Cemetery Boys

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Ofrenda to the Undead”

In this activity, students will create traditional ofrendas to demonstrate their understanding of characterization.

The plotline of Cemetery Boys leads to Día de los Muertos, a celebration of those who have died. Although they are both alive by the end of the story, Yadriel and Julian experience death at some point in the novel. In this activity, construct an ofrenda (altar) for one of these characters to represent your understanding of them.

• Conduct research to investigate and learn what is included in a traditional ofrenda.
• Then, decide which character you will be creating your ofrenda for.
• Draft a list of things that will be included based on your understanding of the character and the traditional requirements. Connect each item to a specific plot point, detail, or piece of other evidence of direct or indirect characterization in the story.
• Create and display your ofrenda. Include at least 3 quoted passages from the text that help to explain the included items.

Participate in a gallery walk that showcases the ofrendas. Compare what others have chosen to include and what those pieces show about their character.

Teaching Suggestion: This activity is designed to combine a cultural aspect of the novel with the literary element of characterization. It may be helpful for students to list a number of traits associated with the chosen character first, followed by items that might represent that trait. Consider encouraging students to work creatively in whatever medium best suits them (e.g., drawing, digital art, collage).

Differentiation Suggestion: Students who may benefit from strategies with making inferences might start by finding 3 quotes about the character and determine 1-3 specific traits identifiable in the character based on each quote.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Although he meets Julian after Julian’s death, Yadriel thinks that “Julian was the most alive person he’d ever met.” (Chapter 16)

• What about Julian makes him seem the most “alive” to Yadriel? (topic sentence)
• In the body of your essay, consider what Julian gives Yadriel that other people in his life do not. How is Julian different from others in Yadriel’s community? Be sure to support your analysis with at least 3 pieces of evidence from the text.
• In your concluding sentences, connect Yadriel’s relationship with Julian to the theme of Community and Chosen Family.

2. In Cemetery Boys, appearances often do not signify reality. 

• What is the likely intended lesson that readers should draw from this text regarding judgments based on appearances? (topic sentence)
• In the body of your essay, select and discuss 3 moments in which a character or event was not as it appeared to be. Analyze these moments and the messages they convey in support of your topic sentence.
• In your conclusion, briefly evaluate the effectiveness of this key lesson regarding appearance as a part of the overall storyline of the novel.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by textual details, and a conclusion.

1. Enrique is only willing to accept his son, Yadriel, when he realizes that Lady Death has already validated Yadriel as a brujo. In a 3- or 5-paragraph essay, analyze the sincerity of Enrique’s acceptance; does it seem genuine? What is the tone of Yadriel’s father’s transformation and growth? Consider all parts of the novel when formulating your answer and support your points with multiple pieces of evidence. You may also want to connect to the themes of Growth or Community and Chosen Family, depending on your response.

2. Throughout the novel, Yadriel finds himself at a crossroads between his personal identity and his cultural heritage. In a 3- or 5-paragraph essay, explain and analyze the author’s message about the importance of heritage and tradition in one’s identity. Consider both Yadriel’s drive to prove himself within the confines of his culture and his consistent willingness to stand up for his identity when misgendered. Your essay should reference multiple moments from throughout the text when drawing your conclusions.

3. Throughout the text, there are many words and phrases written only in Spanish. In a well-structured paragraph, discuss the impact of this creative choice on the reader’s experience with the novel. In what ways does it add to the overall storytelling experience? Be sure to reference at least 3 moments in the text where this strategy is used when crafting your argument.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which of these objects serves as the strongest symbol for life after death in the novel?

A) Food

B) Marigolds

C) The St. Jude necklace

D) Ear-piercing

2. How does the quince tradition help solidify gender roles?

A) Only men can participate.

B) Women have to wait until they are older.

C) Participants are given different portaje based on their gender.

D) Women are protectors and men become healers.

3. What is similar about how Julian and Yadriel identify?

A) They are both orphans.

B) They are both gay.

C) They are both transgender.

D) They are both brujos.

4. Which of the following is a stereotype NOT addressed in the first half of the novel?

A) People from Columbia are drug dealers.

B) Pit bulls are vicious dogs.

C) Names only apply to one gender.

D) Boys and girls can’t just be friends.

5. Which theme is best represented by Julian and his friends?

A) Growth

B) Community and Chosen Family

C) Death as the Beginning

D) Freedom from Authority

6. Why does Yadriel feel so connected to Tío Catriz throughout much of the novel?

A) They are both looking for revenge on their community.

B) They are both viewed as outsiders.

C) They are both transgender.

D) They are both the only ones who do not have magic.

7. What is a “chosen family”?

A) The people in your family that you actually like

B) The people who marry into your family instead of being born into it

C) The people who accept and support you even though they aren’t related

D) The people who have a divine power given to them by gods

8. What is Martiza’s relationship to Yadriel?

A) His ex-girlfriend

B) His sister

C) His best friend

D) His aunt

9. Why are Maritza’s powers fairly weak/useless?

A) She refuses to use animal blood to do magic.

B) She is transgender and wasn’t given the proper powers.

C) She used them for evil once, so now they’ve been taken away.

D) She’s only half brujx.

10. Which character is the best embodiment of the theme of Growth?

A) Flaca

B) Enrique

C) Julian

D) Catriz

11. What type of figurative language is being used in the following quote: ‘“Queer folks are like wolves,’ Julian told him. ‘We travel in packs.’” (Chapter 8)?

A) Alliteration

B) Allusion

C) Personification

D) Simile

12. How is the idea conveyed in the following quote ironic, considering traditional stereotypes? “It was the brujas, working as doctors, doulas, nurses, and psychologists, who were the financial heads of the households.” (Chapter 8)

A) The women instead of the men contribute significant income.

B) Doctors don’t normally make a lot of money.

C) The men don’t like to work.

D) Women are typically caretakers, but the men have the caretaking jobs.

13. What makes Yadriel’s powers unique?

A) He has the powers of both a brujo and a bruja.

B) He wasn’t given powers until many years later in life.

C) He was given his powers by someone other than Lady Death.

D) He is strong enough to bring people back from the dead.

14. What word best describes how Julian feels toward Yadriel at the end of the novel?

A) Protective

B) Distant

C) Aggressive

D) Nonchalant

15. What can readers assume will change for Yadriel’s community based on the final chapter of the book?

A) They will let more people become brujx.

B) They will be more accepting of gender differences.

C) They will have a better relationship with the police.

D) They will try to bring everyone back from the dead.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating textual details to support your response.

1. How does Yadriel demonstrate that he is proud of his gender identity throughout the novel?

2. How are Julian’s and Yadriel’s relationships with death different?