The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise

There are multiple instances in the book in which Coyote expresses how much she needs her father, Rodeo. Then she adds that he absolutely needs her to help him deal with the life they are living. Which of these two really needs the other? Is either of them resilient enough to survive and thrive without the other?

Why does the author, Dan Gemeinhart, use symbolic Spanish names, Salvador (Savior), Concepción (New Life) and Esperanza (Hope) for the Latino characters in this story? What is he trying to tell his readers about these characters? Are the names of the two central characters, Coyote and Rodeo, intended to be symbolic in some way? What about their last name, Sunrise? Is there any symbolic importance to the names of Val, Lester, or Ivan?

Coyote makes a slow but distinct transition from putting her father’s needs first to putting her own needs first. As she succeeds in insisting on things transpiring the way she needs them to, things begin to go better for virtually every character on the bus. Is it realistic to think that being selfish and insisting on getting things your own way can make life better for others as well?