Vocabulary
What does "staggered" mean?
walked or moved unsteadily, as if about to fall
What year does the story take place?
1963
Where is Kenny's dad originally from?
Flint, Michigan
How old is Kenny?
10 years old
How old is Byron?
13
What are "imitations?"
things intended to simulate or copy something else
What U.S. city is the setting for chapters 1-4?
Flint, Michigan
Who is the youngest sibling in the Watson family?
Joey (Joetta)
What is Kenny's nickname at school?
"Poindexter"
How does Byron treat Kenny?
He bullies Kenny most of the time.
What does "orbiting" mean?
following a curved path around a planet or star
One of the main settings for chapters 1-4 is the school the Watsons attend. What is the name of the school?
Clark Elementary
What does Kenny think his neighbors call his family?
"The Weird Watsons"
There is something different about Kenny's eye, and it makes him very self-conscious. What is it?
He has a lazy eye.
What did Byron do to Larry Dunn?
Byron made Larry give back the stolen gloves, and he made Larry run into a fence a bunch of times.
What are "reinforcements?"
things designed to provide additional strength (as in a weak area)
One of the first examples of external conflict we see in the book takes place when Byron is supposed to be scraping ice off the car's windows. What happens to him?
Byron gets his lips stuck to the side-view mirror of the car. (The external conflict here is between Byron and the extremely cold weather, which causes his lips to freeze onto the mirror.)
Why do the Watsons need to leave their house (temporarily) in chapter 1?
It is really cold and they have no heat, so they are going to go over to their aunt's house (she does have heat!)
What is Kenny really, really good at? (Hint: His teachers drag him from classroom to classroom to show off his skills to the other students.)
Reading, especially reading aloud
What is Byron's best friend's name?
Buphead
What does "delinquent" mean?
showing or characterized by a tendency to commit crime, particularly minor crime
What is it called when a character says something out loud?
dialogue
Momma has a special way of making sure her kids don't lose their second pair of leather gloves. She hooks them by string to their coat sleeves AND uses safety pins for extra protection. What does Kenny call this?
"kindergarten-style"
What is the name of Kenny's former best friend, the one who stole his plastic dinosaurs?
LJ Jones
What phrase does Byron say to Kenny when he (Byron) decides not to take the bus?
"Give my regards to Clark, Poindexter"