BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSThirteen-year-old Koly lives in rural India, where her family arranges her marriage to a boy named Hari Mehta to ease their poverty. She leaves her parents and brothers behind, moving in with her new husband's family, only to discover that Hari is younger than they claimed, gravely ill with tuberculosis, and that the Mehtas wanted her dowry money to fund a pilgrimage to the sacred Ganges River in hopes of curing him. As Koly tries to find her footing in a household that barely acknowledges her, she must decide whether to endure, escape, or find some path that was never supposed to be available to a girl like her.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Homeless Bird
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 Homeless Bird. 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 sick boy's bedroom wallpapered with pinned butterflies and bugs from his collection?
✓ Answer
Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan
When Koly first enters Hari's sickroom, she finds nearly a hundred butterflies and bugs pinned to the mud-brick walls. Hari collected them when he was well, and now people bring him new ones as gifts.
- First half
In what book does a father-in-law secretly teach a widowed girl to read by drawing animals for each letter?
✓ Answer
Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan
Sassur agrees to teach Koly each evening while his wife gossips outside. He draws pictures next to each letter, then draws a tiny railway with words as cars to teach her sentences.
- First half
In what book is a snake charmer's cobra so old and lazy it must be tumbled from its basket?
✓ Answer
Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan
At the village celebration of Krishna's birthday, Sassur takes Koly and Chandra to see fireworks, trained monkeys, and this comically ancient cobra. The girls eat spun sugar until their faces are sticky pink.
- Second half
In what book does a sly woman tell a girl, "Go and find us some food" and then disappear?
✓ Answer
Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan
Sass hands Koly a fifty-rupee note in the temple and tells her to find food while she rests in the cool shade. By the time Koly returns with two samosas and the change, Sass has slipped onto a train to Delhi, leaving Koly alone in Vrindavan.
- Second half
In what book does a rickshaw boy pedal extra fares to cover a free ride?
✓ Answer
Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan
When Raji returns to take Koly to a widows' house, she protests that she has no money to pay him. He explains that he pedaled fast all evening to earn enough fares to cover her ride, which his employer will never know is free.
- Near the end
In what book does a shy village girl ride for the first time in an air-conditioned car?
✓ Answer
Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan
Mrs. Devi takes Koly to the embroidery shop in her chauffeured car, where Koly is amazed to find a cool breeze trapped inside the vehicle. She sits straight up, afraid to open her mouth, as they glide past street crowds on soft cushions.
