BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSNine-year-old Pippi Longstocking lives alone in a ramshackle Swedish house called Villekulla Cottage with her horse and her little monkey, Mr. Nelson. Her mother died when she was a baby, and her father, a ship's captain she calls the Cannibal King, was blown overboard during a storm at sea. Rather than go to a children's home, Pippi runs her own life, cooking her own pancakes, choosing her own bedtime, and spending from a suitcase stuffed with gold pieces. When the two children next door, Tommy and Annika, discover her, every day becomes an adventure: picnics in the woods, trips to the circus, and run-ins with bullies and policemen, all shaped by Pippi's impossible strength and her cheerful refusal to follow rules she doesn't understand.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Pippi Longstocking
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 Pippi Longstocking. 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 girl call herself a turnupstuffer who hunts for gold nuggets, ostrich feathers, and dead mice?
✓ Answer
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
Pippi invents the job of turnupstuffer, which means finding the stuff that turns up when you look. She insists the world is full of treasures waiting to be discovered, and recruits Tommy and Annika to help her hunt.
- First half
In what book is a teapot thrown down from a tree, its spout snapping off when it hits the grass?
✓ Answer
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
While serving tea up in the oak, the heroine throws teacups for Tommy and Annika to catch, then later flings them all back down to test how well china is made these days. One cup, all three saucers, and a spoutless teapot survive the fall.
- First half
In what book does a girl scrub the kitchen floor by tying brushes to her bare feet and skating around?
✓ Answer
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
Pippi heaves a whole saucepan of water onto the floor, then ties scrubbing brushes to her feet and skates around. She kicks her leg so high she knocks a piece off the ceiling lamp and announces she should have been an ice-skating queen.
- Second half
In what book does a girl pause on a tightrope to scratch behind her ear with her enormous shoe?
✓ Answer
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
After taking over from Miss Elvira, she stretches one leg straight up so her huge shoe spreads like a roof, then waggles her foot to scratch her ear. The audience cheers wildly.
- Second half
In what book does a girl tie up two thieves, then cut them loose to dance the polka?
✓ Answer
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
After setting both thieves on the cupboard and tying them up, she cuts them loose so she can practice the polka she has just taught herself. One plays a comb for music while she whirls the other around until three in the morning.
- Near the end
In what book does a child climb a rope to rescue two small boys trapped in a burning attic?
✓ Answer
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
When fire engulfs the newly built Skyscraper, a five-year-old and his four-year-old brother are stuck in the top attic. The fire ladder cannot reach them, so the heroine uses a monkey, a tree, and a rope to save them.
