Synopses & Reviews
When Tzunún was little, her mother nicknamed her Colibrí, Spanish for “hummingbird.” At age four, Colibrí is kidnapped from her parents in Guatemala City and ever since shes traveled with Uncle, the ex-soldier and wandering beggar, who renamed her Rosa. Uncle told Rosa that he looked for her parents, but never found them.
Synopsis
When Tzunun was little, her mother nicknamed her Colibri, Spanish for -hummingbird.- At age four, Colibri is kidnapped from her parents in Guatemala City and ever since she's traveled with Uncle, the ex-soldier and wandering beggar, who renamed her Rosa. Uncle told Rosa that he looked for her parents, but never found them.
Synopsis
When Tzunún was little, her mother nicknamed her Colibrí, Spanish for “hummingbird.” At age four, Colibrí is kidnapped from her parents in Guatemala City and ever since shes traveled with Uncle, the ex-soldier and wandering beggar, who renamed her Rosa. Uncle told Rosa that he looked for her parents, but never found them.
Reading Group Guide
1. In what ways is Colibrí like a hummingbird? What animal best represents you?
2. How does fortune-telling play a role in the lives of both Uncle and Colibrí? Do you believe its possible for anyone to see into the future?
3. Is this the first time youve read a book that takes place in Guatemala? Have you learned much about Central or South America in school or from the media? Why do you think certain cultures and histories get more or less attention in schools and the media? Who makes these decisions, and what problems do they present? What can you do about this?
4. “Id done something bad, so my parents didnt want me. Id believed that practically forever. But Doña Celestina said it wasnt so” (p. 84).
When Colibrí realizes that it may not be her fault that she is not with her parents, how does it change her attitude toward Uncle, and toward her life of the past several years?
5. Why do you think Colibrí asks to keep the pieces of the broken mug (p. 87)? Have you ever wanted something for personal reasons that didnt have much monetary value?
6. “It seemed there was another person inside me, a self I didnt know looking out from my eyes. I liked her, but she frightened me” (p. 108).
What are the qualities of this other “self” Colibrí describes? Why might it frighten her to see her potential in this way? Have you ever felt there are parts of your personality that are just waiting to come to the surface?
7. Despite years of separation, why do you think Colibrí has held on so tightly to her mothers lessons about honesty? What are the central lessons or ideas you have held on to—or think you will carry forever—that you learned from the people who raised you?
8. Look back at chapter twenty-one. What leads Colibrí finally to make the decision to go to the priest and tell him about Uncles plans? Why had she always gone along with Uncles plans before?
9. Why do you think the author chooses Two Rivers as the scene for the last encounter between Uncle and Colibrí? How does the symbolism tie into the rest of the story?
10. What mixture of emotions do you think Colibrí feels at the very end of the book? How would you feel in her place?
1. In what ways is Colibrí like a hummingbird? What animal best represents you?
2. How does fortune-telling play a role in the lives of both Uncle and Colibrí? Do you believe its possible for anyone to see into the future?
3. Is this the first time youve read a book that takes place in Guatemala? Have you learned much about Central or South America in school or from the media? Why do you think certain cultures and histories get more or less attention in schools and the media? Who makes these decisions, and what problems do they present? What can you do about this?
4. “Id done something bad, so my parents didnt want me. Id believed that practically forever. But Doña Celestina said it wasnt so” (p. 84).
When Colibrí realizes that it may not be her fault that she is not with her parents, how does it change her attitude toward Uncle, and toward her life of the past several years?
5. Why do you think Colibrí asks to keep the pieces of the broken mug (p. 87)? Have you ever wanted something for personal reasons that didnt have much monetary value?
6. “It seemed there was another person inside me, a self I didnt know looking out from my eyes. I liked her, but she frightened me” (p. 108).
What are the qualities of this other “self” Colibrí describes? Why might it frighten her to see her potential in this way? Have you ever felt there are parts of your personality that are just waiting to come to the surface?
7. Despite years of separation, why do you think Colibrí has held on so tightly to her mothers lessons about honesty? What are the central lessons or ideas you have held on to—or think you will carry forever—that you learned from the people who raised you?
8. Look back at chapter twenty-one. What leads Colibrí finally to make the decision to go to the priest and tell him about Uncles plans? Why had she always gone along with Uncles plans before?
9. Why do you think the author chooses Two Rivers as the scene for the last encounter between Uncle and Colibrí? How does the symbolism tie into the rest of the story?
10. What mixture of emotions do you think Colibrí feels at the very end of the book? How would you feel in her place?