Assess students' ability to analyze how point of view (e.g., first-person, third-person limited), unreliable narration, and irony interact to develop theme in middle-grade short fiction. Tasks include identifying narrator type and reliability, citing textual evidence, explaining how language, omissions, contradictions, and ironic situations shape readers' interpretation of theme, and composing a focused analytical paragraph comparing two brief passages. Emphasize analysis over summary and alignment with Grade 6–8 complexity.