Have you ever felt invisible or out of place? Compare your own experiences to those of the characters in the story.

Why do the students feel inspired to reach out and help Celeste? How do a person’s own experiences of adversity build empathy and understanding?

What kinds of pressure are put on each of the students, and why? How does each of them manage these pressures?

How do the students learn to balance Individual Identity and Group Solidarity by the conclusion of the story? Analyze at least one example per character in your response.

What evidence is presented throughout the story that the students experience racism and stereotyping from the school staff and from other students? How do they each react to being stereotyped, and how do they come to prove these stereotypes wrong?

What kinds of assumptions do people tend to make about those who are experiencing poverty? What is the harm created by having such preconceived notions about others?

Why did Gonzalez choose to include both the Spanish and English translations for most of the dialogue? How does the use of both languages aid in characterization, and how does it help the reader?

How do the illustrations contribute to a broader understanding of the story’s characters and themes? Consider the plain backgrounds, expressive facial features, use of vivid color, paneling choices, and anything else you notice about the artistic style.

In what ways do each of the students’ backgrounds differ, and in what ways are they alike? How do their differences end up bringing them closer together?