The Setting
The story takes place in...
Brooklyn, NY
What is Deja’s little sister’s name?
Leda
On the first day of school, who else is new that talks to Dèja?
Ben
Which class/content area is difficult for Dèja?
Math
Who lives in Sabeen’s basement?
Babaanne, her grandmother.
What is the name of where they live?
Avalon Family Residence
What grade is Dèja in?
Fifth
Who sits by Ben and Dèja that wears a headscarf?
Sabeen
What song lyrics are at the beginning of the book?
Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land”
What does Dèja do when she shares lunch with Miss Garcia?
She writes her essay about her home.
What do Dèja and Leda share?
a bed
Who’s having bad dreams at the beginning of the book?
Pop
Where is Sabeen's family from?
Turkey
What has Dèja' s family never had?
a vacation
What does Dèja have to look up in the dictionary?
Social Unit
Who sleeps on the floor?
Raymond
What ailments does her father have?
He gets headaches; he has a bad cough like sometimes he can’t breathe and has bad dreams.
In addition, he freezes like no one else exists when it’s time to go look for work.
Before the first day at her new school, who was Dèja's best friend?
Keisha
What is the author's name?
Jewell Parker Rhoades
What is hung up on Ben’s walls in his room?
Charcoal drawings
What is the name of Dèja's new school?
Brooklyn Collective Elementary
What does Deja’s mom do to support the family?
She's a waitress.
Why did Dèja's former best friend stop speaking to her?
Dèja's family became homeless.
Why is Dèja sent to the principal’s office?
She yells, “I hate this school”, and knocks her chair back in class.
What did Ray create for Dèja's assignment about home?
Paper dolls that represent each member of their family.