VOCABULARY
What does ornery mean within the sentence:
"Well, I don't want to hear it." I was feeling so completely ornery.
bad temper
What is Sal's soul design and who else had the same design?
A circle with a large maple leaf in the center. Ben made the same design.
What does the third message the Winterbottom's receive mean? "You can't keep the birds of sadness from flying over your heads, but you can keep them from resting in your hair."
You control the sadness in your life and you need to come to terms with the sadness.
What does Mr. Birkway collect on the first day of school?
Summer journals
What is the singing tree
A tree in Kentucky that birds lived in
What does the word skeptical mean within the sentence:
"I must have looked skeptical." Phoebe said, "Sale, you never can tell."
showing doubt
What does it mean to catch a fish in the air?
to keep hoping for something that is impossible.
Why does Sal's mom explain the story of Napi to Sal?
To explain life and death.
How old is the lunatic?
18 years old
How does Gramps try to scare off the boy at the river?
He has Sal throw a rock at a knothole in a tree.
What does malinger mean within the sentence:
"I'm sick. Honest." "We have to go on with things." "We can't malinger."
pretend illness
How does Gramps try to scare off the boy at the river?
Gramps tells Sal to throw a rock at a knothole.
How is Phoebe getting caught in a web?
Her classmates want details so Phoebe continues to lie.
Explain the story of the singing tree
A tree in Kentucky that a songbird lived in. Sal loves hearing the bird sing.
Why does Sal's father put the farm up for sale in Bybanks, Kentucky?
He puts the farm up for sale because of all the memories of his wife.
What does deprived mean with the sentence:
"...Deprived child," he said. "You didn't have a chance to write a journal."
A benefit withheld or removed.
Why does Sal keep putting off having a discussion about Margaret with her father?
She does not want to hear how they met and they get into arguments every time they talk about her.
Explain what John Hiddle's statement to Sal means that you can't cage a person; a person isn't a bird.
Nothing Sal's dad or Sal could have done would have stopped Sal's mother from leaving them.
Explain the blackberry kisses story Sal tells the reader.
Her mother kissed a tree after eating blackberries leaving a dark stain on the trunk.
Why does Sal's dad put the farm up for sale?
He wants to get away from the memories of his wife.
What does cavorted mean within the sentence"
"I studied Mr. Birkway as he leaped and cavorted about the classroom."
energetic; high spirited
What is tiny life?
Having no purpose
How does Gramps, Gram, and Sal swimming in the water remind Sal of of her mother?
Sal's long hair floats in the water and she remembers her mother cut her hair a week before she left. Sal saved her hair.
Who is the egg man and what is the story about him?
He delivered eggs to Gram and Gramps. Gram stayed with him for 3 days until Gramps went to get her because of his swearing. Gramps promised Grams he would not swear anymore.
Why does seeing a pregnant woman in the Badlands of South Dakota affect Sal?
Sal recalls her mother's pregnancy and the loss of the child in birth.