Josef
What does the word Manana mean?
Tomorrow
What animal did Isabel find under her house?
A kitten
What year does Mahmoud's story take place?
2015
What is one method of travel each story includes?
Boat/ship
What is the name of the day the whole book begins on? (It's a German word.) In what year did it take place?
+100 points if you can also name the correct MONTH; +200 for correct MONTH and exact DATES.
Kristallnacht: November 9-10 1938
Why did Josef slap his dad across the face when the doctor was on the boat, and what did Josef use to straighten him up?
To scare him into acting well when the Cuban doctor came to inspect them. He lied to him, saying that they would take him back to a concentration camp if he didn't straighten up.
What is Isabel's hobby?
Trumpet
What happened to Hanna? Why?
Mahmoud handed her off to another boat to save her from drowning after their boat popped, and they were unable to find her (as of the end of the book).
Which story is connected to BOTH of the others? How?
Josef's: he meets Lito, Isabel's grandfather, as a police officer on his ship (1934); and his sister, Ruthie, hosts Mahmoud's family at the end (2015)
What does Josef's mother sew into Ruthie's coat once they arrive back in Europe, and why?
Diamonds - to try to buy off Nazis if/when they're caught
What was the name of the ship Josef and his family traveled on?
The M.S. St. Louis
What does Isabel carry as she wades into the Miami shore?
Her baby brother
While in the tent city, what toy does Mahmoud buy Waleed?
A Ninja Turtle action figure
What is something that happens in all 3 stories?
What was the US policy for Cuban refugees landing on American soil? (4 words)
"Wet foot(/feet) dry foot(/feet)."
Why did Josef’s mother drink the sleeping draught?
Because the ship doctor was suspicious of her story that she needed it for herself.
Which baseball team was Ivan into?
The Industriales
What song did Mahmoud's father sing after the apartment got bombed? Why?
"Do you wanna build a snowman?" Because they were talking about how they planned to go to Germany, where it's cold.
In what way(s) does each character grow up over the course of the book?
Answers will vary; Josef - turns 12 (becomes a man), steps up when his father falters. Isabel - demands that her family stay together. Mahmoud - takes charge in saving Hana, leads his family out of the prison camp when his father "breaks."
What was the last name of Cuba's dictator in the 90's? (+100 points for first name too)
In which country does Josef attend kindergarten as a teenager?
France
Count and clap clave!
(one) TWO (three) FOUR
(one) TWO THREE (four)
or
(one) TWO THREE (four)
(one) TWO (three) FOUR
List all 6 countries Mahmoud's family travels through that are mentioned in the book (in order!).
1. Syria
2. Turkey
3. Greece
4. Hungary
5. Austria
6. Germany
Compare Mahmoud's and Josef's feelings about visibility vs. invisibility. Which does each of them prefer at the beginning of the book? How do they come to feel about it by the end of their stories?
Answers will vary, but Josef is experimenting with visibility by taking off his star, trying to see how "Jewish" he appears; Mahmoud begins wanting to be invisible to stay out of trouble/danger, decides he wants to be seen as he gains courage marching into Austria.
Which prison camp had Josef's father been to?
Dachau