WHILE YOU READ OR LISTEN
Cynthia sees a character from another chapter as she is walking from school to the park near her apartment building. Write down the name of that character when you think you know who Cynthia sees!
THE POWER OF HUMOR
Cynthia excels in making people laugh. How does laughter help her and her grandfather deal with grief and loss? A sense of humor can be an important way to cope when things aren’t going exactly how you expect.
Write down your favorite joke. It can be a joke that somebody else told you or it can be a joke you made up yourself. Now, seal that joke in an envelope and send it to a friend or a family member. You can send the joke in the mail or you can deliver it by hand. Whoever you send your joke to, ask them to send a joke back to you!
Click below for tips on how to make your writing funny, or for jokes you can memorize to tell friends and family.
WRITE. RIGHT. RITE.
Cynthia values her relationship with her family. Her mom is her hero and she sees herself and her strengths such as her sense of humor as coming from her grandfather. She also misses the woman who was most like a grandmother to her. Listen to Jason Reynolds talk about the importance of family, then write a letter to a family member’s younger self.
LOOK BOTH WAYS
Students at school see Cynthia as a comedian, but what else did you learn about her?
THINK AND WRITE A SUPERHERO STORY
Cynthia’s mother is her hero, “A hero too busy to save her. A hero too hardworking to even find time to laugh.” Cynthia says that her grandfather is a superhero and that “Jokes were his superpower.” What do you think Cynthia’s superpower might be? Who is she trying to help?
Write a story or a poem about somebody with a superpower. They can have a typical, comic-book superpower like invisibility or flight OR they can have a superpower like Grandpa Cinder and his jokes. What makes this character special? How do they use their gift to help others?
THINK DEEPER
Why do you think Cynthia considers her mother her hero? Who is your hero? What characteristics do they have that make them stand out from others, making them a hero?
