A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Part 1, Chapters 1-5

Reading Check

1. What two words were spray-painted on the Singh family home after Sal had been accused of murdering Andie?

2. What is the name of Andie's dog?

3. Andie looks up to her friend Cara's dad as a father figure. What is Cara's father's name and profession?

4. Andie takes great pains not to upset Naomi when interviewing her in Chapter 5. What tragic event has made Naomi so emotionally fragile?

Short Answer

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

1. What is Pip's senior capstone proposal topic?

2. When speaking to Andie, Ravi reveals that he doesn't feel like he's allowed to grieve Sal. Why does Ravi feel this way? Who or what is blocking Sal's grieving process?

Paired Resource

"Inside the Book: Holly Jackson"

•  Author Holly Jackson provides general context and background on A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.
• This resource relates to the theme of The Importance of Finding Out the Truth.
• Jackson says that her obsession with true crime led her to write A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. Conduct brief research first if needed, then list five characteristics of the true crime genre. How are those characteristics featured in the book so far? Do you enjoy true crime? What do you like/dislike about it, and why?

Part 1, Chapters 6-11

Reading Check

1. What is Pip's mother's name?

2. What personal item of Sal's is Ravi still holding on to?

3. What type of number do Pip and Ravi believe that the "009 KKJ" listed in a note on Sal's phone was?

Short Answer

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

1. The community shames the Singh family because of Sal's alleged guilt in Andie’s murder. Name two ways the community shames the Singh family, as detailed in this section of the novel.

Part 2, Chapters 12-16

Reading Check

1. To what university is Pip is applying for early admission?

2. What does Nat confess to putting inside Andie's locker in Chapter 14?

3. Where will Becca, Andie's younger sister, be interning?

Short Answer

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

1. What reason does Mr. Ward give to Pip to explain why Andie disliked him?

Paired Resource

"Adnan Syed Is Free – and It Only Took Years of Criminal Justice Reform"

• This article details the case of a man convicted of murder who served 23 years of a life sentence before being released, highlighting flaws in the US criminal justice system.
• This resource relates to the theme of The Importance of Finding Out the Truth.
• There are numerous parallels between Adnan's and Sal's stories—this is no coincidence, since Holly Jackson has confessed to being a fan of the true crime podcast that ultimately helped free Adnan. What are some of the similarities between Adnan's and Sal's stories so far?

Part 2, Chapters 17-22

Reading Check

1. What does Pip ask Stephen for at the calamity party?

2. How does Pip confirm that the man waiting in the train station parking lot is Howie?

3. What type of drugs had Annie been dealing at calamity parties before she died?

Short Answer

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

1. What reason does Pip give to her friends for why she finally wants to go to a calamity party, and what is the real reason?

Part 2, Chapters 23-28

Reading Check

1. From what months and in what year are the pages Pip takes pictures of from Andie's planner?

2. What is the name of the grandson of the woman who claims to own Ivy House Inn?

3. Once they have an accurate idea of the time Sal was alone the night of Andie's disappearance, how much time do Pip and Ravi estimate Sal would have had to murder Andie?

4. When Pip confronts Max and Cara about who took the Facebook photo of their group (Naomi, Max, Millie, and Jake) on the night that Andie disappeared, Naomi behaves suspiciously. How does Naomi respond?

Short Answer

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

1. How is Pip wondering when she became "this person" in Chapter 25 evidence of one of Pip's moral dilemmas?

Paired Resource

"Why Are We So Interested in Crime Stories?"

• This piece by Richard Lettieri, a Ph.D. who runs a forensic psychology practice, examines what our interests in crime stories reveal about ourselves.
• This resource relates to the themes of The Search for Identity and The Importance of Finding Out the Truth.
• How is Pip's character similar to and different from the true crime fans Dr. Lettieri references in his article?

Part 3, Chapters 29-33

Reading Check

1. What "gut instinct" of hers has Pip confirmed at the beginning of Part 3 of the book?

2. What does the note Pip finds in her locker in this section of the book say?

3. Describe the building that Becca tells Pip she is writing an article about for the Fairview Mail.

Short Answer

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

1. In Chapter 30, Pip writes a draft of her personal essay for college applications but decides to delete it. Why does she delete it? What does this reveal about Pip's character development up to this point in the novel?

Part 3, Chapters 34-38

Reading Check

1. What text message does Pip receive after her dog goes missing?

2. What items must Pip bring with her to the tennis club parking lot to get her dog back?

3. Why does Ravi become infuriated with Pip at the end of Chapter 36?

Short Answer

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

1. How does Pip try to protect Ravi at the end of Chapter 36? What does this reveal about her character development?

Paired Resource

"Decoding the Detective's 'Crazy Wall'"

• What Pip and Ravi refer to as a murder board is a popular trope in the detective fiction/true crime genre, called a "Crazy Wall" in this Esquire article, in which journalist Richard Benson examines the evolution of the Crazy Wall throughout film and television history and determines if there is any basis for it in real-life detective work. 
• This resource relates to the theme of The Importance of Finding Out the Truth.
• Reflect upon the scene in Chapter 37 when Pip and Ravi create their murder board. What did you learn from this scene? What do you think of this popular trope?

Part 3, Chapters 39-43

Reading Check

1. On what days does Mr. Ward tutor?

2. What surveillance app does Pip use to track Mr. Ward's movements?

3. Where does Mr. Ward travel toward instead of Stamford?

Short Answer

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

1. In Chapter 39, how does Pip learn that it was Mr. Ward who wrote the anonymous note that had been stuffed into her locker?

Part 3, Chapters 44-48

Reading Check

1. Where is Mr. Ward holding someone captive?

2. What are Ravi's parents' names?

3. How did Pip's dog die?

Short Answer

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

1. How do Pippa's skills in linguistic analysis eventually lead her to identify Andie's true killer?

Recommended Next Reads 

Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson

• In this sequel to A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, Pip and Ravi team up to create a true crime podcast about their investigation of the Andie Bell case, thinking that their amateur sleuthing days are behind them—until another community member goes missing.
• Shared themes include The Importance of Discovering the Truth and The Search for Identity.
• Shared topics include true crime, investigative journalism, self-discovery, and social media uses and abuses.
• Good Girl, Bad Blood on SuperSummary

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

• Sherlock Holmes is the archetypal detective character, and many true crime tropes have their origins in this work.
• Shared themes include The Importance of Finding Out the Truth and The Search for Identity.
• Shared topics include investigative practices, self-discovery, and the conflict between what is imagined and what is real.
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes on SuperSummary