Discussion Questions

Link for more general discussion questions: http://www.fno.org/nov97/toolkit.html

Fly Girl

1. If you were Ida Mae would you have tried to join the WASP, why or why not?
2. What do you think Ida Mae did after the war?
3. How does Mrs. Jones' love for Ida justify her disdain for Ida's choices?
4. If you were a general in the army, how would you help W.A.S.P.?
5. Do you think Lily would have remained friends with Ida Mae if she knew her ethnicity?
6. What do you think Ida Mae's true reason for joining the WASP was?
7. Why does Sherri often sing the song "Shoo fly don't bother me?"
8. If Ida Mae had not made it into the WASP program, where would she have ended up?
9. Ida Mae often found herself in situations where she had to hide the "colored" part of her, what are some of these circumstances?
10. Both Patsy and Lily thought that Ida Mae was white, what evidence proves that they would still accept Ida even if they had found out about her race?
11. If Ida Mae had told her friends Patsy and Lily that she was African American what would their reactions have been?
12. What would a 10-year reunion look like for the WASP? Focus on four specific characters.
13. If you were a character in the book, who would you be or did you relate the most to and why?
14. What happens next and why???
15. What do you think would have happened to Ida Mae if the military had found out the truth about her?
16. Do you think Mama was really angry at Ida Mae's decision, or do you think that deep down she was proud of her.
17. If Patsy were still alive, what do you think she would have told Ida on graduation day?
18. Develop new nicknames for Patsy, Ida, and Lily and tell why you chose them.
19. Why do you think the Army Air Corps and the US Government would let women fly military planes, even to shame male pilots, then refuse them Military honors. Keep in mind, Congress passed a bill to incorporate the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) into the regular Army(Women's Army Corps or WAC), but voted against doing the same for the WASPs.
20. Given the US military's high rate of gender and race discrimination during the period before World War II, the government made attempts to incorporate those groups. Do you think that if enough African-American women volunteered as pilots, the government would have accepted them? Remember, the government created the WASPs, WAC, and Tuskegee squadron (an entire African-American fighter squadron).
21. Do you think Ida Mae Jones and Jolene ever rejoice?
22. What do you think happens between Ida Mae and Walt after the story ends?
23. Justify Ida Mae's decision to remain silent about her background and analyze its potential impact with her friends in the WASP program.
24. How would you feel if you were Lily and you just found out that one of your best friends wasn't what she portrayed herself to be?
25. How is Walt going to respond to Ida's letter?
26. How will the friendships with Jolene and Lily pan out since Ida has picked flying above all else now?
27. Do you think any of the struggles Ida Mea had during her experience still occurs today? If so, which ones?
28. Take the view point of the story in "Patsy's" eyes. Do you think she suspected what Ida Mea was hiding? How would the story alter in her point of view?
29. Ida Mae "passes" as white so she can become a member of the WASP program. What other examples of "passing," besides race, are present in the novel? Do you think the notion of "passing" to determine one's identity is a thing of the past?
30. Ida Mae was able to attend an institution that tapped into her greatest interest-FLYING! If her mom had the opportunity to attend a school based on her interests, background or gender what would it be?
31. If asked to pretend to be something you weren't like Ida Mae was, how would you handle the situation compared to how Ida Mae handled the situation?
32. Ida Mae handled her stress with knots in her handkerchief, what are other ways that she could have handled her stress?
33. If you were Ida Mae originate a plan that you might of took to be able to get your flying license?
34. Examine Ida Mae as a character and rank who you think the most important characters are?
35. Where do you predict Ida May will be in 10 years? Will she write the letter to Walt? How will he respond?
36. What is one of the songs which helped Ida May through rough times and why was it helpful to her?
37. What do you think Ida Mae's life was like after the war was over and why? (i.e. who was she with, what was her job, where did she live)
38. How would Ida Mae's life have been different if she were 20years old right now, in 2010? (Compare and contrast with the struggles and happenings of her life in the novel)
39. In terms of rationing, what items would you be willing to do without? What items would you be unwilling to give up? Why?
40. Predict what will happen to Ida Mae and Walt's relationship once he receives her letter revealing the truth.
41. Do you think the members of WASP played an important part in American efforts during WWII? Why or why not?
42. What do you think would have happened to Ida Mae if the Army found out she was really African American and not white?
43. What were the struggles that Ida had to deal with as an African American woman during WWII?
44. Describe her journey as a WASP and as an African American woman.

