Name: __________________________________________ Date: _____________

Annotation Guide for "The Utterly Perfect Murder"

As you read, make sure you are paying attention to the element of plot: characters (first and last names, physical
traits, actions, and behaviors), setting (when and where), conflicts, plot structure, point of view, etc. Feel free to
take notes on the back!

Complete the following notes as you read…

1. End of page 19 - Make a prediction: Who does the narrator want to kill and why?

2. End of first column on page 20 – Who is the narrator/protagonist? ________________________________

Evaluate: What do you think of him?

3. End of second column on page 20 – Who is the antagonist? _____________________________________

Evaluate: What do you think of him?

What literary technique is the author using when the protagonist talks about his past?

4. End of page 21 – Identify Main Ideas: List the reasons Doug gives for why he is on this journey. Note: The
reasons begin on the bottom of page 20.
1.

2.

3.

4.

Evaluate: What do you think of Doug now? Do you feel sorry for Doug?

5. Middle of the first column on page 23 ("I walked up on the porch and saw on the mailbox in small letters:
UNDERHILL) – Make a prediction: What will happen next?

6. End of page 23 – Identify Main Ideas: Compare Doug and Ralph as kids and as adults.

7. End of the story – Summarize: Write a 2-4 sentence summary of the story.