Book of Unknown Americans
The narrator of the story.
Who is Mayor Toro?
The country where the Alazova family is originally from.
What is Kazakhstan?
This is the main conflict of "from The Book of Unknown Americans."
What is the Toro family's inability to return to their home country of Panama for a visit?
This is what a theme is.
What is the message or lesson of a fiction story?
This is one method to help readers infer the specific traits of characters in a fiction text.
What is STEAL?
"Our hearts kept breaking each time we walked out the door...their hearts never stopped breaking...and that their hearts, I guess, would heal," is an example of this.
What is an Again and Again Signpost?
The reason why Maya changes the principal's words as she translates for Papa about Nurzhan's fight.
What is to protect her brother and keep him from getting in to serious trouble?
The 9/11 attacks as described in paragraphs 23-25 of "from The Book of Unknown Americans" advance the plot because they describe this part of the story.
What is the climax?
"They had left their lives once before. They didn't want to do it again," is evidence of this possible theme from "The Book of Unknown Americans."
What is starting over in a new place is difficult?
The quote, "I lay my head back against the seat and closed my eyes, squeezing them shut, and took myself far away until I was safe on the bars at a beautiful gymnastics meet in the sky," shows that Maya needs this.
What is an escape from her current reality?
What is ravage?
Maya's ___________ at the beginning of the story is that she wants to go to the Spring Fling Dance but she does not think her parents will sign the permission slip to allow her to go.
What is conflict?
The author will slow down events in the pace of the a story for this reason.
What is to emphasize the importance of that part of the plot?
This is the lesson that Mayor Toro learns about his family at the end of the story.
What is his family appreciates living in America even though they miss their home in Panama?
The fact that Papa "roared in front of" Maya when he saw her with Daniel is proof of this character trait.
What is angry?
Celia's primary role in this text.
What is to urge her husband to take the trip to Panama?
Maya's thoughts, feelings, and actions in response to her mother's injury reveal this trait about her.
What is caring or wanting to help her family?
The Toros' plans to return to Panama for a visit are cancelled twice during this part of the plot.
What is the rising action?
The fact that Maya lies to protect Nurzhan and that Nurzhan goes out of his way to get permission for Maya to go to the dance is evidence of this possible theme.
What is family is very important?
Maya does this because she is afraid of what her father will do to Nurzhan if he knows all the details of the incident with Ossie Nishizono.
What is misinterpreting her principal's words while translating for her father?
The reason Mayor's father says to him, "It's in you...You were born in Panama. It's in your bones."
What is because Mayor feels more American than Panamanian since he came to the U.S. as a baby?
Maya's favorite chaperone.
Who is her younger brother Nurzhan?
When Celia looks out at the ocean and says, "It's beautiful...This country," the reader has reached this part of the plot.
What is the resolution?
This quote from paragraph 3 of "from The Book of Unknown Americans" supports the theme that sometimes immigrants can be confused about their identity.
What is "I spent a lot of time trying to find it in me, but usually I couldn't. I felt more American than anything, but even that was up for debate..."?
Nurzhan's ______________ for helping Maya get permission to attend the Spring Fling is to help her out since she helped get him out of trouble.
What is motivation?