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ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSTwelve-year-old Kaylani "Lani" McKinnon has one goal this summer: help clear her father's name after he was sent to prison for a crime she is certain he did not commit. Instead, her mother ships her off to Martha's Vineyard to stay with the Watsons, old family friends who summer in a longtime Black beach community on the island, while London, the granddaughter Lani's age, makes it clear she does not want her around. Lani is settling into island life, biking past historic sites and bonding with a charming local teenager named Chadwick over their shared favorite rapper, when Chadwick turns up dead after apparently jumping from the island's famous bridge. The official story is a shark attack, but Lani notices details that do not add up, and with London's reluctant help she starts asking questions the Watson family clearly does not want asked. Readers who like a mystery with real stakes, a sharp young detective, and a summer setting that hides more than it shows will want to find out what Lani uncovers.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Blood in the Water
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 Blood in the Water. 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 father tell his daughter to "stay sharp, eyes open"?
✓ Answer
Blood in the Water by Tiffany D. Jackson
This is what Kaylani's dad always says about growing up in Brooklyn, and the two of them turned it into a game of counting exits and noticing details. That habit of noticing is exactly what lets her catch clues the adults miss.
- First half
In what book does a boy warn a rival that only his friends may use his nickname?
✓ Answer
Blood in the Water by Tiffany D. Jackson
Chadwick snaps at Jaden for shortening his name, though the real tension is about class and about Cassie. Seconds later the two of them are rolling in the sand throwing punches.
- First half
In what book does a tour bus stop outside the very house where a girl is staying?
✓ Answer
Blood in the Water by Tiffany D. Jackson
The guide announces that the mansion belonged to a woman who died in a drowning accident and left it to the family living there now. Kaylani and London both realize the story does not match what they have been told.
- Second half
In what book does a girl find white sandals turned rusty brown and caked with tiny seashells?
✓ Answer
Blood in the Water by Tiffany D. Jackson
Kaylani finds the ruined sandals at the bottom of Cassie's closet, unworn since the night of the beach party. Cassie eventually explains that the stains came from helping Chadwick after Jaden broke his nose.
- Second half
In what book does a scientist place a great white's tooth in a girl's palm?
✓ Answer
Blood in the Water by Tiffany D. Jackson
Dr. Brooks digs the tooth out of his leather bag to show how a real bite leaves arcs of triangle shapes. London pretends to be fascinated so he will keep talking, and the flattery works.
- Near the end
In what book does a scavenger hunt clue mention a story about a wedding kept in front of a grave?
✓ Answer
Blood in the Water by Tiffany D. Jackson
The clue stumps the boys until Kaylani realizes it points to the writer Dorothy West, whose grave sits near the library. What she learned on the heritage tour is what keeps their scavenger hunt team in the race.