Bayou

1. If you were Lee would you be afraid of Bayou? Why or why not?
2. Why do you think everyone believed Lily instead of Lee and her father?
3. If Lee were to rename her axe, what would she name it and why?
4. How would you have handled the situation where Lee was diving for Billy Glass's body?
5. Would you like to have Lily as a friend? What would you do if you had lost your locket?
6. What do you think will happen in Volume Two?
7. If Miss Westmoreland hates Lee and her father so much, why does she continue to let Lily play with Lee?
8. How does Lee originally meet Bayou and what do they think of each other?
9. Describe Bayou in ten words or less.
10. If Lily could have anything she wanted what would it be?
11. If you could write an ending for this story what would it be?
12. If you were a character in this book who would you be and what would you do differently?
13. How do the pictures add or detract from the story (author's imagination vs. readers)
14. How would you feel Hattie or Lily's shoes?
15. Why do you think the monster didn't eat Lee when he ate Lilly? Why do you think this?
16. Compare the two worlds that Lee experiences in the story.
17. Do you believe that Lily was a bad friend? Why or Why not?
18. Create your own ending for the story.
19. Why do you think Enoch wanted revenge against Andrew Jackson and the United States, yet his son was fighting in one of the only African-American regiments in the US army during the civil war?
20. Explain why you think Bayou was so subservient to the other "people" of the swamp and never thought to defend himself?
21. How does this story reflect our society either in the past or today?
22. In four words describe the character Bayou.
23. With the plot of the story left wide open, come up with some possible alternate endings to the story.
24. Discuss what the Bayou represented and relate it to the history at the time.
25. After Lee wakes up at her aunt's house, she dreamed of a bunny. What do you believe that bunny will or does represent?
26. What is your opinion of the quote, " 'You say brave, my daddy say I ain't got no sense' "?
27. What do you think the use of animals in this story represents?
28. Write a quick tid-bit of the story in Bayou's eyes.
29. Dissect the character of Lee. Then, choose a couple of characteristics that define her as a character. Is their evidence of her struggling to retain these qualities while she navigates through a dangerous world to help save her father's life?
30. The fairy guy that Lee sees under the water when she goes to retrieve Billy Glass's body assumes kind of a random role throughout the first volume of Bayou. What do you think is the real story behind the fairy boy, and do you think his character will build and be present in future volumes?
31. Why do you think it was important for this book to be a graphic novel? How did illustrations help create the plot?
32. Since this is only volume one, what role do you think each character will play in the upcoming volumes? Will Lee continue to be a strong character fighting for her fathers freedom, or will her surrounds cause her to fall? Will Lilly ever tell the truth to her parents? What is the importance of Bayou?
33. In the book, Bayou, compare and contrast the characteristics of Lily and Lee?
34. Examine the childhood of Lee and predict how you think her life has been up until this point?
35. What do you think will happen to Lee's father and Lily? What will happen in volume two of the book?
36. Who or what do you think the Bayou represents in this story?
37. Write a newspaper article like "Tragedy On The Bayou", but about what really happened to Lily down at the Bayou.
38. Write the ending that you would like to see happen for Bayou.
39. Predict what will happen in volume 2 of Bayou.
40. Formulate a meaning for one example of symbolism.
41. Describe what you think happens in Bayou Volume 2.
42. Think of another title for the book and explain why you chose it.
43. Imagine some of the illustrations in Bayou without descriptions (words). Write what you think the panel should say, or pick your favorite illustration from the book and write about your feelings about it.
44. Insert yourself into the story. What character would you be? What would you say or do?

Tales from Outer Suburbia

1. Why do you think the author chose this title for the book?
2. What story do you most relate to and why?
3. Would you ask the buffalo a question? Why? What do you think the answer would be?
4. Erik left with hardly a word but clearly went through a lot of work to show his gratitude. How do you think the family would have liked to have said goodbye?
5. What do you think the relationship was between the man in the diving gear and Mrs. Katayama in "Broken Toys"? Why was the man in the diving gear?
6. What do you think the purpose behind the scavenger hunt in "Grandpa's Story" was?
7. How did Mrs. Bad News know the diver?
8. What did Grandma and Grandpa find when getting out their spare tire and how do you think they got there?
9. What is your favorite story from the book and why?
10. Which character from any of the stories has the most heart and why?
11. What toy would you leave on the roof for the reindeer and do you think he would choose yours?
12. What piece of rubbish would you place in the box to "make your own pet?"
13. Can you relate to any of Tan's stories? How or why?
14. What stories would you put in a book of your life?
15. How is outer suburbia different from where you live? How is it the same?
16. Do you think situations like in the book really happen around you? Why do or don't you notice them?
17. Create two questions that the foreign exchange student, Eric, may have asked his host family.
18. Name one thing that may have appeared on Grandpa and Grandma's wedding scavenger hunt list.
19. Does the fact that this book was written by an Australian change the way you view any of it? Why?
20. If you were to take all of the stories and connect them into one plot, which characters would you focus on and why?
21. Why do people have such a hard time sharing their poems or other works of art?
22. How do you think Mrs. Katayema and the man in the suite know each oher?
23. In "no other country" there is a mystical inner courtyard. What kind of things would you have in your courtyard to make it a home away from home?
24. In "stick figures" draw the correlation of the stick figures and the invasion of humans into the wilderness.
25. The collection of stories that take place within outer suburbia tell us about their lives, can you see a connection between any of the stories?
26. What other stories do you think outer suburbia can tell us about?
27. In "No other country", what a description of what you think the courtyard looks like. Or draw a a picture of some of the scenery.
28. Finish the story in "Our expedition". Write the reasons for what happened to the rest of the city.
29. In the story "Eric," why do you think the illustrator chose to draw him that way? For example, why is he that size?
30. In the story of "Grandpa's Story," Tan uses pictures to describe the events that transpire on the scavenger hunt that the couple must complete before they can get married. Generate a meaning of each illustration, and create a paragraph (2 or 3 sentences) describing the message that you think Tan is intending to convey to his readers.
31. How do you think these short stories all relate to one another? If you were to assign them one overall theme, what would it be and why?
32. Pick your favorite short story from the collection. Explain how the pictures help depict the story? Why were pictures important to telling this story?
33. In the book, Tales from outer suburbia take two stories from tho book and compare them.
34. In Eric where do you think he is going to and support your answer with evidence from the story.
35. Which story did you relate most to and why?
36. What do you think the significance of the scavenger hunt was in Grandpa's Story. Why did they have to complete it before getting married?
37. In the story "Stick Figures", where did the stick people come from, and what would a normal day in their lives be like?
38. For the story "Broken Toys", write a poem about the diver and Mrs. Katayama's relationship.
39. Analyze Eric's method of departure.
40. Compose an alternate ending for "broken toys."
41. If you had to have a missile in your backyard, what would you do with it?
42. What was the purpose of the scavenger hunt for the newly weds?
43. If you were to ask the Watter Buffalo a question, what would it be?
44. What were your two favorite stories in this book and why?

