Zane and the Hurricane

Zane, Tru, and Malvina see terrible things and endure dangers and hardship as they search for safety. How does each of them stay hopeful?

Family is an important theme in Zane and the Hurricane, and the characters have different ideas about what makes a family. Consider Zane, Malvina, Miss Trissy, and Tru. How do each of them define a family? How they feel about their families? Do any of their thoughts about family change by the end of the novel? In what ways?

How does Philbrick call attention to problems of racial inequality and injustice in the novel? What are some examples of prejudice and discrimination that the main characters face? How do each of them respond? What are some ways you could take action against racism in your community?

Zane knows the exact moment that he and Malvina become true friends. How do they become friends? What does friendship mean to each of them? Is it the same, or different? How do they show they are true friends to each other?

What things frighten Zane? How does Zane overcome his fears? What are some ways that Zane shows courage during the novel? What do these things tell you about Zane’s character? 

How does Zane feel about himself and his multiracial heritage at the beginning of the novel? How do his thoughts about himself change by the novel’s end? What specific events contribute to Zane’s change of self-perception?

When Belinda asks Malvina why she confronted the cops on the bridge, Malvina says, “I was fed up, I guess” (163). How does Malvina’s response illustrate her personality? What was Malvina fed up with? Was she wise to defy the cops? Why or why not?

Zane comments that “You wouldn’t think that tragedy can be turned into comedy, but it can. That’s the whole point (170). What does he mean? How does Malvina turn tragedy into comedy?