Class Act

How are Drew, Jordan, and Liam alike? How are they different? Compare and contrast their lives, perspectives, and problems.

Racism can be overt (obvious and direct) or covert (hidden and indirect). How do racism and stereotyping shape the lives of Drew, Jordan, and Liam?

What purpose does humor serve in a story which focuses on themes of racism, diversity, and inclusion? Furthermore, how does humor act as a characterization tool?

What role do Jordan’s hand-drawn comics serve in the graphic novel? What kinds of statements do they make about the lives of Black children in America today?

Jerry Craft created humorous, unique splash pages for each chapter of the novel. Many of these splash pages are spoofs of other popular middle-grade novels. What do the splash pages add to the novel’s plot and understanding of its characters?

Why did the author choose to make his story a graphic novel? How does the delivery of a graphic novel differ from that of a traditional novel, and why might it be useful to communicate difficult topics in this format?

One of the novel’s motifs centers on what life is like on the other side, or the judgment and eventual understanding that comes with seeing how people from different backgrounds live. How is Drew affected by seeing how Liam lives, and how do the two boys eventually resolve their differences?

Mr. Roche is the teacher most often shown in the novel. He has antiquated views of race and ethnicity, and judges his students according to them. What does Mr. Roche represent about many privileged people in America today? How do his actions affect his students’ self-image and views of each other?