OBOB Middle Division (6-8) Practice Questions 2012

The following questions are organized by book.  Teams could print these out and mix up the questions to simulate what a true battle would be like.    Enjoy!

Title:  All the Broken Pieces

Author:  Burg, Ann E.

Genre:  Historical Fiction/Poetry

Characters:  Matt Pin, a Vietnamese boy who was airlifted out of Vietnam and adopted by Americans; Rob Brennan, Matt’s nemesis.

Plot Summary:  Matt was traumatized in Vietnam and he’s afraid to talk about it even with his loving adoptive parents.  He plays piano for his mother’s sake and baseball for his father’s sake, but he is harassed mercilessly by one of his teammates.

Questions:
1. In “All the Broken Pieces” by Ann E. Burg, why does Rob Brennan hate Matt? 
A:  He blames Matt for his brother’s death.  (p 48, hb)
2. In “All the Broken Pieces” by Ann E. Burg, what does Matt think his parents plan to do when he hears them arguing?
A:  He thinks they plan to get rid of him.  (p 64, hb)
3. In “All the Broken Pieces” by Ann E. Burg, what is Christopher’s nickname?
A:  Whirlin’ Will  (p 104, hb)
4. In “All the Broken Pieces” by Ann E. Burg, why does Coach Robeson quit coaching?
A:  He has cancer.  (p 134, hb)
5. In “All the Broken Pieces” by Ann E. Burg, what does Coach Williams do to make Rob have to depend on Matt?
A:  He blindfolds him and tells him he can ask Matt for directions in finding several items of sports equipment.  (p 182, hb)
6. In which book does a boy’s mother sing to him when he wakes from nightmares?  (p 11, hb)
7. In which book is a character called “Frog-face”?  (p 47, hb)
8. In which book does a man regret going to college when his friends went to war?  (p 114, hb)
9. In which book is a dinner held at the Pavilion to honor someone who’s sick?  (p 139, hb)
10. In which book does a boy tell about his brother losing his legs and his fingers?  (p 197, hb)

Title:  The Circuit

Author:  Jiménez, Francisco

Genre:  Autobiography

Characters:  Francisco and his family

Plot Summary:  Looking for a better life in the late 1940s, a Mexican family crosses the border into California illegally and become migrant workers.

Questions:
1. In “The Circuit” by Francisco Jiménez, what does Francisco try to add to the first cotton he picks to make it weigh more?
A:  Dirt clods (p 10, hb)
2. In “The Circuit” by Francisco Jiménez, what promise do Francisco’s parents make when Torito becomes deathly ill?
A:  They promise the family would pray to the Santo Niño (or the Holy Child) every day for a whole year.  (p 33, hb)
3. In “The Circuit” by Francisco Jiménez, who kills Francisco’s pet parrot?
A:  His father (p 49, hb)
4. In “The Circuit” by Francisco Jiménez, what happens the day a teacher offers to teach Francisco how to play a trumpet?
A:  He comes home to find his family packed and ready to move on.  (p 69, hb)
5. In “The Circuit” by Francisco Jiménez, what does Francisco’s little sister spend his 1865 Indian Head penny and his 1910 Lincoln Head penny on?
A:  Gumballs (p 89, hb)
6. In which book is an eighth grader picked up by Immigration on the day he is prepared to recite the first part of the Declaration of Independence?

Title:  Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam

Author:  Kadohata, Cynthia

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Characters:  Cracker, a German shepherd; Willie Stetson – a boy who is Cracker’s first owner; Rick Hanski – Cracker’s handler in Vietnam

Plot Summary:  Cracker is taken from the boy who loves her and trained to be “military equipment” in Vietnam.  She and her handler have a difficult time adjusting to each other, but once they do they become a dog/handler team that saves many lives in Vietnam.

