Plot
While Holiday and Cyrus were able to convince the parents to go camping by the radio tower, why was it still not easy for Holiday to go find Badger?
She had to have a good reason to sneak out into the woods with the rest of her family there.
How do we know Monica is very upset?
She's making chicken cutlets, which, according to the Anders kids, she only does when she's very upset - like when Cyrus accidentally set the garage on fire for his science experiment.
What are the word parts (affixes, root/stem words) for "uninvited"?
un - not
in - in
-d - past tense
uninvited = not let in, not asked to join
Is this sentence grammatically/structurally correct? If incorrect, please correct it.
Cyrus asked to talk to mom so Holiday can sneak out and find Badger.
This is a correct sentence.
Why did the hoverboard suddenly activate in Birdie's closet?
What happens when the Child Catchers show up?
Badger leads them away from Holiday and Birdie, but he gets caught.
Why does Birdie make Holiday and Cyrus share their mission with her?
She is hurt from and tired of being left out of their activities. They share with each other, but not her, and it hurts.
Cyrus is trying to ask the parents to let him tell the truth because he feels it is wrong for the family to be deceiving Holiday.
What does deceiving mean? What context clues helped you figure this out?
deceive - to lie, to cause someone to believe something that's not true
We can infer this definition because:
In the sentence, it has that he wants to "tell the truth."
We also know Cyrus has struggled with having to lie to Holiday.
Is this sentence grammatically/structurally correct? If incorrect, please correct it.
Birdie had been excluded from Holiday and Cyrus' mission until she threatened to tell about their secrets to their parents.
This is a correct sentence.
Unscramble this phrase:
yrveneoe si nigepke scretes
everyone is keeping secrets
What happens to the Anders family's camping trip after James (the dad) gets a call?
James has to go to work and the family soon has to cut the trip short to go home.
After being captured, how does Badger respond to his interrogator and why?
He doesn't answer the questions and keeps giving responses that aren't serious. He might be trying to protect any information about "the Four" to keep them hidden.
Because she's tired of being left out and she knows about Badger's connection to Holiday, Birdie blackmails Cyrus and Holiday to let her in on their mission.
What does blackmail mean? What context clues helped you figure this out?
blackmail - to demand a benefit from someone in return for not revealing damaging information about them
We know Birdie demanded that Cyrus and Holiday let her in or else she will tell Mom and Dad.
Is this sentence grammatically/structurally correct? If incorrect, please correct it.
Holiday and Birdie hid in the woods if Badger led the Child Catchers away.
This is incorrect because it has an awkward meaning with IF. Some possible ways to say this correctly are:
Holiday and Birdie hid in the woods WHILE Badger led the Child Catchers away.
Holiday and Birdie hid in the woods BUT Badger led the Child Catchers away.
Holiday and Birdie hid in the woods THEN Badger led the Child Catchers away.
What are some lies and secrets the Anders family is now telling and keeping from each other? Give at least 2 examples.
Answers can include but are not limited to:
Holiday lied about making a horror movie for class when she wanted to go meet Badger.
Cyrus wanted to talk to the parents to distract them so Holiday could go meet Badger.
Birdie said they were out in the woods chasing a Raikou for Pokemon Go when really they went to meet with Badger and escape the Child Catchers.
James only says he is going to go do "work" things without giving more details to his family when he leaves them.
James doesn't tell Monica what the work is about.
Cyrus and Holiday don't share that they were going into the base with the parents.
Why do Cyrus and Holiday go to the military base?
They think James is the one who ordered Badger's capture and they try to follow him to work to find out, but they can no longer go in like they used to.
Give at least 2 clues that lead us to think James is behind Badger's capture.
He got a call from work (his job is at a military base) right after Holiday and Birdie saw Badger get captured.
According to Holiday, the "Child Catchers" who caught Badger looked like black ops, which are a military branch, and James works for the military.
When the interrogator was talking to Badger, he said, "I left my family to be here!" in an irritated voice - right after James left his family at camp for work.
After hearing the helicopter (Child Catchers' vehicle), James suddenly left the tent.
Badger likes to dance around the questions posed to him.
What does "dance around the questions" mean and how do you know?
To dance around questions mean to not answer questions directly, but with information that is indirect or doesn't seem to relate to the question.
We know this is what it means because we have had characters complain that Badger doesn't give straight answers, and he himself doesn't do anything directly - always indirectly, like asking Birdie about Holiday rather than going to see himself.
Is this sentence grammatically/structurally correct? If incorrect, please correct it.
Holiday and Cyrus were confused they couldn't be let into the base unless they used to be able to enter in the past.
This is incorrect. UNLESS is not the right conjunction to use. Some possible corrections:
Holiday and Cyrus were confused they couldn't be let into the base BECAUSE they used to be able to enter in the past.
Holiday and Cyrus used to be able to enter the base in the past SO they were confused they couldn't be let in this time.
Give at least 1 reason why you think Birdie may either be a helpful ally for Holiday and Cyrus or a hindrance to them.
Answers vary and may include, but are not limited to:
Helpful: Birdie really wants to be included with Cyrus and Holiday's activities. She really loves Holiday and wants to help. She has lied to protect Holiday already (Pokemon Go lie).
Hindrance: Birdie is immature and the minute she gets upset, she may tell the parents. We have seen instances of Cyrus and Holiday not thinking Birdie is capable.
Why do the kids decide to try and tell Monica (the mom) about their situation?
They think since she's mad that James is also keeping secrets from her, that she will help them with their questions.
By the end of Episode 15, the kids think they can get Monica on their side.
Give one reason why it's possible Monica will help the kids, and one reason why she won't help the kids.
Arguments for YES she will help:
- She's mad that James is keeping secrets from her
- She genuinely seems to care for the kids
Arguments for NO she will not help:
- She's the one who said Holiday must "Never know. Ever."
- She's the one who started the lie that Holiday was her and James' daughter and made the decision to adopt her.
By episode 15, the kids think they can get Monica's help because she'll know exactly what to do, but at the same time, James reveals to her that Holiday tried to sneak into the base. The story is getting exciting!
Provide 2 synonyms and an antonym for "exciting."
Possible synonyms: thrilling, exhilarating, gripping, dramatic, shocking, startling, suspenseful, tense, cliffhanging, mind-blowing
Antonym: boring
Is this sentence grammatically/structurally correct? If incorrect, please correct it.
Before the kids realized Dad had also been lying to Mom, they hoped to let her in on their mission so she could help them.
This is an incorrect sentence. The kids did not decide to let Mom in on their secret BEFORE they realized Dad was also lying to her. Some possible corrections:
AFTER the kids realized Dad had also been lying to Mom, they hoped to let her in on their mission so she could help them.
WHEN the kids realized Dad had also been lying to Mom, they hoped to let her in on their mission so she could help them.
Why do you think the parents have wanted Holiday to stay in the dark about her past? Give at least 2 clues from the podcast that make you think this.
Answers can vary.