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ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSElizabeth is a teenager living in Dresden, Germany, during World War II. Her father is away fighting on the Russian front, and her mother works at the city zoo caring for a young orphaned elephant named Marlene. When zoo authorities warn that the large animals will be shot if Allied bombers attack the city, Elizabeth's mother comes up with a bold solution: she brings Marlene home each evening to live in their garden. Then the bombs actually come, and the family is forced to flee into the night with Marlene beside them, setting off on an uncertain journey westward through a country at war.
Free Battle of the Books questions for An Elephant in the Garden
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 An Elephant in the Garden. 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 zoo director warn the staff that dangerous animals must be destroyed if bombers come?
✓ Answer
An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo
The Herr Direktor gathers all the keepers and explains that escaped animals would threaten the city. The big carnivores and large animals are all on the list to be shot if the bombing starts.
- First half
In what book does a worried policeman get his cap knocked off by a zoo animal's trunk?
✓ Answer
An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo
A policeman comes to investigate the large animal being kept in a residential yard. When the animal reaches out her trunk to touch his face, she accidentally knocks off his cap, and everyone laughs.
- First half
In what book does a lost zoo animal's trunk suddenly wind itself around a grieving family on a hilltop?
✓ Answer
An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo
They had given up hope of finding the runaway animal, but she finds them instead. All three burst out laughing through their tears as the creature enfolds them with her trunk on the hilltop overlooking the burning city.
- Second half
In what book does a man pump a boy's chest and breathe into his mouth by a stove?
✓ Answer
An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo
After pulling Karli from the icy lake, Peter carries him inside and lays him by the stove. With Karli's lips blue and no sign of breathing, Peter pumps his chest and breathes into his mouth for long, agonizing minutes until Karli finally coughs up water and opens his eyes.
- Second half
In what book do soldiers search a farmhouse for a downed parachutist from a Lancaster bomber?
✓ Answer
An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo
Three armed soldiers arrive at Uncle Manfred's farmhouse searching for a surviving enemy airman. Mutti calmly lies, saying they are alone. The tense situation is complicated by Peter sitting right there at the kitchen table, disguised in Uncle Manfred's civilian clothes.
- Near the end
In what book does a boy juggle two tennis balls and a compass atop a huge animal?
✓ Answer
An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo
In the stable yard of the countess's estate, Karli shows off for a crowd of refugee children and adults. The countess gave him two tennis balls, and he adds the compass to juggle three objects astride Marlene. When the animal shifts, the compass flies into the air and is caught by Hans, nearly exposing Peter's secret.
