Narrative arcs and the prototypical “Plot Diagram” are essential for building literary comprehension and appreciation. Plot diagrams allow students to pick out major themes in the text, trace changes to major characters over the course of the narrative, and hone their analytic skills.
Stanley believes his family is cursed because of his great- great grandfather's failure to fulfill a promise to Madame Zeroni.
CLIMAX
Stanley is accused of stealing a pair of shoes and is sent to a boys detention camp.
FALLING ACTION
At the camp, the boys are made to dig holes all day. Stanley makes a friend named Zero, and he finds a lipstick container.
RESOLUTION
The curse of this family is lifted when he carries Zero to the top of the mountain.
The boys spend a week away from the camp, eating onions, before the decide to go back and look for the treasure.
With the curse lifted, the two boys’ luck turns around; they find the treasure, get out of the camp, Stanley’s dad invents a foot odor eliminator, Zero finds his mom, the camp is shut down and everything is just perfect!