Questions:
1. In “Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam” by Cynthia Kadohata, why does Willie have to give up Cracker?
A:  Because his new apartment doesn’t allow dogs.  (p 3, pb)
2. In “Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam” by Cynthia Kadohata, what does Rick’s family expect him to do when he graduates from high school?
A:  Take over the family hardware store.  (p 29, pb)
3. In “Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam” by Cynthia Kadohata, what is Rick’s first assignment at the Fire Support Base (FSB) when he lands in Vietnam?
A:  Filling sand bags (p 115, pb)
4. In “Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam” by Cynthia Kadohata, who specifically asks for Rick and Cracker for a secret mission?
A:  Special Forces  (p 166-167, pb)
5. In “Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam” by Cynthia Kadohata, who first recognizes Cracker after she finds her way back to American soldiers?
A:  Cody  (p 287, pb)
6. In which book does a young man have a sister who is a math prodigy at MIT?  (p 29, pb)
7. In which book is a story told of a guy who drowned on a hilltop?  (p 90, pb)
8. In which book does someone blow up their lunch with C-4 explosive?  (p 164-165, pb)
9. In which book does someone give a dog mouth-to-nose resuscitation?  (p 206, pb)
10. In which book does a girl send a signal by standing up and scratching the back of her neck?  (p 238, pb)

Title:  Cuba 15

Author:  Osa, Nancy

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Characters:  Violet Paz, a 15 year old half-Cuban, half Polish girl; her friends, Leda and Janelle; and her family including abuela, abuelo, mother, father, and brother, Mark.

Plot Summary:  Violet’s grandmother wants to throw her a quince party for her 15th year, but none of the grownups in her life will even talk with her about Cuba.

Questions:

1. In Cuba 15 by Nancy Osa, what kind of party does Abuela want to throw for Violet?
A:  A quinceañero.  (p 2, pb)
2. In Cuba 15 by Nancy Osa, what competitive game does Violet’s dad like to play?
A:  Dominoes  (p 23, pb)
3. In Cuba 15 by Nancy Osa, how does the big domino party end?
A:  The cops break it up.  (p 100, pb)
4. In Cuba 15 by Nancy Osa, what classes does Violet’s mom decide to take when she returns to school?
A:  Business classes (p 195, pb)
5. In Cuba 15 by Nancy Osa, what kind of rally does Violet tell her parents she’s going to with Leda?  What kind of rally is she really going to?  (2 parts)
A:  She says she’s going to a Free Tibet fund-raiser, but it’s really a Peace with Cuba rally.  (pp 232-234, pb)
6. In what book is a character assigned to do Original Comedy in a speech competition?  (p 19, pb)
7. In what book does a character dye golf balls red?  (p 89, pb)
8. In what book does a boy give a girl a sugar cube?  (p 129, pb)
9. In what book does Maya Angelou’s poem, Phenomenal Woman, almost break up a friendship?  (p 166, pb)
10. In what book does a character dress as Frankenstein on vacation for a Halloween party?  (p 174, pb)

Title:  Football Genius

Author:  Green, Tim

Genre:  Realistic Fiction 

Characters:  Troy White, a 6th grade football genius; Tate McGreer and Nathan, Troy’s best friends and supporters; Seth Halloway, the Atlanta Falcons’ star linebacker.

Plot Summary:  Troy has a special gift.  He can see patterns in football games and predict what the teams are going to do.  When his

mom gets a job working for the Falcons, her job and the Falcons’ championship may depend on him, if he can just convince them that he can help.

Questions:
1. In “Football Genius” by Tim Green, what does Troy steal from Seth Halloway?
A:  A Falcons football (p 12, pb)
2. In “Football Genius” by Tim Green, who arranges to get Troy’s mom’s job back after she’s fired?
A:  Mr. Langan, the team owner.  (p 70, pb)
3. In “Football Genius” by Tim Green, why can’t see a pattern in the game the Falcons’ coaches show him when Seth takes him to them?
A:  It’s a preseason game with no pattern.  (p 111, pb)
4. In “Football Genius” by Tim Green, how does Nathan help Tate win the punt, pass and kick contest?
A:  He moons her.  (p 170, pb)
5. In “Football Genius” by Tim Green, what do Nathan and Tate do to help Troy get in to see Mr. Langan? 
A:  Nathan pretends he’s sick and Tate screams.  (p 202, pb)
6. In which book does a character have a false leg?  (p 44, pb)
7. In which book does a mother make her son return something he stole from someone?  (p 85, pb)
8. In which book is a man thrown out of a woman’s house when he offers to do something nice for her?  (p 133, pb)
9. In which book do kids connive to get a man and a woman together for a date?  (p 160, pb)
10. In which book is a kid offered one job so he can inconspicuously use his talents for something else?  (p 228, pb)

