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ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSEfrén Nava is a seventh grader who lives with his parents and his kindergarten-age twin siblings, Max and Mía, in a cramped one-room apartment on Highland Street. His mother, Amá, cooks, sews, and stretches every dollar to keep the family fed and dressed well, and his father, Apá, works long construction hours to support them. Efrén escapes into books whenever he can, often reading in the empty bathtub, the only private spot in their apartment. When his best friend, David, decides to run for ASB President at their middle school, he talks Efrén into becoming his campaign manager, which puts Efrén in contact with the other candidate, a serious, well-read classmate named Jennifer Huerta. Around the neighborhood, helicopters, checkpoints, and rumors of ICE raids are part of everyday life, and although Efrén was born in the United States, both of his parents came to the country without legal status. Then one ordinary afternoon, his mother does not come home from work, and Efrén's life stops making sense.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Efrén Divided
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 Efrén Divided. 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 neighbor serve a boy chicken soup before telling him his mother is gone?
✓ Answer
Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros
Doña Chana feeds Efrén caldo de pollo at her apartment full of packed boxes before she can bring herself to say that Amá was picked up at a factory. Efrén had grown up hearing about ICE the way kids hear about El Cucuy, and now it has reached his own family.
- First half
In what book does a candidate wear a lilac shirt to appeal to both boys and girls?
✓ Answer
Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros
David explains that lilac is blue and pink mixed together, so it wins over every voter at once. Efrén just squints at the brightness and says at least he will be safe crossing the street.
- First half
In what book does a boy collect unopened crackers and celery from a school trash bin?
✓ Answer
Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros
Efrén picks a table nobody uses so no one will see him, because being caught would be humiliating. He is stretching the food money as far as it will go, and he still feels ashamed when he lays the snacks out for the twins at home.
- Second half
In what book does a father scoop his sleeping son out of the bathtub?
✓ Answer
Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros
Apá needs to shower before another long shift and finds Efrén asleep in the tub with his library book. Watching how tired his father is, and how he still finds the strength to be gentle, is what convinces Efrén that he can be strong too.
- Second half
In what book does a little boy tape his poster above the busiest drinking fountain?
✓ Answer
Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros
Max picks the spot himself and refuses to move it, and Mía backs him up completely. Efrén cringes at first, but that misspelled poster ends up being the one Jennifer and Han say is their favorite.
- Near the end
In what book do families in folding beach chairs hold hands through a border fence?
✓ Answer
Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros
Lalo takes Efrén to el Muro, the wall that runs down to the ocean, where people line up for a turn to touch relatives on the other side. It is how Lalo has watched his daughter grow up, and Efrén never forgets the sight.
