Chapter 1
What is so strange about the boy’s shoes who is running alongside the bus?
What is strange about the boy’s shoes is he is running rapidly along the sidewalk without shoes and the soles of his feet are described as looking "as black as barbecue coals “.
Who does Roy punch on the bus?
Roy Eberhardt punches the bus bully, Dana Matherson, in the face. Roy hits Dana to break free from being choked and to get off the bus to follow a mysterious running boy he spotted outside. This action results in Roy being suspended from the bus.
The second time the construction site is vandalized, what part of the flatbed truck do they think gets damaged?
When the construction site is vandalized for the second time, the foreman (Curly) believes the vandals damaged the tires of the flatbed truck by slashing them. However, the police officer (Officer Delinko) determines that the tires were not slashed but that someone had simply let the air out of them
Where does Roy find the old campfire?
Roy finds the old campfire in a wooded area beyond the golf course. He discovers the site after sliding down into a "shadowy ditch" while looking for the running boy, finding the pit surrounded by footprints and nearby garbage bags.
What do the vandal(s) do to officer Delinko’s 's car while he's sleeping?
The vandal(s) spray-paint all the windows of Officer Delinko's police cruiser with black paint while he is sleeping.
While stationed at the Mother Paula's All-American Pancake House construction site, Officer Delinko falls asleep in his car.
The vandal(s) spray-paints the windows black, making it impossible for Delinko to see out and causing a major embarrassment.
Upon waking up to Curly (the foreman) banging on his window, Delinko discovers the vandalism, leading to his punishment of being assigned to a month of desk duty.
Who do you think vandalized Officer Delinko's car?
What kind of restaurant is Mother Paula opening up?
Mother Paula is opening a Mother Paula’s All-American Pancake House. The restaurant is being built on a vacant lot in Coconut Cove, Florida, and is described as a pancake house.
Where does Roy go when he gets off the bus way too early?
After punching Dana Matherson and getting off the bus, Roy runs onto a golf course. He is chasing the strange, barefoot boy he saw running alongside the bus, and his pursuit takes him through a construction site and onto the Pineville Municipal Golf Course.Roy chases the boy for several blocks, following him through a construction site and onto the golf course.
What does the police officer find in the porta-potty?
Officer Delinko discovers several small alligators placed inside the bowls of the "Travelin' Johnny" porta-potties at the Mother Paula's construction site. This act of eco-vandalism, aimed at halting the development to protect local burrowing owls, forces the involvement of a reptile wrangler.
What does Roy find when he dumps out the third trash bag?
When Roy dumps out the third trash bag (which he finds at a campsite in the woods near the golf course , he discovers it is full of nine venomous cottonmouth moccasin snakes.
Key details about the snakes found in that bag include:
The Content: Nine highly poisonous cottonmouth moccasins.
The Peculiarity: Their tails were painted with glittery blue and silver paint.
The Reaction: The snakes surround Roy’s feet, forcing him to stand perfectly still out of fear, reminding him of a situation in Montana,
What do the vandals pull out of the ground?
The vandals pull survey stakes out of the ground at the future Mother Paula's All-American Pancake House construction site.
How does Roy get knocked out?
Roy is knocked out when he is hit in the head by a flying golf ball. While running across the course, Roy doesn't see the ball coming until it hits him "squarely above the left ear," causing him to fall to the ground and pass out. The impact leaves him with a bump on his head, which is later observed by the vice principal, Miss Hennepin, when Roy is interrogated about the incident.
Where is the buffalo flyer hanging that Roy thinks about so much?
The buffalo flyer (which mentions Yellowstone National Park) is hanging on the wall of Roy's bedroom.
Roy thinks about this flyer, which warns visitors not to approach buffalo, comparing the advice to the need to avoid the bully, Dana Matherson.
It serves as a mental reminder of wild, unpredictable dangers, similar to the situation he faces with the bully at school
Back in his field trip memory, what animal does Roy see and have to stand still for a long time?
During a flashback , Roy recalls a field trip in Montana where he saw a mother grizzly bear and her two cubs.
What he saw: A mother grizzly bear and her two cubs, about 100 feet away in a clearing.
What he did: Roy had to stand perfectly still for two hours and 22 minutes.
The situation: Roy had snuck away from his class, and the mother bear growled and faked lunges at him, but she eventually wandered off after deciding Roy was not a threat.
This experience prepared him to stand perfectly still in the woods behind the golf course when someone tells him to do so in Florida.
Why isn't it actual vandalism?
Per Officer Delinko, as he tells Curly, the incident isn't "actual" vandalism because nothing on the property was broken, damaged, or destroyed. There is technically no property damage because whoever did it only pulled up the survey stakes and scattered them, but they didn't break the stakes, destroy equipment, or damage anything.
Why does Roy tell everyone he is from Bozeman, Montana?
Roy Eberhardt tells everyone he is from Bozeman, Montana, because it was his favorite place he had ever lived and he desperately missed it after moving to Florida.
It was his favorite home: Though born in Detroit, Michigan, Roy considered Bozeman to be his true home after living there for two years, seven months, and eleven days.
He missed the environment: Roy loved the mountains and scenery of Montana, which stood in stark contrast to the flat, hot, and, in his opinion, boring landscape of Florida.
He didn't want to move: Roy was so attached to Montana that he had tried to run away the night his father announced they were moving again.
Because he boasted about Montana, the school bully, Dana Matherson, gave him the nickname "cowgirl," which is mentioned in this part of the book.
Who is Beatrice the Bear?
Beatrice Leep (nicknamed "Beatrice the Bear") is a tall, athletic, and tough student at Trace Middle School. She is described as:
A Talented Soccer Player: She is the captain of the soccer team and known for being strong, sinewy, and tomboyish.
"The Bear": She earned this nickname due to her aggressive demeanor and immense strength; she once broke a football player's collarbone
Who do you think puts a bag over Roy's head and ties his wrists to a tree?
insert name / identity here
After Roy leaves the vice principal's office and runs to the bathroom, what does he see on his neck?
After leaving the vice principal's office, Roy goes to the bathroom and sees fingerprint-sized bruises or red finger marks on his neck, left behind by Dana Matherson’s choking attack.These bruises serve as physical proof of the bullying, confirming that Miss Hennepin examined his neck and realized he was telling the truth about being attacked
When officer Delinko gets up early to go Patrol the construction site, what animal does he see near the survey stakes?
Officer Delinko patrols the Mother Paula's construction site early in the morning, he sees tiny burrowing owls near the survey stakes/holes.
He sees the dinky owls, which he describes as about as tall as a beer can, dark brown with spotted wings, white throats, and amber eyes, emerging from the holes where the survey stakes were pulled out.
He notices the owls after they "coo" to him. Seeing these owls helps Officer Delinko realize that the construction site is a habitat for these small birds, initiating his sympathy for them.
What does the person say will happen to Roy if he takes the bag off his head and looks before counting to 50?
The person tells Roy that if he takes the bag off his head before counting to 50, a cottonmouth snake will be placed in his bed. This warning follows an incident where Roy mistakenly released poisonous, decorated snakes. The scene ends with the person disappearing before Roy finishes counting.