Title:  Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

Author:  Mass, Wendy

Genre:  Realistic Fiction 

Characters:  Jeremy Fink, an almost 13 year old boy; Lizzy Muldoun, his best friend; Mr. Oswald, their community service supervisor

Plot Summary:  A month before his 13th birthday, Jeremy receives a box from his father who died when he was 8.  The box claims to hold the meaning of life, but it takes 4 keys to open it and the keys have been lost.  Jeremy and Lizzy are caught breaking into an empty office in their search for the keys, and they are given community service helping Mr. Oswald return some items to people who had pawned them years before.  They use the time looking for the meaning of life and the keys to the box.

Questions:
1. In “Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life” by Wendy Mass, name three of the four fish Jeremy owns.
A:  Cat, Dog, Hamster, and Ferret (p 19, hb)
2. In “Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life” by Wendy Mass, where are Jeremy and Lizzy caught doing something illegal?
A:  In the abandoned office of Folgard and Levine, or in an abandoned office on the 14th floor.  (p 89, hb)
3. In “Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life” by Wendy Mass, what does the book about woodland animals turn out to be?
A:  Winnie the Pooh (p 120)
4. In “Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life” by Wendy Mass, who offers to show Jeremy how to be invisible?
A:  The new neighbor boy, Rick.  (p 166, hb)
5. In “Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life” by Wendy Mass, what gifts do Jeremy and Lizzy get from Mr. Oswald on their last day of work?
A:  Lizzy gets a doll and Jeremy gets a suitcase full of flotsam and jetsam.  (p 227-8, hb)
6. In which book do two characters pass notes through a hole in the wall?  (p 20, hb)
7. In which book are kids picked up in a limo?  (p 103, hb)
8. In which book do kids try to contact someone dead in a séance?  (p 164, hb)
9. In which book does a girl go forward during a Sunday morning service for healing?  (p 205, hb)
10. In which book does a boy do a hula hoop act in a grass skirt in the state fair?  (p 255, hb)

Title:  Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark

Author:  Pearson, Ridley

Genre:  Science Fiction

Characters:  Finn Whitman, Charlene, Willa, Maybeck, Philby – the DHI’s; Wayne and Maleficent from the Magic Kingdom; and Amanda and Jez – caught in the middle.

Plot Summary:  Finn and the other DHI’s (Disney Host Interactives) thought they just signed on for an acting job to create hologram images of themselves to serve as guides at Disney’s Magic Kingdom.  What they find instead is that when they fall asleep, they become their hologram selves in the Magic Kingdom.  An old man named Wayne tells them that evil forces are trying to take over the Magic Kingdom – and maybe even outside the walls – and that they were created to solve a puzzle Walt Disney left and defeat the forces of evil.

Questions:

1. In “Kingdom Keepers” by Ridley Pearson, what sign does Wayne give Finn the first time they meet to show him that he hasn’t been dreaming?
A:  He tells him to look at the moon and then check the moon outside his window when he “wakes up”.  (p 9, pb)
2. In “Kingdom Keepers” by Ridley Pearson, what was the first wound Finn received that he lied to his mother about?
A:  His sleeve and arm were burned by a laser gun.  (p 64, pb)
3. In “Kingdom Keepers” by Ridley Pearson, name 2 of the 4 clues of “The Stonecutter’s Quill” Wayne says the DHI’s need to focus on.
A:  Sun, cloud, wind, and stone (p 113, pb)
4. In “Kingdom Keepers” by Ridley Pearson, when Maybeck is kidnapped, where is he kept?
A:  In Space Mountain (p 204, pb) or in a canvas covered shed (p 210, pb)
5. In “Kingdom Keepers” by Ridley Pearson, what power does Walt Disney’s first pen have?
A:  It dulls Maleficent’s power.  (p 287, pb)
6. In which book does a mother urge her son to audition for a part so he can earn money for college?  (p 15, pb)
7. In which book does a “brown out” cause kids to faint?  (p 87, pb)
8. In which book do Girl Scouts hold a car wash?  (p 150, pb)
9. In which book does an emergency sprinkler system go haywire and nearly drown a couple characters?  (p 218, pb)
10. In which book do characters escape through a trash chute?  (p 316, pb)

