In Homecoming, Dicey and her siblings might be young in age, but your average children they most definitely are not. From the moment their mom ditches them in a mall parking lot and they begin their journey to find a home, they start growing up fast. Dicey is the head of her family and has to make decisions that would make an adult's head spin, and time again the Tillermans realize the world is stacked against them—for many reasons, yes, but also because they're kids. It's a grown-up's world, and they're just trying to live in it and not get split up.
Questions About Youth
- Is Louis right? Are kids doomed to obey the whims of their parents? Is the world against them?
- Why do many of the adults in this book seem annoyed by younger folks? Pick a few adults and really dig into their irritation.
- Are there any ways in which their youth helps the Tillerman kids? How might their story be different if they were all in their teens?
Chew on This
Society is set up so that adults care for youth, but the Tillermans are failed by just about every adult they meet.
One of the reasons that Dicey doesn't like Cousin Eunice's house is because she is reduced to the status of a child there and loses control of her family.