Who in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? Discussion Guide

Find discussion questions to guide your conversation about the novel.
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About the Book

Discover the origins of everyone’s favorite supersleuth! Before Carmen Sandiego™ became an expert explorer and problem solver, she was a student just like the ones in your classroom. Read about Carmen’s earliest adventures at VILE Academy in this original novel, based on the Netflix® series. Use the discussion questions on the back of this sheet to unpack the plot, discuss different countries, and finally learn: Who in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? Also available in Spanish.

Discussion Questions

  1. Why is Carmen given the code name “Black Sheep”? What would your code name be?
  2. Does Carmen seem like a real student or a prisoner at VILE Academy? Why?
  3. Why does Carmen hope that Coach Brunt is the one who found her? Why do you think Coach Brunt won’t tell her?
  4. Why does Carmen want to leave the island so much? Do you think she has good reasons?
  5. Carmen takes a big risk stealing the phone to talk to Player. Why do you think she does this? Would you?
  6. How do you think Carmen feels when she finds out the true mission of VILE Academy?
  7. Would you enjoy going to a school like VILE Academy? Why or why not?
  8. Which VILE class would you enjoy most and why?
  9. If you could be any of Carmen’s classmates, who would you be and why?
  10. What countries or places do you think Carmen should visit next?
  11. If you have watched the show, did you see any differences between the book and the show?
  12. What did you like best about the book? What did you like best about the show?