What did you find surprising after analyzing your text after watching the videos from Dr. Youngs? 

Where do the books that you have chosen for the week fall within the Continuum? Did you have more of one category over the others? Why do you think that is? 

Starfish

• Why do you think Ellie wants to be a storyteller or a poet?

• What other power structures exist in the book?

• What did you think of Ellie's "Fat Girl Rules"?

• How do things change for Ellie when she goes to Diana’s store (p. 37)? What does she notice that makes her act and feel differently?

• How did you feel when you read about Ellie having to hide food (p. 56) and not being allowed to learn to play piano (p. 51)?

• What is it like for Ellie when Catalina’s siblings let her sit in the front of the minivan (p. 75)? This could seem like a small action; does it feel that way to Ellie?

• Why doesn’t Ellie feel better when she does things that can be seen as ways of standing up for herself, like insult her classmates back (p. 81) or steal the photo card from the tourists (p. 110)?

• What does it mean for Ellie to invite Catalina to swim with her (p. 134)? How does it represent the changes in their friendship and in Ellie?

• How would you have handled the situation with Marissa and Kortnee? What do you think Ellie did right?

• How did you feel when Ellie finally confronted her mom? What events in the book made Ellie ready to do this?

• In what ways in your life do you “starfish”? What does it mean and look like for you?