Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

1. At the start of this novel, Nena is resigned to the fate her parentschoose for her, and Néstor is resigned to never coming back toLos Ojuelos. Discuss their growth over the course of the story. Didyou think they had similar motivations?
2. In contrast, what do you think they were each lacking without the other?
3. What did you make of the decision to have Nena and Néstor come from different social classes? What did you think this was meant to tell us about community?
4. What are your thoughts on the portrayal of vampires in this story? Why do you think they were written this way?
5. Nena and Néstor butt heads a lot. Who did you relate to more?
6. Thinking about the previous question, do you think either Nena or Néstor had a point in their arguments? Who do you think benefitted most from their disagreements?
7. The story is set in the 1840s Mexico. Did you have any expectations of what this time period would be like? What did you learn from this novel?
8. Mamá and Papá were tough on both Nena and Néstor in the story. Did you understand their reasoning?
9. Did you see any parallels between the humans and the vampires of the story? Discuss.
10. What did you think of the ending? Do you think there is more of the story to be told?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Berkley Books. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.