During my "Of Mice and Men" unit I have students read both "Out of the Dust" by Karen Hesse and "Ellen Foster" by Kaye Gibbons as a means of not only getting a deeper understanding of John Steinbeck's story but also making text-to-text connections. "Out of the Dust" helps students understand the setting and characters in "Of Mice and Men" while Ellen Foster helps them understand some of the themes stemming from the topic of "homelessness" and "the search for belonging". These questions are intended to help students think about each text on its own as well as make connections to :Of Mice and Men".