BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSEighth grader Nick Hall lives for soccer and hates words, which is a problem when his father is a linguistics professor who wrote his own dictionary, Weird and Wonderful Words, and makes Nick read it. His best friend, Coby, now plays for a rival travel club, and both of their teams have been invited to the Dallas Cup, a famous youth soccer tournament. Nick can barely talk to April, the girl he likes from etiquette and ballroom dance class, and a pair of bully twins with red boxing gloves are back at school. Then his mom announces that she is taking a job in Kentucky and that his parents are separating. Through it all, the seven-foot school librarian everyone calls The Mac keeps pushing books on Nick and won't say what is inside his dragonfly box. The story is told in short poems that speak to Nick as "you," with footnotes that define the odd words in his life.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Booked
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 Booked. 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 is a boy's daydreamed Barcelona debut interrupted by a teacher in a purple polyester dress?
✓ Answer
Booked by Kwame Alexander
Bored in Ms. Hardwick's Honors English class, Nick daydreams about taking the winning penalty kick in his Barcelona debut against Real Madrid. Before he can shoot, the daydream shatters because the real Ms. Hardwick is yelling at him to pay attention.
- First half
In what book does an apology begin with a remote-control helicopter lost in a hotel pool?
✓ Answer
Booked by Kwame Alexander
Nick tells Coby that as a little kid he flew his favorite toy into a hotel pool and was too scared to jump in after it because he couldn't swim. It's his way of apologizing for freezing instead of helping Coby in the lunchroom fight.
- First half
In what book is a girl told her last name means pretty, though it really means a litter of pigs?
✓ Answer
Booked by Kwame Alexander
When April asks what her last name, Farrow, means, Nick says, "Uh, I think it means 'pretty' or something." His footnote admits the real meaning is a litter of pigs, and there was no way he was telling her that.
- Second half
In what book does a soccer collision play out like The Matrix, with the best friend as Neo?
✓ Answer
Booked by Kwame Alexander
Late in the big match, Nick winds up for a shot and everything slows down as Coby charges at him like a bull. Coby's cleat hits Nick's ankle instead of the ball, they both go down, and Nick's aching stomach explodes in pain.
- Second half
In what book do doctors and nurses give a standing ovation when a librarian finishes reading a novel aloud?
✓ Answer
Booked by Kwame Alexander
The Mac kicks off his high-tops, props his feet up, and reads All the Broken Pieces to Nick in the hospital like he's rapping on the mike. Two hours later he reaches the final page, and the doctors and nurses crowding the room applaud.
- Near the end
In what book does a linguistics professor offer his son a break from the dictionary the boy just finished?
✓ Answer
Booked by Kwame Alexander
Dad suggests Nick take a break from his dictionary, and Nick laughs like a tickled baboon because he finished the whole thing the night before. To celebrate, they head to a sports restaurant for unlimited hot wings and soccer.
