A Child Called “It”
by Dave Pelzer
About_
This study guide accompanies Dave Pelzer’s memoir ‘A Child Called “It”,’ which recounts his childhood experience
of severe abuse and his journey toward survival and healing. It is organized by chapter to help students track key
events, characters, and turning points throughout the narrative. Each chapter section includes factual
comprehension questions as well as critical thinking prompts to encourage deeper reflection. This study guide
contains 91 questions across 7 chapter sections (70 Factual + 21 Critical), 1 Crossword Puzzle (12 clues), and 1
Character Focus Activity.
What’s Included_
This study guide features 7 sets of 10 Factual Questions with an answer key (70 total), 7 sets of 3 Critical Analysis
Questions (21 total), 1 Crossword Puzzle (12 clues), and 1 Character Focus Activity (8 traits + evidence prompt +
critical thinking question).
Target Grades_
Grades 8-10
Teacher Note_
This guide is designed to help students engage thoughtfully with a difficult but important true story, building both
comprehension and empathy along the way. The mix of factual and critical questions supports differentiated
discussion, while the character study and crossword offer lower-stakes ways to reinforce key details. We hope it
saves you preparation time so you can focus on facilitating meaningful classroom conversations.