Reader Guide for Losing Faith

Title: Losing Faith
Author: Denise Jaden
Publisher: Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Date of Publication: September 2010
ISBN: 978-1416996095

This reader guide may be duplicated for classroom, book club discussion group,or related purposes.

Author Biography:  Denise Jaden’s novels have been shortlisted or received awards through the Romance Writers of America, Inspy, and SCBWI. The first draft of her debut novel, Losing Faith (Simon & Schuster), was written in 21 days during NaNoWriMo 2007 and she loves talking with writers and students alike about her Just-Get-To-The-End fast-drafting process. Jaden’s other young adult novels include Never Enough (Simon & Schuster) and Foreign Exchange (an Editor’s Pick from Evernight Teen). Her non-fiction books for writers include, Writing with a Heavy Heart and Fast Fiction. Find out more at Denisejaden.com.

About the Book: A terrible secret. A terrible fate.

When Brie’s sister, Faith, dies suddenly, Brie’s world falls apart. As she goes through the bizarre and devastating process of mourning the sister she never understood and barely even liked, everything in her life seems to spiral farther and farther off course. Her parents are a mess, her friends don’t know how to treat her, and her perfect boyfriend suddenly seems anything but.As Brie settles into her new normal, she encounters more questions than closure: Certain facts about the way Faith died just don’t line up. Brie soon uncovers a dark and twisted secret about Faith’s final night…a secret that puts her own life in danger.

Discussion Questions:

1. At the beginning of the book, Brie plans to lose her virginity to the wrong guy. If her sister hadn’t inadvertently stopped her, would she have gone through with it? How might her life have been different if she had slept with Dustin?
2. What does Brie gain from her poetry?
3. In one of their talks, Brie tells Alis that Tessa is a good friend. What makes Tessa a good friend? How is she not a good friend? How does Brie’s friendship with Tessa compare or contrast with her friendship with Amy?
4. Brie considers herself a follower in many ways. Discuss what does or does not make her a follower.
5. How did Brie’s spirituality change over the course of the book? How did she remain unchanged? How does Brie’s spirituality compare or contrast with Faith’s?
6. How did Brie’s opinion of her sister change throughout the novel?
7. In what ways are Alis and Brie suited for one another? In what ways aren’t they?
8. Where do you think Brie will be a year from now? Will she still attend youth group? What about Tessa? Will Brie be a leader or a follower?

Cross-curriculum Tie-ins:

Music – Make a playlist for Losing Faith and describe why you chose each song.

Drama – Reenact the cliff scene at the end of Losing Faith. Choose students to play Brie, Celeste, Reena, Nathan, Alis, Tessa, and the two police officers. Write out a short script for this scene. Or, alternatively, choose a different scene and act it out.

Activities and Projects:

1. Write an alternate ending for Losing Faith. Here are few ideas to get you started: What if Tessa had shown up on the cliff before the police? What if Alis had gone to the neighbors for help? What if Celeste had backed out and left Brie on her own with Reena and Nathan?
2. Write a poem describing someone in your family or one of your close friends. Try to give each line an equal number of syllables and include events as well as descriptions.
3. Write the newspaper report or act out the TV news about Faith for the day after her death.
4. Create a mock-up social media account for one of the characters from Losing Faith. Find a profile picture of what you think the character would look like and add some history to their profile.
5. Write a new scene into the book anywhere you want it to appear.
6. Create a book trailer, or mini Youtube video for Losing Faith. Incorporate pictures, video clips, or music that you think would tell the story of Losing Faith.

Related Reads:

If you liked this book, you may also enjoy:

• Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher
• The Truth About Forever, by Sarah Dessen
• Looking For Alaska, by John Green
• Once Was Lost, by Sara Zar