BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSFourteen-year-old Francisco Jiménez has spent ten years living in fear as an undocumented immigrant in California, following crops with his family and sneaking months of school whenever possible. Then one morning in 1957, a Border Patrol officer walks into his eighth-grade classroom and the fear he has carried his whole life finally catches up to him. Francisco and his family are deported, but they cross back legally through Nogales, Arizona, and his father makes a surprising plan: Francisco and his older brother Roberto will return to Santa Maria so Francisco can keep going to school, while the rest of the family waits in Mexico until Papá recovers from his bad back. Suddenly Francisco is on his own, balancing field work and janitorial shifts with the classes he refuses to give up, all while wondering if he can find a way to a life beyond the strawberry rows.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Breaking Through
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 Breaking Through. 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 family cross the border by wiggling like snakes under a barbed wire fence?
✓ Answer
Breaking Through by Francisco Jiménez
Francisco recalls how his family entered California from Mexico when he was four, digging a hole under the wire wall in the night. His father warns the kids to say they were born in Colton if anyone asks. This memory anchors the family's ten years of living undocumented.
- First half
In what book does a boss tell a strawberry picker, "You have a good arm"?
✓ Answer
Breaking Through by Francisco Jiménez
After Francisco's strawberry war with his brother, Ito quietly compliments him on his throwing as he leaves the family's barrack with his bundle of taquitos. Francisco blushes because he had hoped Ito hadn't seen him throw the berry. Mamá covers for him by translating it as a comment about good work.
- First half
In what book do younger brothers proudly bring home a pair of tennis shoes from the dump?
✓ Answer
Breaking Through by Francisco Jiménez
Trampita and Torito proudly bring home a foul smelling pair of tennis shoes for Francisco after his were taken from his gym locker. They're too big, so he doubles up on socks. The eager faces of his younger brothers light up when he tries them on, even though the shoes give him athlete's foot.
- Second half
In what book does a teen write an essay about his baby brother almost freezing outside a tent?
✓ Answer
Breaking Through by Francisco Jiménez
Francisco writes about the night his baby brother rolled off a mattress and out of the tent in Santa Rosa, ending up stiff and purple from the cold. Miss Bell asks him after class if the story is true.
- Second half
In what book do high schoolers ride a bus to visit a college called Cal Poly?
✓ Answer
Breaking Through by Francisco Jiménez
Mr. Kinkade signs Francisco up for a California Scholarship Federation trip to Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. The visit lets him imagine himself living in a dorm someday, feeling both excited and a little sad.
- Near the end
In what book does a teen secretly copy his host's every move at a fancy lunch with two forks?
✓ Answer
Breaking Through by Francisco Jiménez
Invited to the Rotary Club lunch, Francisco is confused by the table setting with two forks. He watches Mr. Muse carefully and picks up the small one when he does, hoping no one notices he is unfamiliar with formal dining.
