Discussion Questions for Star Mother by Charlie N. Holmberg

1. What did you think of Ceris’s motives behind her decision to volunteer to serve as star mother?

2. What did you think of the way that Ceris spoke up to the Sun God?

3. Ceris’s was curious about what the other star mothers were like. If you were star mother, what would you want to know?

4. What did you think about the author’s description of things in the heavens and her description of the paradise for star mothers and their families?

5. What did you think of Ceris being the only mortal to survive giving birth to a star and her request to return to her earth home?

6. Were you surprised that it was seven hundred years later when Ceris returned home? What do you think it would be like to leave Earth today and return seven hundred years later?

7. Why do you think Ristriel had not chosen a side for the wars in heaven?

8. What did you think of the Eternal laws in this story? (Time cannot be altered. A god’s reign cannot be inherited, death cannot be reversed, and a mortal cannot be forced to do gods will.)

9. What did you think of Ristriel revealing that he was born of the dark, that he was created by war in the feud between the Sun and the Moon?

10. What similarities did Ceris and Ristriel have?

11. What choice did you want Ceris to make when she was trying to decide whether to join Saiyon in the heavens, search for Parros family in Nediah, return to her home town of Endwever, or remain with Risteril?

12. What did you think when Ceris volunteered to serve Ristriel’s 700 years? Were you surprised by the outcome of that request?