BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSRelic Hamilton lives with his grandfather above their family's antique shop, Anansi Antiques, in Soho, London, and after school the two of them search the muddy banks of the River Thames for old coins, bones and other bits of history. One afternoon, while gathering brass lamps for the shop window, Relic finds a carved wooden box hidden under the basement floorboards, with six small lamps circling a much larger one. When he polishes the big lamp, a huge, muscle-bound genie with ice-white eyes appears and reaches into Relic's mind for his deepest wish. Grandfather saves him but falls into a deep sleep that no one can wake him from. Relic wakes up on a hovering jet with the Professor and Raphaela, members of the Hermitic Sodality of Genie Hunters, a secret society of archaeologists that Grandfather has belonged to all along. At their hidden headquarters he meets Rania, a half-genie girl who is also the team's doctor, and he discovers that the six small lamps hold sprites, magical creatures that have chosen Relic as their Wielder. Meanwhile Taya Porter, a lonely girl on a school trip to London, finds the escaped lamp on the pavement and begins to hear a voice offering her wishes. To find the genie and save his grandfather, Relic goes undercover on Taya's school trip. Relic tells most of the story, Taya narrates some chapters of her own, and nearly every chapter begins with a short poem.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Relic Hamilton, Genie Hunter
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 Relic Hamilton, Genie Hunter. 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 an orange furry creature with two little hooves have a see-through chest showing its heart?
✓ Answer
Relic Hamilton, Genie Hunter by Joseph Coelho
Orange smoke from one of the small lamps forms Gamber, who has floppy ears that fade into wisps of smoke and big golden-amber eyes. He holds out his little paws to be picked up, and Relic feels an instant connection to him.
- First half
In what book does a gray, dusty light turn a hospital bathroom black and white?
✓ Answer
Relic Hamilton, Genie Hunter by Joseph Coelho
After Taya hisses at the brass lamp that she wishes she'd never found it, a voice laughs that the king of genies cannot be gotten rid of so easily. She follows the strange light into a bathroom, where a muscle-bound giant slams the door so she can't leave.
- First half
In what book does an undercover boy blurt "My name is Roger, Roger, Roger, Roger"?
✓ Answer
Relic Hamilton, Genie Hunter by Joseph Coelho
When Taya asks his name, Relic almost says his real one and turns it into really pleased to meet you. He then repeats his undercover name four times, and Taya flatly says she heard him the first time.
- Second half
In what book does a river of sand flow under a bridge instead of water?
✓ Answer
Relic Hamilton, Genie Hunter by Joseph Coelho
When Relic looks over the side of Gyft Bridge, he expects to see the Thames but finds shifting sand instead. It is one of many signs that he has stepped into a hidden world where all the people are genies.
- Second half
In what book does a floating riddle begin, "In the gut spied from Tariq's Mount sails a boat"?
✓ Answer
Relic Hamilton, Genie Hunter by Joseph Coelho
Ibrox shows the captain, Gunpowder and Relic the Vivliotoutzini, a magical directory of genie rumors, and its floating words point to the genie who could send Relic back to his own time. Gunpowder remembers an old man in a Moroccan market and works out that Tariq's Mount is the Rock of Gibraltar.
- Near the end
In what book do a bike's wheels inflate so it can speed across the Serpentine like a hovercraft?
✓ Answer
Relic Hamilton, Genie Hunter by Joseph Coelho
When the chase reaches the Serpentine in Hyde Park, Raphaela tells Relic over his earpiece that Humphrey can swim. Relic nervously pushes the bike into the water, and its puffed-up wheels carry him across the lake.
