BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSTwelve-year-old Reena and her seven-year-old brother Luke have just moved with their parents from a noisy big city to a small harbor town on the coast of Maine, a place Reena knows only from books. The move is an adventure, but it quickly takes an unexpected turn when their mother befriends the eccentric old Mrs. Falala, who lives in a tilting house on Twitch Street with a fat pig, a golden cat, a green parrot, a black snake, and one ornery Belted Galloway cow named Zora. Before Reena quite knows how it happened, she and Luke are volunteered to help Mrs. Falala three mornings a week, which means scooping manure, hauling feed and water, and trying to halter a cow who would rather knock them flat than cooperate.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Moo
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 Moo. 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 there a tall, narrow gray house that tilts to one side?
✓ Answer
Moo by Sharon Creech
Mrs. Falala's spooky leaning house, covered in twisted vines, sits at the edge of town on Twitch Street, with flute music drifting from the attic.
- First half
In what book does a young boy rope a stubborn cow from the fence while it stands perfectly still?
✓ Answer
Moo by Sharon Creech
After Reena fails repeatedly, Luke surprises everyone by climbing the gate, dropping the loop over the big cow's head, and getting it on the first try.
- First half
In what book does an old woman leave used overalls and rubber boots in the barn for two helpers?
✓ Answer
Moo by Sharon Creech
Mrs. Falala surprises the kids with secondhand farm gear so their messy work won't ruin their clothes, a rare kind gesture they are suspicious of.
- Second half
In what book does a city family watch fog rise off a harbor, revealing wooden boats?
✓ Answer
Moo by Sharon Creech
Before the tourists arrive, the family climbs down to the beach and watches the fog lift to reveal lobster boats and bobbing buoys. Reena says she sometimes had to close her eyes to rest from all the new everythings pouring in.
- Second half
In what book does a farm boy answer where the cows go with one word, "Hamburger"?
✓ Answer
Moo by Sharon Creech
After a long pause looking at the rafters and the floor, Zep finally admits the cows become hamburger. The blunt answer shatters Reena and Luke's innocence about the animals they have come to love.
- Near the end
In what book does a runaway heifer get caught, then calmly snatch hay as if nothing happened?
✓ Answer
Moo by Sharon Creech
After her wild dash through the fair, Zora is led back to the stalls where she chews hay and drinks defiantly. Her unbothered attitude captures the stubborn, sassy personality the book celebrates.
