Answer: Mira is more mature than the other kids in the group, and she is acting like a leader for the group of children.
You can gather this by seeing no ill reaction from the children when she takes charge of the group. A leader who is a bully would either have indifference or rebellion.
1. Sarcastic “so called” shows that what the American dream is not what it is said to be
Was there a text given for the second question? What was it based on?