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As explained by Mrs. Koko-Gray, “a zine is a little dose of self-expression.” Luna and Scott make a lot of zines to help their classmates feel seen, understood, and a little less alone. Have students make zines of their own, based on Mrs. Koko-Gray’s prompt: What does home mean to you?
Start by talking with students about the prompt, which doesn’t mean to “describe the interior of your home” but your “sense of home … it could be a person, or a feeling, maybe someone that makes you feel safe or has helped you cultivate a sense of self in this world.” (p. 55). Discuss why Luna has trouble with this prompt before students start brainstorming the ideas about home they want to share in their zines. Create space on your classroom bookshelf for those student authors who want to spread their ideas to others.
Questions for Discussion or Reflective Writing
- Why do you think Luna is struggling with the feeling that she needs to change? How is the person she thinks she is different from how she believes others see her? Why does she feel like the person she is isn’t enough? How have you worked through similar feelings?
- How does Luna become a “book doctor”? Why do you think Luna’s book recommendations resonate with her classmates? Who do you go to for book recommendations? What titles have helped “make your path forward a little clearer”? (p. 38).
- How does Luna’s writing give her power? What shifted and freed her voice? How do the zines change the people who read them? How does it feel to have someone put into words something you’ve never known how to say yourself?
- Why does Luna start making choices that hurt others? What is she getting out of being in June’s circle? Do you think Luna becomes a different person, or does she become more like someone she always could have been? What makes you think so?
- Mrs. Wawona tells Luna, “But none of us will succeed in navigating through life perfectly. And what if that’s okay?” (p. 234). What helps Luna start to feel okay? How is accepting that you’ve made mistakes different from excusing them? How can accepting someone—mistakes and all—help them become the person they want to be?
Related Resources
Make a Zine with Chanel Miller from Penguin School & Library
How to Make a Zine download by Sara Shay Mirk
Intro to Zines from the Zine Libraries Interest Group
Why Zines Need to Be a Part of Your Curriculum from The Art of Education
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