1. Many of the narratives we’ve read this year have themes of social justice. What similarities can you identify between the texts or characters’ experiences?
2. Both Nikki Grimes and Linda Sue Park, author of A Long Walk to Water, create fictional narratives of a real person’s story. What do you think could be the motive for writing a fictional account of a person’s actual life experience? What similarities and differences can you identify in the two authors’ storytelling processes?
3. By fictionalizing a true story, authors have an opportunity to craft and emphasize important social justice themes. What do you think Grimes wanted readers to think or feel about Bessie Coleman’s life as she crafted details to help us imagine her life’s experiences, challenges and triumphs? Give an example from the book.