Title:  Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo

Author:  Skye, Obert

Genre:  Fantasy

Characters:  Leven Thumps, Clover, Winter, Geth, and Sabine

Plot Summary:  Leven and Winter grow up in miserable circumstances until they find each other and begin on a quest to find and destroy the gateway between the real world and Foo.

Questions:
1. In “Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo” by Obert Skye, what is Clover?
A:  A sycophant  (p 30, hb)
2. In “Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo” by Obert Skye, what set of circumstances have caused some people to get sent from earth to Foo?
A:  If they stand between two connecting lanes that don’t match up while the temperature is divisible by seven when a shooting star goes by overhead.  (p 92, hb)
3. In “Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo” by Obert Skye, what form do Clover and Winter find Geth in?
A:  He is a toothpick  (p 162, hb)
4. In “Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo” by Obert Skye, how do Leven, Winter, Clover and Geth cross the ocean?
A:  Driving on an ice road created by Winter.  (p 255, hb)
5. In “Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo” by Obert Skye, what kills Sabine?
A:  Winter turns him into ice and Clover barrels into him and shatters him.  (p 327, hb)
6. In which book does a character need to stay awake for several days so he can’t dream?

Title:  Leviathan

Author:  Westerfeld, Scott

Genre:  Steam punk

Characters:  Aleksandar Ferdinand, prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire; Deryn Sharp, a girl disguised as a boy in the British Air Service.

Plot Summary:  Alek’s parents are killed, probably by his own relatives, and his teachers take him into hiding aboard a mechanical

Stormwalker.  Deryn/”Dylan” is a midshipman in training aboard the Darwinist’s whale-like airship called Leviathan.  Both are running from the Germans when they meet up and work out an uneasy alliance as World War I begins to foment.

Questions:
1. In “Leviathan” by Scott Westerfeld, why is Alek’s title questionable?
A:  Because his mother is a commoner (p 7, hb)
2. In “Leviathan” by Scott Westerfeld, who comes to rescue Deryn when she is free-flying a Huxley through a storm over London?
A:  Leviathan, a great hydrogen breather (p 69, hb)
3. In “Leviathan” by Scott Westerfeld, who does the Leviathan take on board with special baggage?
A:  Dr. Barlow, a woman boffin (p 152, hb)
4. In “Leviathan” by Scott Westerfeld, how does Deryn prevent the Stormwalker from blasting Leviathan?
A:  She holds a knife to Alek’s throat and pretends to hold him hostage.  (p 305, hb)
5. In “Leviathan” by Scott Westerfeld, what does Alek offer in exchange for safe passage for himself and his men?
A: Engines from the Stormwalker (p 373, hb)
6. In which book does a girl disguise herself as a boy in order to become a trainee in a male-only occupation?  (p 22, hb)
7. In which book are a boy’s parents poisoned?  (p 44, hb)
8. In which book does a character sacrifice a family heirloom in order to put out a fire?  (p 182, hb)
9. In which book does the pope make an adjustment to marriage papers with the stipulation that the alteration be kept secret for a while?  (p 221, hb)
10. In which book do characters throw gold bars out the window?  (p 405, hb)

Title:  N.E.R.D.S.

Author:  Buckley, Michael

Genre:  Humor/Adventure

Characters:  Duncan “Gluestick” Dewy, Ruby “Pufferfish” Peet, Heathcliff “Choppers” Hodges, Julio “Flinch” Escala, Matilda “Wheezer” Choi, Jackson “Braceface” Jones – the NERDS

Plot Summary:  Jackson Jones used to be popular and he tormented the nerds, until he became a member of NERDS (National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society).

