What are the motifs in Smiles to Go by Jerry Spinelli?

Overcoming fear is a recurring idea in the story. Early in the narrative, Will enumerates a list of everything that makes him fearful. As the narrative unfolds, he has even more experiences and encounters that frighten him. These include the possibility that Mi Su will not notice and/or respond to his expressions of affection, the possibility that he will lose the chess tournament, and the possibility that his little sister will die. The biggest fear, though, that he faces is the result of the news he receives within the work's first fifteen pages.