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ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSIt is 1945, just after World War II, and the small Dutch town of Olst has almost nothing left. Nine-year-old Katje Van Stegeren and her neighbors survive on cabbages and potatoes, their clothing worn thin, their shelves nearly bare. Then one spring morning, Postman Kleinhoonte arrives with a surprising delivery: a box from America, sent by a girl named Rosie Johnson through the Children's Aid Society. Inside are soap, wool socks, and chocolate, small treasures that feel like miracles in postwar Holland. Katje writes Rosie a thank-you letter, and what happens next grows far beyond anything she could have imagined.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Boxes for Katje
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 Boxes for Katje. 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 girl break a chocolate bar into pieces to share with her mother and a postman?
✓ Answer
Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming
Katje wants to eat the whole chocolate bar herself, but when she sees how much Mama and Postman Kleinhoonte miss chocolate too, she makes a decision. She breaks the bar into pieces and passes them around so they can all savor the almost forgotten taste.
- First half
In what book do five thin children from next door come running when a second package arrives?
✓ Answer
Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming
When Postman Kleinhoonte shouts about Katje's second box from America, the deLand family comes running from next door. Mr. and Mrs. deLand and their five thin children all gather around to see what is inside.
- First half
In what book do townspeople line their old coats with newspaper to keep out the cold?
✓ Answer
Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming
As autumn arrives rainy and gray, the townspeople of Olst pick the last of their cabbages and potatoes. With no warm clothing available, they line their old coats with newspaper and worry about surviving the coming winter.
- Second half
In what book does a postman carry a package so big he cannot fit it on his bicycle?
✓ Answer
Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming
When the third box arrives, it is so large and heavy that Postman Kleinhoonte cannot balance it on his bicycle. He comes stumbling down the street carrying it on his back instead.
- Second half
In what book does a girl write that for a small time, a delivery "was like a party"?
✓ Answer
Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming
Katje writes to Rosie that the opening of the third box caused so much excitement that it felt like a party. People stopped worrying about holes in their shoes and threadbare coats.
- Near the end
In what book does a school organize a canned food drive and a church organize a clothes drive for overseas?
✓ Answer
Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming
In Rosie's letter at the bottom of the last box, she explains that her whole community rallied together. The school organized a canned food drive, the church organized a clothes drive, and even local businesses added items.
