Chapters 14-16
Page 55: “Two hundred and sixteen rings, and I still haven’t figured them out.” What does the number of rings represent?
The years Red had lived.
Page 75: “Most of all, I was worried about Samar.” Why is Red worried about Samar the most?
She feels a connection with Samar and cares so much about her. She knows Samar has no friends and finds shelter in the tree and the animals
Page 84: “But suppose two people needed to be friends. How would you make that happen?” Why do you think Red is asking that question?
Red seems to have a plan going on and wants to know how to make it happen.
Explain the figurative language in:
“I said early that morning as the last stars faded like weary fireflies.”
It is a simile. Red is comparing the last stars dimming their lights in the early morning to tired fireflies who decided to stop lighting.
Page 55: “Except for this time, something changed. The air was uneasy.” What is Red talking about and why do they feel that way?
Red is talking about the new family that moved in and how in spite of not being the first family to move in from a foreign country, they were unwelcome in the neighborhood.
Page 79: “It didn’t surprise me that Bongo had the key, or that she’d decided to give it to Samar.” Why do you think Bongo gave the key to Samar?
To show Samar great affection. It has a sentimental value being inherited from generations, and with that act, she shows Samar how much she loves and cares about her.
Page 89: “’You’ll see,’ I said, hoping I sounded more confident than I felt.” What do you think Red means with this?
It means it has doubts about its plan working but is trying to sound more confident to convince Bongo of its plan.
Explain the figurative language in:
“Francesca’s talking about turning you into toothpicks.”
Hyperbole. Bongo is trying to explain the seriousness of the situation to Red by exaggerating the fact that Francesca wants to cut it down.
Page 59: “That tree, it’s been nothing but trouble for as long as I can remember.” Why does Francesca think Red is trouble?
She hates cleaning up after people make their wishes on the tree every May. She thinks it’s destroying the sideways and is messing with the plumbing too with its roots. Cleaning up the leaves on October is a lot of work as well.
Page 80: “In Stephen’s eyes, in the way he’d looked at Samar that afternoon. I saw something I’d seen many times before. A wish.” What is the wish Stephen had?
He wishes he could be friends with Samar.
Page 96: “But before he could say anything more, Bongo plunged into the backpack, grabbed a sheet of paper, and flew skyward.” Why did Bongo do that?
It’s part of her plan with Red. They want to give it to Samar, hoping it would help them start a conversation.
Explain the figurative language in:
“They’re too… inquisitive,” said FreshBakedBread. “Always poking their noses where they shouldn’t be.”
Page 63: “LEAVE,” she murmured. “What a world. What a world we live in.” How would you describe Francesca’s character? Why?
She is not friendly. She seems to be angry while talking to the Police and is wondering if people want HER out of the neighborhood. She is also impulsive and seems to be taking irrational decisions. She cares about the new comers and is worried about them.
Page 71: “Samar didn’t say a word. She turned and walked up the sagging steps to the little blue house. Her head held high. Standing tall, reaching deep.” What does that tell you about Samar?
Even though she is deeply hurt and horrified, she is still proud. She is strong. This also shows that she is quiet.
Page 100: “Meddling isn’t as easy as I thought it would be,” Did their plan work? Why not?
It didn’t. Samar saw one of Stephen’s friends walking by and dashed over and asked him to give Stephen the piece of paper.
Explain the figurative language in:
"Her eyes held moonlight in them."
This is personification. Picturing Samar's eyes as a person holding the moonlight.
Page 68: “Bongo gave a screechy crow-laugh. She didn’t even scold me for my lame joke. That’s when I started to worry.” Why did Bongo’s laugh make Red worry?
Bongo usually scolds Red for lame jokes. This time, when she didn’t, it meant that she was so worried about Red that she wasn’t being herself.
Throughout these Chapters, Red is thinking about its life. Red is having an internal conflict. What is it?
Red is thankful for the life it lives but at the same time wondering if it could have done more. It feels like even though it had helped many, it hadn’t done enough.
Page 103: “Flash nodded excitedly. ‘Opossums are the best dead pretenders in the world.’” What is Bongo and Red’s second plan?
They want Flash to act dead by the time Samar and Stephen come from school in the hopes it would make them gather around it and help it. They think this would help them share an adventure or an incident to discuss that may be would spark their friendship.
"But every cloud has a silver -- (lining)"