Poni becomes friends with Nyanath, a girl at the school in Nairobi. At the beginning of the book, we also see her friendship with Nadai, who is forced into an arranged marriage. Break students into pairs. Have one of the pair focus on the friendship between Poni and Nadai. Have the other student examine the friendship between Poni and Nyanath. Have each pair create a chart to compare and contrast these two friendships. What kind of person is Poni’s friend? What happens to each friend in the course of the book? What lessons does Poni learn? What are the dynamics of their relationship? What roles do each serve in Poni’s life? Come together as a class and ask students to share their insights on these two relationships. What major themes of this work and large issues in Poni’s life are embodied in her friendships with each of these characters?