Questions:
1. In NERDS by Michael Buckley, what does Jackson’s orthodontist find so interesting about his teeth?
A:  He has four rows of teeth or twice as many teeth as most people.  (p 6)
2. In NERDS by Michael Buckley, what had the “Hyena” been before she tried to become a professional assassin?
A:  She was a child beauty pageant contestant.  (p 42)
3. In NERDS by Michael Buckley, who agrees to look after Felix Jigsaw when he is released from the mental hospital?
A:  Simon (p 140)
4. In NERDS by Michael Buckley, what is in the pinatas at Elizabeth Munoz’s birthday party?
A:  Missile launchers (p 220)
5. In NERDS by Michael Buckley, who turns out to be Simon?
A:  Heathcliff or “Choppers” (p 286)
6. In which book is there a collective sneeze every time a group is being summoned?
7. In which book does hiding in a school locker lead to a major discovery?
8. In which book does creamed corn contain a transmission device?
9. In which book do braces have nanochips in them?
10. In which book is there a jigsaw puzzle of the earth that gets cut up?

Title:  Red Kayak

Author:  Cummings, Priscilla

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Characters:  Brady, J.T. and Digger – 3 middle school friends; the DiAngelos – a wealthy new family in their town.

Plot Summary:  Mrs. DiAngelo and her 3 year old son, Ben, have a tragic accident in their kayak.  Brady goes out with the rescuers and finds Ben and heroically tries to save him, but Ben dies.  Brady offers his help to Mrs. DiAngelo, but in the process discovers his father’s missing cordless drill near where the kayak was kept.  He confronts his friends with what he’s found, but they tell him to keep it quiet.  He’s torn between loyalty to his friends and his conscience.

Questions:
 
1. In “Red Kayak” by Priscilla Cummings, who is it that leads Brady to Ben?
A:  Tilly, his dog.  (p 28, pb)
2. In “Red Kayak” by Priscilla Cummings, what does Mrs. DiAngelo give Brady that used to belong to Ben?
A:  His hamster.  (p 85, pb)
3. In “Red Kayak” by Priscilla Cummings, what does Brady find behind the boathouse?
A:  His father’s cordless drill.  (p 96, pb)
4. In “Red Kayak” by Priscilla Cummings, what does Brady ask his father to help him do?
A:  Haul the kayak out of the river.  (p 164, pb)
5. In “Red Kayak” by Priscilla Cummings, what is the charge against J.T. and Digger?
A:  Murder in the second degree.  (p 184, pb)
6. In which book do kids ride to school in an ambulance?  (p 18, pb)
7. In which book does a boy’s father accuse him of taking something his friends took without his knowledge?  (p 78, pb)
8. In which book does someone explain how to make a butterfly garden?  (p 87, pb)
9. In which book does someone travel by train to visit relatives?  (p129, pb)
10. In which book does someone throw a cordless drill in a creek?  (p 147, pb)

Title:  Scat

Author:  Hiaasen, Carl

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Characters:  Mrs. Starch – a biology teacher; Nick, Marta and Duane Scrod Jr. (aka – Smoke) – three of her students; and Twilly Spree – an eco-avenger

Plot Summary:  Mrs. Starch leads her students on a field trip to the Black Vine Swamp, but the trip is cut short when a swamp fire breaks out.  When Mrs. Starch mysteriously disappears after the students leave the swamp, police attention is focused on a problem student who made a threat to her the day before the field trip.  It looks especially bad for him when an oil company employee “finds” his backpack with a handheld butane torch in it. 

