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ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSIt is 1845 in the west of Ireland, and twelve-year-old Nory Ryan lives with her grandfather, two sisters, and little brother Patch in a small stone cottage near the sea cliffs of Maidin Bay. Her father is away fishing to earn rent money, her oldest sister Maggie is about to marry and sail for Brooklyn, and the family scrapes by on potatoes and whatever Nory can gather or poach from the landlord's stream. When a mysterious black rot begins sweeping through the potato fields of County Galway, Nory must find ways to keep her family alive against a disaster that is bigger than any of them imagined.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Nory Ryan's Song
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 Nory Ryan's Song. 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 do two sisters fight over their dead mother's pink-stoned comb until it snaps in two?
✓ Answer
Nory Ryan's Song by Patricia Reilly Giff
Celia grabs their mother's comb to take to America, Nory jumps for it, and the keepsake breaks between them. Mam died giving birth to Patch, so anything that belonged to her is treasured by both girls.
- First half
In what book does an agent raise a tenant family's rent because they built a small stone shed?
✓ Answer
Nory Ryan's Song by Patricia Reilly Giff
Devlin tells the Ryans he has just raised the Mallons' rent because Long Liam built a stone shed for himself. Improving the property is punished, not rewarded, which is one of the cruelest twists of the system Cunningham runs.
- First half
In what book does a healer's table hold dried scraps of moss and faded buttercups instead of food?
✓ Answer
Nory Ryan's Song by Patricia Reilly Giff
Anna's table is covered with dried moss, buttercup petals, and other tiny faded plants. The first time Nory steps inside, she realizes the cottage has no scary creatures, just a healer's careful workshop of remedies.
- Second half
In what book do starving Irish children eat a tough old hen, sucking the bones until they fall apart?
✓ Answer
Nory Ryan's Song by Patricia Reilly Giff
The Ryan family kills one of their few remaining hens and eats every shred of meat. It is the first time their stomachs have been full since the potatoes failed, but Granda warns they have lost a daily egg.
- Second half
In what book does a wealthy woman in a ribboned hat buy a homemade shawl through a hotel guard?
✓ Answer
Nory Ryan's Song by Patricia Reilly Giff
Lord Cunningham's wife, dressed in jewelry and a ribboned hat, sees Nory holding up the shawl through the hotel window. The guard takes the shawl, palms one of her coins, and gives Nory the rest.
- Near the end
In what book does an attacking seabird tear a girl's forehead as she dangles from a cliff rope?
✓ Answer
Nory Ryan's Song by Patricia Reilly Giff
Halfway down the cliff, a wild bird flies into Nory's face, screaming and tearing her forehead with its claws. She lets go to fight it off and falls onto the ledge below, killing the bird beneath her.
