What elements of Ruby Bridges’s story do you find most surprising? What about the least surprising? Why are you surprised or unsurprised by these details?

Bridges wrote this book for a middle-grade audience. How do you think the narrative would differ if her autobiography was written for adults?

Bridges often mentions ongoing court battles and legislative efforts to halt integration. What major court cases and laws established and challenged segregation? Provide specific examples, although you may also discuss general patterns in state legislation across the South or in Washington, like the quick-succession bills Bridges mentions on Page 13 or what are known as “Jim Crow” laws.