Questions:

1. In “Scat” by Carl Hiaasen, what subject did Mrs. Starch assign Smoke to write a 500 word essay on?
A: Pimples (p 7, pb)
2. In “Scat” by Carl Hiaasen, what did Mrs. Starch go back into the swamp to retrieve after telling the students to leave?
A: An inhaler or Libby’s medicine.  (p 35, pb)
3. In “Scat” by Carl Hiaasen, who did Dr. Dressler hire to substitute for Mrs. Starch in hopes of enticing her to return?
A: Dr. Wendell Waxmo or Whacko Waxmo.  (p 98, pb)
4. In “Scat” by Carl Hiaasen, what did Jimmy Lee Bayliss steal to try to frame Duane Scrod Jr.?
A: His backpack.  (p185, pb)
5. In “Scat” by Carl Hiaasen, what is Smoke’s special talent?
A: Tracking  (p 282, pb)
6. In which book does a boy bind up his right arm to try to teach himself to be a lefty?  (p 94, pb)
7. In which book is a man glued naked to a tree?  (p 120, pb)
8. In which book does a boy run away from a cop who’s about to handcuff him?  (p 215, pb)
9. In which book is a woman accidentally shot in the leg?  (p 337, pb)

Title:  Stolen Children

Author:  Kehret, Peg

Genre:  Mystery

Characters:  Amy Nordlund, a 14-year-old babysitter; Kendra Edgerton, her 3-year-old charge; Hugh and Smokey, their kidnappers.

Plot Summary:  Babysitting for the Edgertons seems like a good thing to Amy till she and Kendra are kidnapped.  She wasn’t in Smokey and Hugh’s original plan and she knows that as soon as they no longer need her to take care of Kendra, they’ll kill her.  She has one week to provide the police with clues in the daily DVDs Smokey makes and try to escape with Kendra.

Questions:
1. In “Stolen Children” by Peg Kehret, what has Kendra lost that causes the kidnappers to come back and capture Amy?
A:  Her stuffed cat, Tubby.  (p 17, pb)
2. In “Stolen Children” by Peg Kehret, what is the closest store to the hideout?
A:  The Saddle Stop Country Store  (p 31, pb)
3. In “Stolen Children” by Peg Kehret, what sign does Amy try to make in the clearing when she and Kendra escape the first time?
A:  An arrow pointing to the cabin   (p 73, pb)
4. In “Stolen Children” by Peg Kehret, who picks up on the method Amy is using to deliver her clues?
A:  Her friend, Jorja.  (p 106, pb)
5. In “Stolen Children” by Peg Kehret, where does Amy hide Smokey’s gun?
A:  She drops it down the hole in the outhouse.  (p 136, pb)
6. In which book is there a stuffed cat named Tubby?  (p 5, pb)
7. In which book are the last words a father speaks to his child, “I’m ashamed of you”?  (p 10, pb)
8. In which book does a girl use a clue from a story she’s writing in real life?  (p 42, pb)
9. In which book does someone fall for the old “There’s something behind you” trick?  (p 153, pb)
10. In which book does a man narrowly escape proposing to a woman because of a news report on TV?  (p 163, pb)

Title:  Tiger

Author:  Stone, Jeff

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Characters:  Fu, a 12 year old monk who is a master of the tiger arts fighting style; Ying – a 16 year old former monk “brother” who has turned traitorous; Tonglong – Ying’s second-in-command.

Plot Summary:  Before he dies, the grandmaster of Cangzhen Temple instructs his five youngest pupils – each a master of a different fighting style – to search out the secrets of their pasts.  Only then, he tells them, will they be able to avenge their fallen brothers and retrieve the temple’s secret scrolls.  Fu, a master of the tiger arts, doesn’t even know where to start!  Wounded and hungry, he stumbles through the forest until he hears a tiger roar in pain.  Then instinct takes over.

