The Schwa Was Here

Compare and contrast Antsy’s family to the Schwa’s family. How do they differ? Are there similarities between the two? How do the two boys’ families influence how they feel about themselves?

Antsy empathizes with the Schwa’s feelings of invisibility because he also feels overlooked and average. Why does each boy feel invisible? How do other people make them feel invisible? What do Antsy and the Schwa do to become visible?

Mr. Crawley has a reputation in the neighborhood as someone not to mess with. Do you think Mr. Crawley is as bad as people think? Explain your opinion. What are some good qualities in Mr. Crawley? How does Antsy feel about Mr. Crawley? How does their relationship change over the course of the novel?

Neal Shusterman shows how important it is to see others’ true selves, and to be seen. How does blindness inform this theme? Consider Lexie. In what ways does she see the Schwa and Antsy correctly? In what ways does she misread them? Consider Mr. Crawley. In what ways is he “blind”?

Antsy worries that he hurt the Schwa by letting him know the truth about his mother. Did Antsy do the right thing? How is truth an important part of friendship?

How does Antsy help the Schwa? How does Antsy take advantage of him? Do you think Antsy is a good friend to the Schwa? Why or why not?

The Schwa disappears to find his mother. Antsy thinks this decision “might have been misguided like so many things he did” (225). What are some actions the Schwa took that may not have been good ideas? Why was finding his mother so important to the Schwa? Do you think that the Schwa did the right thing in leaving to find his mother? Why or why not?

In what ways does Antsy grow and change over the course of the novel? What does he learn about himself? About friendship? About family? Give evidence to support your answer.