You Go First - Discussion Questions

 

 

1.      Where does Charlotte and Ben come from? How do Charlotte and Ben know each other?

2.       Why do you think Ben doesn’t have friends at school? What kind of kids might like him, and where could he meet them? Find evidence that foreshadows his possible friendship with Wyatt.

3.      Both Ben and Charlotte are dealing with serious problems at home. Describe the problems and how Ben and Charlotte feel about them.

4.      Talk about Ben and Charlotte’s friendship and how it grows. How do Ben and Charlotte help each other?

5.      Describe Charlotte’s friendship with Bridget in the past and why it worked. What are the warning signs that things aren’t going well? Why do the two of them grow apart? 

6.      What are some clues that Charlotte and Magda might become friends? What’s Magda like, and how do you know? What do she and Charlotte have in common?

7.      Why does Ben want to run for school office? What do you think his chances are of being elected, and why?

8.      How are Charlotte and Ben alike in terms of personality, interests, and friendships? How are they different? How do their feelings and attitudes change throughout the story?

9.      The school lunchroom presents difficulties for both Charlotte and Ben. Describe those problems and how they deal with them. Why Denis Estimon have started We Dine Together.

10.  Describe times that kids are mean to others in the story. What do you think prompts the meanness? Analyze the difference, if any, between kids who instigate the meanness and those who laugh and go along with it.

11.  Discuss the conversation Charlotte has with Mateo about Magda and the ants and how you think Charlotte feels about it.

12.  Discuss Charlotte’s relationship with her father? Why didn’t Charlotte want to visit him at the hospital?

13.   Why does Charlotte decide to skip school to take a trip to the art museum? How does Charlotte mother find her?

14.  Discuss Ben’s relationship with his father.

15.  The Rabbit Hole for the chapter titled “Starfish” (p. 18) introduces the idea of resilience. Ben’s father also mentions resilience in describing Franklin Roosevelt. (p. 266) Why are those two good examples of resilience? How is the idea of resilience important in the rest of the story?

16.  Why is the title You Go First? Why is that the last line of the book? Talk about the last two chapters and what you think they suggest about the future for both Ben and Charlotte.

17.  Look at the book’s structure. Why do you think the author chose to tell the story in less than a week?

 

18.  What is your favorite detail in the book? How many stars would you rate the book?