49 pages • 1 hour read
Ami PolonskyGracefully Grayson
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
How is Grayson Sender’s transgender identity hinted at in Chapter 1? What other examples of foreshadowing can you identify in the novel? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.
What role do Grayson’s parents play in Grayson’s struggle and journey toward self-acceptance? How are they different and similar to Uncle Evan and Aunt Sally?
How does theater enable Grayson to explore her identity?
Why is Chapter 34 structured like a play? What effect does this create, and what message does it send?
In what ways are Grayson’s relationships with Amelia, Paige, and Meagan similar? In what ways are they different? How does each of these friendships affect her?
How is Sebastian characterized at first? How does he evolve throughout the narrative? What message does his character arc convey?
How is allyship defined in Gracefully Grayson? Pick one or two characters and examine how they succeed or fail to provide support to Grayson.
How does the motif of Light and Darkness help convey Grayson’s emotions? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.
Why is the Phoenix Painting used to represent Grayson’s journey? How does it characterize her?
In what ways does Grayson perform gender? In other words, which aspects of her journey are a performance, and which are her true self? (For example, acting as a boy, pretending to be dressed like a girl, playing Persephone, etc.)
