Ask students to find examples of these comparisons in her novels. Have students choose other characters from the novels and discuss their character traits. Instruct students to write a poem about one of these characters using the animal metaphor. Have students illustrate their poems and share them with the class. Research the influence of gangs in the 1960s compared with the influence of gangs in the '90s.
Experts say that kids often join gangs because of needs in their lives.
In Taming the Star Runner , the reader learns that Travis's father was killed in Vietnam two months before Travis was born. Many people visit the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C., and leave special items in memory of soldiers who were killed in that war. Ask students to find out the kinds of items that people leave. Ask them to design a memorial that Travis might have designed for his father. Encourage them to find a meaningful quote to place on the memorial.