Over the years, some of the best emails I've received have come from teachers who have used one of the novels in their class. Some use The Zero Game to teach about government, others use The Book of Fate to teach history, and some just use it to simply encourage reading and literacy (since the plots move fast and the characters are younger, kids can better relate). But over and over again, I keep getting letters about a kid who hated to read...until a teacher gave them one of the novels. It's the reason the state of Florida and the governor's office selected The Zero Game for their All Florida Reads program. And why Scraton, PA did it with The Book of Fate. And why the American Library Association gave us the award for Identity Crisis. And why every single year, we get letters written by classes of students, which are still the ones I save on my desk.
To that end, we've also developed the following Teacher's Guide if you'd like to use it with your class or your state. It was created by a real teacher for real teachers (no boring nonsense here). So feel free to download it and let us know if we can help in any other way.
The only reason I write today is because I had a teacher who singled out my writing (thanks, Ms. Spicer). So thanks to every teacher out there doing the same. You have 30 students, but we all had only one teacher.
Download the free Teacher's Guide for The Zero Game.
And to hear it from the students themselves:
Reflections on THE ZERO GAME by students who read it
What will you tell others about this novel?
This book is awesome…most people know it takes a lot for me to want to read…if it's good enough for me to read, it's good enough for anyone. –Kyle P.
I definitely enjoyed this book. It is now one of my new favorites; I have really started to like Brad's work. I would recommend it to anyone who likes thrilling, edge of your seat books. The Zero Game is the most creative book I have ever read. Who could have known that the bathroom scene in the beginning would lead to so much adventure throughout the book? –Lindsie H.
This book is one-of-a-kind. It is suspenseful, intriguing, full of detail and action, and shocking. Overall, this was the best book I ever read. –Kyle G.
I stayed up many nights simply because I couldn't put it down. –Jenn M.
This book has become my all-time favorite! --Jordyn J.
The Zero Game is a must read; it kept me hooked and always wanting more. I definitely want to read more from Brad Meltzer. –Scott J.
This book is very fast paced. Do not start it until you have a lot of time on your hands because you won't want to put it down. –Casey B.
What did you learn from your reading experience?
I never want to get a job in the government. I would be thinking about this book every time I showed up for work. –Alecia C.
I've learned that although a book is fictional, there could be a lot of truth in it. I learned so much about the government that I didn't know before.—Kyle P.
I will take with me a sense of fear of the Capitol; I will make sure that I never go into an office of any sort—ALONE… --Jordyn J.
I am taking away from this book a deep interest in government issues. The Zero Game made me want to find out what is really happening behind the polished doors in Washington. –Suzy T.
What did you enjoy about the author's writing style?
He really made this fiction book non-fiction in my mind.—Kyle G.
I didn't know I could get into an action book. I thought it would be difficult, but this one really kick-started my imagination. –Ashley M
Did the character development work for you as a reader?
I truly forgot by the end of the book that Viv was just a year older than so many of us. Her strength and maturity developed, making her seem wise beyond her years. –Jenn M.
In movies and other books you don't see the anger, rage, and heartlessness that Meltzer gave to Janos. It's insane how much description and effort was put into each character.—Lauren A.
Meltzer did a really good job portraying a black, teenage female. Viv went through a huge character change, going from a shy teenage Senate page to a bold, fearless young woman. That was a pretty big deal for a man to write about. –Lindsey S.
Meltzer truly develops characters like nobody I have ever read before. When I write, I want to see if I can write with the same intensity as he does. –Kayleigh W.
Who won The Zero Game?
Janos won. He didn't get caught; he killed his boss; he didn't get caught; he got paid for the job and went on vacation; he didn't get caught, and he was never found. It's unfair, YES, but Janos won in the end. –Lauren A.
No one won The Zero Game. No one came away with what they wanted. It's like Barry said, "Multiply anything by zero, you end up with zero." –Chelsea G.
My students and I won The Zero Game. In 30+ years of teaching, I have never utilized a book which students enjoyed so much. When I made out-of-class reading assignments, they literally begged for more pages because they did not want to stop reading. After The Zero Game, all other reading selections—even Julius Caesar—paled in comparison. Your book made my job easy! –Mrs. Bell, English 10 Pre-AP