1. Describe Morning Girl's primary grievances about her brother, Star Boy, using specific examples from the text.

2. What do you believe Star Boy's main complaints are regarding Morning Girl? Can you identify any story details that support your thoughts?

3. How does the tree under which Star Boy finds shelter serve as a symbol for his family's life? In what ways is it also a symbol for the entire tribe's existence?

4. What incidents cause Morning Girl to alter her perception of her brother?

5. Why are the adults’ disapproving glances at the feast following the hurricane so unsettling to Morning Girl? Why is Star Boy oblivious to these disapproving looks?

6. What elements of the story align with your preconceived notions about Native American life before Columbus? What aspects of Native culture in this novel do you find unexpected?

7. Why do you think the novel is titled Morning Girl when half of the narrative focuses on Star Boy? Why isn’t it called Morning Girl and Her Brother or Morning Girl and Star Boy?

8. Research the term "homonym." What is the homonym in the title Morning Girl? Does understanding the homonym provide you with a deeper insight into the story's conclusion?

9. Carefully read the epilogue, which includes an excerpt from Columbus' journal. What aspects of the Native Americans does Columbus fail to grasp? What assumptions does he make about their way of life and needs?

10. Morning Girl is concerned with her appearance. Why is it important to be aware of one's physical appearance? Is it more or less significant today? How would your life change if mirrors or reflective surfaces didn't exist in our world?

11. How might the story differ if narrated from the parents' perspective? How about from an early explorer's viewpoint or an omniscient narrator from the twentieth century?

12. If Morning Girl were one of the Natives Columbus took back to Europe, how do you think she would respond to the new environment?

13. Columbus mentions that the natives need to learn to "speak," yet we hear them communicating throughout the novel. What does Columbus mean by "speak"?