Questions:

1. In “Tiger” by Jeff Stone, where do the five young monks hide during the battle at Cangzhen Temple?
A:  In a terra-cotta water barrel (p 12, pb)
2. In “Tiger” by Jeff Stone, which animal is Ying named after and which animal does he wish to become?  (2 parts)
A:  He has been trained as an eagle, but he wants to be a dragon.  (p 26, pb)
3. In “Tiger” by Jeff Stone, what are Ying’s men afraid of when they find the grandmaster’s body is missing?
A:  Ghosts, or that the body went looking for its head.  (p 72-3, pb)
4. In “Tiger” by Jeff Stone, what mistake does Fu make at the scene of the tiger hunt?
A:  He strikes a boy in the ear hard enough to make him deaf.  (p 87, pb)
5. In “Tiger” by Jeff Stone, what does Fu eat to give him stomach problems so he can escape the tiger cage?
A:  Greasy Goose  (p 149, pb)
6. In which book does a boy get his tongue cut at the tip to make it forked, have his teeth and nails filed to a point, and get tattoos to make himself look like a reptile?  (p 30, pb)
7. In which book is a scroll stolen from a temple?  (p 36, pb)
8. In which book are a character’s pants ripped in back during a fight?  (p 82, pb)
9. In which book is a boy put in a cage?  (p 110, pb)
10. In which book is a horse knocked over by a drunkard?  (p 157, pb)

Title:  When You Reach Me

Author:  Stead, Rebecca

Genre:  Science Fiction

Characters:  Miranda, a 12-year-old girl in New York City in the late 1970’s; Marcus, a strange but very smart boy; the Laughing Man, a somewhat crazy homeless person on Miranda’s street.

Plot Summary:  Miranda begins receiving notes from someone who seems to know things that she doesn’t think anyone could know.  The notes coincide with some unexplainable events and indicate that if she doesn’t follow instructions, one of her friends will die.  Unsure what to do, she watches events unfold till she begins to get some clarity.

Questions:
1. In “When You Reach Me” by Rebecca Stead, what contest does Miranda’s mother train to enter?
A:  The $20,000 Pyramid (p 1, pb)
2. In “When You Reach Me” by Rebecca Stead, what happens to Sal that seems to be the end of his friendship with Miranda?
A:  He gets punched for no apparent reason (p 22, pb)
3. In “When You Reach Me” by Rebecca Stead, name one of the two things the first note asks Miranda to do?
A:  1) Write a letter  2) Mention the location of the house key (p 60, pb)
4. In “When You Reach Me” by Rebecca Stead, why isn’t Annemarie supposed to eat bread or drink sodas?
A:  Because she has epilepsy (p 92, pb)
5. In “When You Reach Me” by Rebecca Stead, who has autographed Miranda’s Christmas present from Richard?
A:  Madeleine L’Engle (p 135, pb)
6. In which book does a character have a leg that’s two inches shorter than the other?  (p 4, pb)
7. In which book does a character accuse Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which of lying?  (p 49, pb)
8. In which book does someone have a plastic Fred Flintstone bank full of $2 bills?  (p 69, pb)
9. In which book does a character give a sandwich to a homeless guy?  (p 114, pb)
10. In which book does a dentist hide a kid wanted for questioning?  (p 174, pb)

Title:  The White Giraffe

Author:  St. John, Lauren

Genre:  Fantasy

Characters:  Martine, Tendai, and Grace

Plot Summary:  When Martine’s parents die in England, she is sent to live with a grandmother she never knew she had in Africa.  There she discovers she has the ability to heal animals and that her coming has been predicted.  She secretly befriends a white giraffe and has to protect him from poachers.

Questions:
1. In “The White Giraffe” by Lauren St. John, how do Martine’s parents die?
A:  In a house fire.  (p 5, pb)
2. In “The White Giraffe” by Lauren St. John, what caution does Grace give Martine the first time she meets her?
A:  To use her gift wisely.  (p 27, pb)
3. In “The White Giraffe” by Lauren St. John, what does Jemmy save Martine from the first time they meet?
A:  A cobra.  (p 58, pb)
4. In “The White Giraffe” by Lauren St. John, who shoots a kudu?
A:  Alex  (p 89, pb)
5. In “The White Giraffe” by Lauren St. John, what does Martine discover in a cave in the hidden valley?
A:  Cave paintings, particularly one of her riding Jemmy.  (p 110, pb)
6. In which book does someone refuse to speak at school?  (p 44, pb)
7. In which book does someone call a wild animal with a dog whistle?  (p 122, pb)