Chapter 1
Who says, ", and I tell the part where I was the leader. Where it gets bad, bloody and oh so dangerous!"
Rat A.K.A Jun-Jun
Who is Marco?
Marco is the prison guard who has offered to sell Gabriel Olondriz's bible to the boys.
In Chapter 3 of Part 4, who is narrating the chapter?
Raphael
In the first 3 paragraphs of part 5, what clues Rat into the fact that the police are coming for them?
It is more quiet than usual.
He heard someone below talking worriedly.
What is the name of the city the boys live in?
Behala
What book do the boys need in order to solve the code?
The Bible
Where do the boys go to meet Marco?
tea-house in Chinatown
In Chapter 4 of Part 4, what do the boys do when they are reunitied after escaping from the police at the tea-house?
We were so pleased to see each other, we just shook hands and hugged and laughed.
Your cousin is sick.
Describe Behala in at least two descriptive words/adjectives, with evidence.
desperately poor; dumpsite; piles of trash; dirty; stinky; desperate; scary; busy; unsafe, etc.
During the first police chase, What does Rat suggest the boys do to keep the police off their trail? (Part1/Paragraph 5)
"I said we should lie low in one of the big tourist areas where so many street kids work and beg. There’s a great gang of them there, and I’d spent some time in it after my station days. So that’s what we did:..."
How does Gardo get away from Marco?
He grabs his hook and cuts Marco's face, he believes. All he knows is that Marco then releases him.
What is a book code, and how does it work?
It is a code that can be solved using a book.
In Part 6, What is Rat's plan for the boys to hide from the police that are chasing them?
"The next-door building was the very one where those children lived, where we’d all spent the one night. Rat saw at once we had to dive back in among them. How were the police going to take in a hundred kids? It was the smartest thing he ever did."
What are the names of the 3 main characaters?
Rapheal
Gardo
Rat a.k.a Jun-Jun
True or False: Gardo cut his hair in Chapter 4?
False, Rat cut Raphael's hair. (Part1: Paragraph 6)
How does Marco prove that the Bible belonged to Gabriel Olondriz? (Part 2/Paragraph 16)
I told him he needed to prove it was Gabriel Olondriz’ book, because I was thinking how easy it would be to give me any old Bible, then come back asking for money all over again – but he opened the cover soon as I asked, and I could see where the man had signed it, and notes – best of all, I could also see lines of letters and numbers like the code he’d talked about. Also, the whole thing was so well worn I guessed that it had to be the real one.
When using the book code, what do the boys do when they encounter a slash?
Turn back a page.
What is the name of the graveyard the boys are trying to get to?
Navaro's
What is childhood like for kids in Behala.
In Behala many kids are without parents or any family
They are working at a very young age. As soon as they can walk.
They are very poor.
They struggle to have enough for food.
They have few possessions.
Their housing is built of boxes on a the dumpsite.
Going to school is not easy.
The school is not really sufficient to help the kids.
"How does a boy like a dumb rat get into a safe?"
Father Juilliard, my friend, you must have a bad memory, because you write the lock combination in your diary. You change it every month, sir – at the end of the month – and write the new code down. I would always see it, open on your desk. I’d remember it. This month it was 20861 – I saw it when we were on the computer and you brought us that lemonade … but it wouldn’t be the same after All Souls’ Night – and that was why I’d had to make my mind up to come. I put in that code, and the door clicked open. Inside I found twenty-three thousand and a bit more. So that was our Bible money for Mr Marco.
What does Gardo mean when he says, "They would break every bone in all our bodies, slow and mean and loving it. (Part 2/Paragraph 10)
He is referring to the police. He thinks they will be staking out their meeting with Marco, and they would have no problem killing all of the boys.
In the last paragraph of part 4, where do the boys realize the Bible code is telling them to go?
A graveyard in the centre of the city – the Naravo. We’d go and look for the brightest light – a special grave, maybe?
Identify two important facts from Part 4, Chapter 7.
Frederico Gonz narrates this section
He said Jose Angelico hired him to bury his son.
Jose Angelico does not have a son (that we have ever heard of...he has a daughter)
Frederico's son carved: "Pia Dante Angelico: seeds to harvest, my child were the words he chose. It is accomplished" on the burial stone.
Or prove another fact is important to this chapter with evidence.
Define coruption. Which character is believed to be corupt?
Corruption is activity that is not honest, especially secret, illegal activity.
Senator Zapanta: accused of stealing the peoples money. Gabriel Olondriz says that he stole the seed-corn money that was donated to help the community with schools and hospitals.