• THEME IS THE L IFE LESSON OF A STORY OR THE AUTHOR’S MESSAGE.

• IN MOST STORIES (WITH THE EXCEPTION OF FABLES) , THE AUTHOR WILL NOT TELL READERS WHAT THE THEME OR LESSON OF THE STORY IS . READERS WILL HAVE TO THINK ABOUT WHAT THE CHARACTERS DID WRONG OR RIGHT AND WHAT THEY CAN LEARN FROM THE CHARACTER’S EXPERIENCE.

Theme

What’s the Theme?

Tim hated his old baseball glove. He wanted to play with a new glove, but

he didn’t have any money, so he decided to steal it. But when Tim got

caught stealing the glove, his parents said he couldn’t play

baseball all summer.

The lesson of the story is that if you

want something, you should work for it.

Common Themes

PerseveranceAcceptanceIndividualityHopeFairnessPeaceDiscrimination and

rising above CourageFriendshipTrust

JusticeViolenceRace-relationsLoveFreedomChildhoodSurvivalGrowing upFamily