PEOPLE
He was the only one that died from eating the black crow that fell from the sky, but that was not the cause of the death. Who is he?
Who is Saidu
In what village did Ishmael and his brother travel to for their rap performance and also found out that their home village was attacked by the rebels?
Mattru Jong
What food did the boys help Gasemu carry toward the village where Ishmael’s family was?
Banana
What is the name of the first rap song and rap group he ever heard?
Rapper’s Delight by Sugarhill Gang
What did Junior teach Ishmael?
How to dance to rap music.
The storyteller who later becomes Ishmaels foster mother?
Who is Laura Simms
Which village did Junior and Ishmael's grandmother live in?
Kabati
The food the boys stole from the five year old
What is corn
What animal did Ishmael’s grandmother always liken him to and why?
Spider - Because the spider in Mende stories is the character that tricks other animals to get what it wants but, his tricks always backfire on him.
Who is Tommy?
Ishamels uncle, who later adopts Ishmael and his friend Mohamed when other children were denied by their families and eventually returned to being soldiers.
This staff member befriends Ishmael and gives him a cassette of rap and reggae music?
Who is Esther
Ishmael, Junior and friends spent three months in this village. It was also the last time he saw his brother.
Kamator
Fruits-What are 3 different fruits consumed in the book that helped ward off hunger?
Oranges, coconut, unnamed yellow and red fruit shaped like lemons eaten by Ishmael while in the forest alone, bananas
What celestial body does Ishmael have a fascination with?
The moon
In what town did Ishmael’s father work?
Mobimbi.
Ishmael's best friends in the army was rescued by UNICEF and placed in the same rehabilitation center.
Who is Alhaji
Where did Ishamel and family reside?
Mogbwemo
What are the different ways cassava is eaten in the book? Give more than one example*
Gari - grated and dried food made from cassava.
Fufu
What did Ishmael recite to Lieutenant Jabati when he first encountered him?
Julius Caesar - “Cowards die many times before their death…”
What medicines/treatments did Ishmael’s grandfather give him?
Snake venom insertion to ward off snakes and Nessie a medicinal drink made from ink which is made of a medicine and washed onto an Arabic prayer slate (waleh).
Who does Ishmael believe is responsible for the delay that causes the boys to reach the village where Ishmael's family was before it got attacked by RUF?
Who is Gasemu
Which village were they drafted as soldiers of the war?
Yele
What is the story of the feast and spiders?
Bra Spider story--He was selfish and wanted to eat food from every village because they each specialized in their own dish. He extended a long length of rope from each village and attached it to his waist. He told someone from the village to pull on the rope to let him know when the feast had commenced. Unfortunately, all of the feasts began at the same time and because of this they all tugged on his waist at the same time causing him to remain suspended in the air. By the time anyone found him he begged for food but there was none left over. His waist was pinched in a way that resembled a spider hence the name Bra Spider
How does Ishmael feel about New York when he first arrives?
Ishmael envisions NY as a violent place where people shot each other on the streets and got away it. Thought it was a crazy place.
What did his grandmother tell him about the moon?
“One must strive to be like the moon” - She explained this adage: Good things happen when the moon shines. Everyone is happy and appreciates it in their own way. These are the reasons why we should want to be like the moon.