One of the charges against the book is that it presents Polish peasants as barbarians. Research the culture of Polish villages during the war years and compare your findings to descriptions of peasant life in the novel.

Study the psychological effects of war trauma on children and compare your findings to the behavior of the main character.

Investigate the efforts to reunite children separated from their parents during the war years. How successful were these efforts?

Write a poem that expresses what it feels like to be an outcast.