Tru tells Malvin and Zane that they, “Couldn’t be more different…’cept you both got the same grin. Now Why is that?” (130). How are Zane and Malvina different? In what ways are they similar? Give evidence to support your answer.

Zane, Tru, and Malvina see terrible things and endure dangers and hardship as they search for safety. How does each of them stay hopeful?

Family is an important theme in Zane and the Hurricane, and the characters have different ideas about what makes a family. Consider Zane, Malvina, Miss Trissy, and Tru. How do each of them define a family? How they feel about their families? Do any of their thoughts about family change by the end of the novel? In what ways?