Notice and Note Anchor Questions
This is the question we should ask ourselves when we encounter a Memory Moment
What is "why is this memory important?"?
This book's inciting incident occurs when what happens to Petra's home?
What is the Federales burn it down?
The year this book takes place is a pivotal year for the Revolution.
What is 1913?
What happened to Petra's mother prior to the events of the book?
What is she died in childbirth?
"I couldn't take that chance, not when I had a promise to fulfill." pg. 182
What is Again and Again?
This is the question we should ask ourselves when we encounter an Aha Moment.
What is "how might this change things?"?
Petra's inner conflict in this book revolves around this that she made before her father was taken away.
What is her promise? (to take care of her family)
The government forces that Papá is forced to fight with.
The Federales
Petra carries this around throughout the book, a gift from her father.
What is her black rock/lump of coal/baby diamond?
"My mamá told me that when good, hardworking people have dreams, it's always nice to help make them come true." pg. 71
What is Words of the Wiser?
This is the question we should ask ourselves when we encounter Again and Again.
What is "why might the author bring this up over and over?"?
Had Petra not done this, Marietta may never have helped her and her family out.
What is beg (for alms)?
Marietta's army is known as this for going against the government.
What is the rebels/the Revolucionarios?
Abuelita refers to this desire of Petra's as a "barefoot dream" that people like them are never meant to reach.
"I walked away, leaving part of me with Marietta but gaining so much more. The strength I'd seen in her--the one I'd envied the night before--I had it. It'd been with me all along. It took meeting someone like Marietta to help me realize it." pg. 190
What is an Aha Moment?
This is the question we should ask when we encounter Tough Questions.
What is "what does this question make me wonder about?"?
Petra's hope of getting to America is seemingly crushed when this happens at the Piedras Niegras border.
What is the bridge fare is too expensive?
Petra's father was a supporter of his, prior to the leader's assassination.
Who is Francisco Madero?
The author of this book, who was inspired by the stories of her own family.
Who is Alda P. Dobbs?
"My family looked so peaceful and content, but how long would it last?" pg. 138
What is a Tough Question?
What is "what is the life lesson and how might it affect the character?"?
This innocent character dies during the train crash.
Who is Chencha? (Inocencia = innocence)
The rebels side with this leader of the Mexican Revolution.
Who is Pancho Villa?
Abuelita's native tongue is not Spanish, but this language of the Aztecs.
What is Nahuatl?
"There was a sense of joy in the camp. Sounds of people singing, laughing, and playing guitar filled the night, and every time the mountain breeze blew, it carried the smells of beans, tortillas, chili, and roasted meat. When I asked how people could be so happy in the midst of war, I was told that life was short, especially in combat, and the chance to come together as a family and celebrate both life and death was always embraced." pgs. 135-136
What is a Contrasts and Contradictions?