BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSHenrietta Weldon, called Henri, is starting seventh grade at Alterra Junior/Senior High School because her parents can no longer afford the tuition at her old school, the Vista School. Henri is a fast reader who writes rhymes in her journal and adores her black-and-white corn snake, Wil Snakespeare, but numbers tangle her up. She swaps digits in zip codes, counts on her fingers, and dreads paying for lunch with a handful of change. Her new math teacher, Ms. Edana, has the class repeat "I am not bad at math" and runs a support period called FOCUS lab, where Henri's peer tutor turns out to be Vinnie Morgan, a gruff eighth grader with a pet rat named Fratty in his shirt pocket. Henri's bossy older sister, Kat, who shares her bedroom, warns her that the Morgans are trouble. But Henri likes Vinnie, and his soccer-crazy sister, Ana, says Henri runs like a soccer player and should try out for the Argonauts. Between Poetry Friday, soccer tryouts, and a mom who says schoolwork comes first, Henri has a lot to figure out.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Figure It Out, Henri Weldon
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 Figure It Out, Henri Weldon. 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 strip of pastel yellow masking tape divide a shared bedroom down the middle?
✓ Answer
Figure It Out, Henri Weldon by Tanita S. Davis
Henri and her older sister Kat share a bedroom split by a yellow tape line, and the night before school Henri's half is buried in piles of clothes. Kat is already annoyed about the mess.
- First half
In what book does a girl write a poem calling racing fillies "silly and swaggering and swift like me"?
✓ Answer
Figure It Out, Henri Weldon by Tanita S. Davis
On the first Poetry Friday, Miss Grassinger reads a poem about racehorses and asks the class to write an imitation of it. Henri's poem "Fly Like a Girl" celebrates the fast lady horses, and when she reads it aloud the class snaps and claps.
- First half
In what book does a student fumbling coins at the cafeteria register wish for an earthquake?
✓ Answer
Figure It Out, Henri Weldon by Tanita S. Davis
At lunch, Henri has to pay for her pizza with dollar bills and a jumble of coins while kids behind her switch to the next cashier's line. She wishes for a fire alarm, an earthquake, or a hurricane, until the cashier gently tells her to put all her change on the counter and Ana slides in the missing dime.
- Second half
In what book does a soccer tryout warm-up include running drills called bum-kickers?
✓ Answer
Figure It Out, Henri Weldon by Tanita S. Davis
At Argonauts tryouts, Coach Bonnie runs the girls through high knees, bum-kickers, toe-touch swings and sideways hustles between the cones. Henri nearly trips over her own feet, and the girl in front of her wipes out pretty much on her face but gets right back up.
- Second half
In what book does an impatient lab partner chew a cotton swab before there's even a slide?
✓ Answer
Figure It Out, Henri Weldon by Tanita S. Davis
During the cheek-cell lab, AJ grabs a cotton swab and sticks it in his mouth before Hayden even has a slide ready. Grace tells him the lab notes don't say to chew the cotton, and Henri decides lab days are always good for watching AJ do something goofy.
- Near the end
In what book does a boy sneak a rat he insists is sick onto the bus in his backpack?
✓ Answer
Figure It Out, Henri Weldon by Tanita S. Davis
On the bus, Henri notices Vinnie curled protectively over his backpack and realizes Fratty is inside, even though Vinnie already got in trouble with Grandma Dot for bringing the rat to school. Vinnie insists, "Shut up, he's sick!" while Ana cheerfully guesses the rat is just constipated, though it later turns out Fratty had chewed a hole in his food bag.
