Characters
What is the name of the young boy who is the main character in Boy Overboard?
Jamal
What sport does Jamal dream of playing professionally?
Soccer
What country is the story set in?
Afghanistan
Which theme is shown when Bibi refuses to stop playing soccer despite the danger?
Courage, bravery, determination, resilience
True or False: Girls are allowed to play soccer in the country where the story is set.
False — girls are forbidden from playing sport under Taliban rule
What is the name of Jamal's younger sister?
Bibi
Why must Jamal's family flee their country?
The government found out about their illegal school
What year was Boy Overboard published?
2002
What human right is explored through Mum running a secret school?
The right to education
True or False: Jamal and his family ONLY travel to Australia by aeroplane.
False — they travel by truck and boat as well
What are the names of Jamal's parents?
Mum and Dad
What happens to Bibi at the start of the story that creates trouble?
She plays soccer with Jamal and Yusuf
Who is the author of Boy Overboard?
Morris Gleitzman
The relationship between Jamal and Bibi is an example of which theme?
True or False: Bibi disguises herself as a boy at some point in the story.
True — she stuffs her hair under a hat and dresses as a boy to avoid danger
Which two characters are Jamal's friends who travels with him?
Omar and Rashida
How does the family attempt to reach Australia?
By boat
Which group controls the country and makes life dangerous for Jamal's family?
The Taliban
Jamal imagines his soccer team saving his family. Which theme does this best represent?
Hope OR Dreams
True or False: Jamal's mother is arrested before the family escapes
True — she is taken by the authorities, which triggers the family's escape
What is Jamal and Bibi's mother's secret occupation that she hides from the authorities?
She is a teacher that runs a secret school
At the end of the novel, where are Jamal and Bibi compared to their parents?
They are separated on two different refugee boats - the kids are separated from their parents
The family's journey takes them across which ocean to reach Australia?
The Indian Ocean
Which real-world issue does the novel raise by depicting asylum seekers on a dangerous boat journey?
The refugee crisis OR human rights
True or False: The novel is written entirely from Bibi's point of view.
False — it is written in first person from Jamal's point of view