Characters
This 10-year-old boy from Sudan is the main character and narrator of the story.
Who is Kek?
Why did Kek have to leave his home country of Sudan?
War
Where does the story take place?
Minnesota
Kek uses this sticky classroom supply to try and fix the broken dishes, hoping to make them whole again.
What is glue?
Who is Hannah?
She is a friend Kek made at school, she is helpful and kind.
What job does Kek get at Lou's farm to help pay for the broken dishes?
Caring for the cow, Gol.
What country was Kek born in before he had to leave?
Sudan
What sweet, cold, brown drink does Hannah give Kek to cheer him up?
Chocolate milk
How does Kek break the dishes he was washing?
He put the dishes in the washing machine instead of the dishwasher.
This man works for the refugee resettlement organization and helps welcome Kek to America
Who is Dave?
What major problem threatens Lou's farm mid-way through the book?
She has to sell the farm, she can no longer afford it.
When Kek first steps off of the plane, he is greeted with a cold white substance on the floor.
What is snow?
What animal represents Kek's family, heritage, and former life in Africa?
Gol, the cow
Which family member lives in the apartment with Kek and his aunt?
His cousin, Ganwar
Who is Ganwar?
Kek's cousin who lost his hand during the war in Sudan.
How do Kek and his friends transport Gol so she won't be sent away?
Walking the cow through town to a new home/zoo.
Kek works here after school, this is where he feels connected to his old life.
What is Lou's farm?
The kind elderly woman who owns the farm where Kek works.
Who is Lou?
At the very end of the novel, who arrives at the airport to reunite with Kek?
His mother
What classroom does Kek go to every weekday to learn English with Ms. Hernandez?
An ESL classroom (English-as-a-Second-Language)