BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSJake Stacey is a thirteen-year-old eighth grader in a south suburb of Chicago in 1996, and from the first pages of his notebook it is clear something is wrong. A vicious Voice in his head tells him he does not deserve food, does not deserve to take up space, and does not deserve love. Jake starves himself, weighs himself compulsively, and skates furiously through his neighborhood trying to burn off every calorie. School is a torment of bullying and isolation, home is tense and distant, and the one person who truly sees him is his beloved grandmother, who smells like Big Red gum and calls red the color of love. When a nursing home resident Jake reads to calls his mother with her concerns, Jake is taken to a doctor and then, before he can catch his breath, admitted to Whispering Pines, an inpatient treatment facility for eating disorders. Told entirely in free verse through Jake's own notebook entries, the novel follows a sensitive, Broadway-loving, poetry-reciting boy who is sicker than he knows and not yet ready to admit he needs help.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Louder Than Hunger
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 Louder Than Hunger. 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 name a park angel statue when he is seven and confess secrets to her?
✓ Answer
Louder Than Hunger by John Schu
Jake named the majestic angel statue in Pondview Park 'Frieden' when he was seven. She holds a flower in her left hand and her right hand reaches out offering a blessing. He confesses his deepest secrets to her, including that his hair is falling out and he's lost control.
- First half
In what book does an art therapist always wear fun ties, including one with cats and unicorns dancing together?
✓ Answer
Louder Than Hunger by John Schu
Pedro, the art therapist at Whispering Pines, always wears fun ties. One day it's cats and unicorns dancing together, another day it's dragons eating donuts. His room doesn't have chairs in a circle. Instead, each person has their own space to create. Jake manages a half-smile when he sees Pedro's ties.
- First half
In what book does a boy tell a group therapy circle that he stole a dog in the second grade?
✓ Answer
Louder Than Hunger by John Schu
When Ruth asks everyone to share a time they helped someone, Jake blurts out that he stole a dog in the second grade. Everyone stares. He later writes the full story for Ruth, about how he rescued a dog he named Jessie from being tied up outside, but dropped him while biking home.
- Second half
In what book does a boy place a childhood photo of himself and his grandmother next to her hospital bed?
✓ Answer
Louder Than Hunger by John Schu
Jake pulls a Polaroid of him and Grandma posing by a pool out of his pocket and places it by her bed. The photo is from before the bullying started, before the Voice, before either of them got sick.
- Second half
In what book does a boy talk to a photo of Emily Dickinson about exercising in the basement?
✓ Answer
Louder Than Hunger by John Schu
While on outpatient, Jake confides in Emily Dickinson's photo about how hard things are at home. He admits he can't stop exercising in the basement and worries about his grandma.
- Near the end
In what book does a boy hurl his dinner plate across a restaurant like a frisbee?
✓ Answer
Louder Than Hunger by John Schu
After a magical day at the theater, Jake's eating disorder takes over at dinner. When his mom makes him order a replacement plate, Jake picks it up and hurls it across the restaurant. Beef, beans, broccoli, bread, and butter fly free.
