Becoming Naomi Leon

Character development is how a character changes throughout the story. Naomi changes a lot during the novel. What obstacles does she face in the novel? How did they develop or change her character?

Gram also experiences changes throughout the novel. What obstacles did she face? How do they develop or change her character?

Look closely at Naomi León’s character development. If her father hadn’t made it to Oaxaca City in time, would she still have lived up to her name? Why or why not? Use details from the text to support your argument.

How does Skyla’s arrive challenge Gram, Owen, and Naomi? What do they learn from being challenged by her?

Pam Muñoz Ryan wrote Becoming Naomi León after her own visit to Oaxaca, where she was inspired to use the city and its unique celebrations as the setting for this novel. Which details about Oaxaca reveal her sense of enchantment to readers?

How does Naomi find a sense of belonging at school? How does that sense of belonging change throughout the novel?

Naomi longs for a family that includes a mom, a dad, and kids, but that’s not what she has. How does Naomi have the family she needs, even when it doesn’t look how she wants?

On the first page of the novel, Naomi says that she never expected to live up to her name someday. How does she live up to her name?