🎲 Use throughout the year with any book!
🎲 Engage students in meaningful discussions about literature!
11. If you could add a new character to the story, who would it be? Why?
12. Would this book make a good movie? Why or why not? Who should play the main character?
13. If you could ask the author one question about this book, what would you ask?
14. Describe the setting. How would the story be different if it happened in another place?
15. If you could give the book a different title, what would it be?
16. Describe one character in the story. Use three adjectives in your description.
17. Describe one feeling you had while reading this book. What made you feel that way?
18. Would you recommend this story to a friend? Why or why not?
19. Create a new ending for the story. What would you change to make it different?
20. Predict what might happen next if the story continued.
21. Summarize the plot of the story in five sentences or less.
22. Compare two characters in the story. How are they alike, and how are they different?
23. Describe something you learned from reading this story.
24. What was your favorite part of the book? Explain why.
25. What was the conflict or problem in this story? How was it solved?
26. If you could make a new cover for the book, what would it look like? Why?
27. On a scale from 1-5 (1=worst, 5= best), what would you rate this book? Explain why.
28. What does the author want readers to learn from this story?
29. Choose one word to describe the main character. Explain your word choice.
30. Describe what happened at the beginning, middle, and end of the story.
31. Would you like to read more books by this author? Why or why not?
32. Did you like how the story ended? Why or why not?
33. Describe one thing about this story that surprised you. Explain why.
34. Which character do you like the least? Explain why.
35. State two facts and two opinions about this story.
36. If you could change one thing about the setting of this book, what would you change? Explain why?
Use these standards-based questions to encourage readers to dig deeper, interact with the text, think critically.
🎲 Dice Game Directions: Working with partners or in small groups, students take turns rolling two dice. Each time they roll, they must answer the question that matches the number on their dice. Play continues until time runs out.
🎲 3 Game Boards: Each print and digital game board includes 12 standards-based reading comprehension questions. Three different game boards are included (36 questions total), so students can play multiple times throughout the year without repeating the same questions.
🎲 Print & Digital Options: The game boards are easily accessible as printable PDFs and Google Slides. A printer-friendly black/white version is also included.
Need pre-reading activities for your next class novel? Click HERE to get 16 questions that will work with ANY book!