When You Reach Me

1. Would you write the letter, why or why not?
2. If you won the money on the $20,000 pyramid, who or what in the book would you spend it on?
3. If you were trying to reach Miranda, what places in her life might you leave a note?
4. If Miranda was capable of time travel, what point in her life do you think she would most visit?
5. Predict Miranda's mother's reaction to Wal-Mart's business practices. Do you think she would support and shop at a corporation like Wal-Mart?
6. Analyze the discussions about time between Marcus, Miranda, and Juila throughout the book. How can you best explain the passage of time and the theory of time travel? Is time linear, or does time exist at all points at once?
7. Why didn't Sal just tell Miranda that he needed a break from their friendship?
8. Now that Richard has a key to the apartment, and Mom has her law school applications, how has life changed for Miranda?
9. If Julia could have anything that she wanted, what would she ask for?
10. Although Miranda was obsessed with "A Wrinkle in Time" if she had to switch books what kind of books would she be interested in?
11. What do you think Marcus's reaction would be to reading the letter?
12. What are the three most important pieces of information you would include in the letter to Marcus?
13. How do you think the story would have been told from Sal's point of view, or Julia's?
14. Do you believe Annemarie and Miranda were jealous of each other for any reason?
15. If you were Miranda, what would you tell Marcus in your letter about the future?
16. Why do you think Miranda did not like Julia at the beginning of the book? What do you think made her change her mind?
17. Compare Miranda's mother and Annemarie's dad.
18. What character would you choose from the book to be your friend? Why?
19. Why do you think it took so long for Miranda to realize why Sal was avoiding her?
20. Could you write instructions to someone you knew was going to die when they followed them?
21. How does the laughing man foreshadow what is about to happen?
22. In what ways does Miranda's favorite book A Wrinkle in Time relate to her story?
23. If you were going to buy a present for Miranda's mother, what would it be?
24. If Miranda were able to have a conversation with "The laughing man", what would it sound like, create a dialogue.
25. If Miranda could pick anywhere to time travel to, where would she go?
26. If you were to design a puzzle of this book, where would each piece fit and why?
27. Who did you think wrote the note to Miranda after the first note and why? the second note? the third note? the last note?
28. Which boy do you think Miranda would make a better match with Collin or Sal? give full reasons why.
29. Defend Marcus's theory that time "isn't a line stretching out in front of us, going in one direction. It's-well, time is just a construct, actually." What does he mean by construct?
30. Analyze the friendships in this story. Then, give your opinion as to why Stead chose to interject racism into the story. How does it affect the friendships?
31. If Miranda were in charge of deciding, how do you think Miranda would spend the prize money?
32. If you were to see the laughing man on your street corner, what do you think he would be doing?
33. Write what you would of wrote back to the mystery writer and support your ideas with evidence from the book.
34. Predict what would of happened if the "laughing man" would not of kicked Sal out of the way. How do you think Miranda would of reacted?
35. Marcus admitted to hitting Sal to see what would happen. What were the repercussions of hitting Sal?
36. If you had to make a grocery list for Miranda, what would be on it?
37. If you could choose one book for Miranda to read, what would it be and why?
38. You are an interior designer, how would you decorate Miranda's room and why? (i.e color, accessories, furniture)
39. How does Miranda's conversation with Marcus about Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time set the stage for the book as a whole? How do Marcus' concerns about time foreshadow certain events?
40. Predict how Marcus will react when he receives Miranda's letter.
41. Why do you think that Miranda made such an effort to become friends with Alice and Julia toward the end of the book?
42. Why did Jimmy not let Julia into his sandwich store?
43. What kind of discussion you think Marcus and Julia would have?
44. Describe the friendships that are formed throughout the book.