Why do Karina and Chris have trouble relating to each other despite having been classmates and neighbors since third grade? What do they believe about each other and how do these beliefs complicate their ability to connect?

How does Karina’s home and family impact the way that she sees herself? In what ways is she proud of her cultural identity? Why does she fear others knowing more about her background? How does her outlook change?

Compare and contrast Karina and Chris’s voices and narrative styles. How can readers tell whose point of view they are reading about? What techniques does Bajaj use to differentiate her two protagonists’ narrative styles?