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ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSA First Time for Everything is Dan Santat's graphic novel memoir about the summer of 1989, when he was thirteen and about to start high school. Dan is an only child in Camarillo, a small town outside Los Angeles, and his family doesn't travel much because his mom has lupus and has been in the hospital a few times. Middle school has been hard on him. After a poem recital sets the whole school laughing, Dan wants to be small and invisible. Instead, his parents see him off on a three-week student tour of Europe with his teacher Mrs. Bjork and a tour group that includes several kids from his school, and the scariest part, he admits, is that they aren't really his friends. From Paris to Switzerland, Munich, a home stay in Salzburg, Vienna, and London, the trip keeps handing Dan things he has never done before, some wonderful and some mortifying, and a girl from Illinois named Amy keeps turning up along the way.
Free Battle of the Books questions for A First Time for Everything
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about A First Time for Everything. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book does a traveler stumble over a girl's name while reading her luggage tag?
✓ Answer
A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat
At the Paris airport baggage claim, Dan grabs a duffel bag that turns out to belong to Amy. He tries to read Amy Glucksbringer off the tag, apologizes that all the bags look alike, and hands it back, which is how he meets Amy.
- First half
In what book does a son interrupt his mom's questions by announcing he failed his English test?
✓ Answer
A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat
In a flashback, Dan gets his mom to give Shelley a ride home. When his mom starts asking Shelley why she needs a ride, Dan blurts out that he failed his English test, his mom starts lecturing him about video games, and Shelley silently mouths thank you.
- First half
In what book does a girl throw up on a boy right after sipping his strawberry soda?
✓ Answer
A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat
Outside the Munich beer hall, Amy says the smell is making her feel barfy, so Dan offers her his Strawberry Fanta in case the bubbles calm her stomach. She takes a drink, and in the next panel she throws up all over Dan.
- Second half
In what book does a boy wish he were as confident as John McEnroe?
✓ Answer
A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat
Watching Wimbledon on TV with his host Helga, Dan admits he wishes he could be that confident and says he has stopped talking to most other kids and is afraid of being bullied. He says he has never even told his parents any of this, and Helga answers in German.
- Second half
In what book does a boy admit to worried housemates at 2 A.M. that he stole a bike?
✓ Answer
A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat
Dan's housemates are still awake when he pops into the kitchen at Helga's house and says hi, and Darryl says they were about to call the tour group. When Darryl asks how he got back since the metro had already closed, Dan's answer makes the whole room shout.
- Near the end
In what book does a teacher invite a boy sitting alone onto the world's largest Ferris wheel?
✓ Answer
A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat
After Dan blows up at a classmate and walks off at the Prater, Mrs. Bjork finds him on a bench and offers him a ride, her treat. In the cabin he tells her he is sad that just four days are left and that he is dreading high school.
