1. Which themes and issues in the novel resonate with you the most?

2. What is the significance of the title The View from Saturday?

3. Why do the young characters refer to themselves as The Souls? Is this name fitting?

4. What challenges does Mrs. Olinski face with the concept of diversity as it pertains to students?

5. Why might Jews be excluded from a social setting where diversity is supposed to promote inclusion? What other groups might be similarly excluded by this interpretation of diversity?

6. The narrative indicates that sixth graders have changed. In what ways have they changed? What are the reasons for these changes? Are the changes positive or negative?

7. Why might a student write "cripple" on the blackboard to describe Mrs. Olinski?

8. What does Nadia mean when she says, "I wanted silence to make him [her father] as miserable as it had made me"? What type of silence can cause someone to feel miserable?

9. What does Julian mean by saying, "I am as American as pizza pie. I did not originate here, but I am here to stay"? How might this concept apply to real life?

10. How does each member of The Souls serve as a metaphorical limb for Mrs. Olinski's balancing act? In what ways do they assist her, even as she helps them? Could you and your classmates have a similarly positive impact on an adult's life?