Section 7
What issue did the Walls run into once Rex lost his job?
They were starting to go hungry.
What happens when Rex and Rose Mary’s fight over money escalates?
During their fight, Rex throws/Rose Mary throws herself out of the upstairs window and the kids find Rose Mary screaming as she dangled from the window. The kids ran upstairs to help her inside and comfort her.
What does Billy Deel show Jeannette that makes her furious?
He shows her his drunk father who urinated on himself.
Why do the Walls decide to leave Battle Mountain?
After the police show up because of the shooting between the kids and Billy, the Walls leave town to avoid further punishment from the police.
What did Rex used to do when he went to church with the family?
He used to stand up and challenge the priest.
Why was Brian throwing up behind the Walls’ house one day?
He stole a jar of pickles from the neighbors one day to keep from starving and was caught. His punishment was to eat the entire jar, which made him throw up.
What does Rose Mary do the day after her fight with Rex?
She goes to Battle Mountain Intermediate School and applies for a teaching job.
Why does Jeannette agree to be nice to Billy Deel and take the ring he gives her?
When Jeannette goes home and tells Rose Mary about how Billy mocked his father, Rose Mary told Jeannette to be nice to him because he does not have enough people who show him love.
How does Rose Mary handle her mother’s death?
Rose Mary is not saddened by her mother’s death. She is excited to inherit her mother’s house and didn’t feel the need to tell her kids about Grandma Smith’s death until months after.
What did Rex do with his kids to teach them about wild animals?
He takes them to the zoo and shows them how to pet the cheetah to show them that wild animals are only vicious because of the way people cage and treat them.
What does Lori say that margarine and sugar mixed together tastes like?
frosting
Why did Rose Mary hate being a teacher?
Rose Mary hates being a teacher for many reasons. She hates it because her mom made her get the degree for when her art career failed, she had terrible classroom management/lack of rules, hated leaving Maureen at home with a neighbor, and hated grading papers.
How does Billy Deel retaliate against Jeannette and her siblings for rejecting him?
He shows up at their house and shoots them through the window with his BB gun.
Why does Rose Mary say the trouble the kids got in with Billy Deel was actually a blessing in disguise?
This gave the family an excuse to leave town and head to Phoenix to live in Grandma Smith’s house.
Name 3 reasons why Jeannette loved living in Phoenix.
1) Jeannette loves their house
2) the fact that both of her parents are happy
3) they have food
4) the kids are gifted in school
5) Lori has glasses
6) the neighborhood is beautiful
7) her dad was able to afford bikes for them.
How does Rose Mary react when she finds out her kids ate the margarine? Why do you think she reacted that way?
She gets angry when her kids eat the margarine claiming that she was saving it for bread she was going to make. Jeannette thinks that the true root of Rose Mary’s anger stems from the possibility that she could have been saving it for herself.
What did the kids do to help Rose Mary improve her job performance so she wouldn’t get fired?
The kids helped Rose Mary grade papers and create lesson plans with no spelling/math errors. Lori also served as an example in the classroom where Rose Mary paddled her to appear better with her classroom management to administrators.
Why do the police show up at the Walls’ house?
The Walls and Billy got caught in a gunfire shoot out. The Walls used Rex’s real gun.
What does Jeannette realize is the reasoning as to why Lori didn’t like exploring with her and Brian?
She realizes that Lori could never see anything. She desperately needed glasses.
Though life in Phoenix was great, what issues are destroying the house because the Walls refuse to fix them?
There are roaches everywhere and the floors have termites, leaving holes in the floors whenever someone steps in a soft area.
What unspoken rule did Jeannette break by telling Rose Mary that she was hungry?
Life is an adventure
Which character seems to bond the most with Rose Mary?
Lori
How do Jeannette and Billy Deel see their fathers differently? How do we know?
Billy sees his dad as a drunk loser. We know this because he shows Jeannette his dad when he is passed out, drunk, and urinated on himself. Jeannette sees Rex as her hero. We know this because she gets angry when Billy compared their dads for both being drunks. Jeannette does not see her dad for his flaws.
What does Lori want to be when she grows up?
She wants to be an artist like her mom now that she has glasses and can see the world in a whole new way.
Though life in Phoenix was great, what issues are destroying the house because the Walls refuse to fix them?
1) There are roaches everywhere
2) the floors have termites, leaving holes in the floors whenever someone steps in a soft area.