BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSHank Wolowitz is a fourth grader in Brooklyn whose family runs an ice-cream shop called Big Round Pumpkin. He has what everyone calls an overbusy imagination, but when he starts feeling fur under the kitchen sink and watching a waffle cone scoot across the counter by itself, he knows something real is going on. Before long he discovers an invisible creature named Inkling, a bandapat from parts unknown who has traveled to Brooklyn in desperate search of squash. With his best friend Wainscotting gone to Iowa City and a bully named Gillicut stealing his lunch every day, Hank is glad for the company. But Inkling insists he can only stay long enough to repay a debt of honor, and then he must leave for a pumpkin farm upstate.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Invisible Inkling
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 Invisible Inkling. 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 boy's family own an ice-cream shop named after a pumpkin?
✓ Answer
Invisible Inkling by Emily Jenkins
Hank's family runs Big Round Pumpkin, an ice-cream shop in Brooklyn. The shop's name becomes a central plot point because Inkling the bandapat traveled a long way thinking the big round pumpkin was an actual pumpkin he could eat.
- First half
In what book does a boy ask if his team could get "partial credit" for scoring in the wrong goal?
✓ Answer
Invisible Inkling by Emily Jenkins
After accidentally scoring in his own team's goal during a soccer scrimmage, Hank cheerfully points out that the ball did go straight in and asks about partial credit. The other kid screams that there is no partial credit and says Hank messed up the whole game.
- First half
In what book does a girl eat an apple-butter-and-pickle sandwich every day for lunch?
✓ Answer
Invisible Inkling by Emily Jenkins
Chin always eats the same unusual lunch combination at school. It's part of what makes her a distinctive character and one of the reasons she brings her own lunch instead of buying pizza on pizza Friday.
- Second half
In what book does a boy realize he knows people by features like a scraggle beard and chapped hands?
✓ Answer
Invisible Inkling by Emily Jenkins
Lying in bed, Hank thinks about how he knows his family by how they look. He knows his dad by his scraggle beard, his mom by her chapped ice-cream-store hands, and his sister by her green hair. It makes him sad that he can't see Inkling's face.
- Second half
In what book does a creature suggest ambushing a bully by climbing a tree and dropping on him?
✓ Answer
Invisible Inkling by Emily Jenkins
Inkling's new plan to defeat Gillicut involves pouncing from above, just like he once jumped on a kangaroo carrying a pumpkin. He suggests Hank climb a tree and drop on Gillicut to steal his lunch. When Hank points out there are no trees in the lunchroom, Inkling asks about ceiling pipes.
- Near the end
In what book does a boy land in a bathtub while cereal rains down on him?
✓ Answer
Invisible Inkling by Emily Jenkins
When Hank's sister opens the bathroom door, Hank drops Inkling in surprise. Inkling grabs the chair, the chair tips, and they all crash backward. Hank lands in the tub with Inkling underneath him, his head hitting the tile while Oatie Puffs shower down on both of them.
