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ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSSave Me a Seat tells the story of one chaotic first week of fifth grade at Albert Einstein Elementary School in New Jersey, told in alternating chapters by two very different boys. Ravi Suryanarayanan has just moved from Bangalore, India, and arrives expecting to impress his new classmates with his math skills, his cricket trophies, and his confident English. Joe Sylvester has been at Einstein since kindergarten, where he mostly keeps his head down and tries to stay off the radar of Dillon Samreen, the class bully who has been tormenting him for years. When Dillon decides to make Ravi his newest target, and Ravi mistakenly assumes that Joe is his enemy, both boys end up eating lunch alone while Dillon rules the cafeteria. The question hanging over the week is whether two kids who have written each other off might figure out, before Friday, that they actually need each other.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Save Me a Seat
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 Save Me a Seat. 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 lunch monitor blow a kiss to her son in the school cafeteria?
✓ Answer
Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan
Joe's mom takes a job as the lunch monitor at his school, and on her first day she blows him a kiss in front of everyone. This mortifies Joe, especially because Dillon Samreen sees it and uses it to bully him even more.
- First half
In what book does a mother have a birthmark on her tongue that is believed to give her magical powers?
✓ Answer
Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan
Amma has a black spot on her tongue, which in Indian tradition means she has the power of prediction. Whenever she says something is going to happen, it does. Ravi's father reminds him to listen to his mother because she has "the black tongue."
- First half
In what book does a bully draw a cartoon with "I'm Stupid" T-shirts and a dirty diaper?
✓ Answer
Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan
Dillon draws a cruel cartoon showing everyone in "I'm With Stupid" shirts, with Joe depicted in giant boat-shaped shoes wearing an "I'm Stupid" shirt, and his mom labeled as "I'm Stupid's Mommy" holding a diaper. The drawing accidentally ends up in Ravi's backpack.
- Second half
In what book does a mother make huevos rancheros for a serious family conversation?
✓ Answer
Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan
Joe's mom makes his favorite breakfast of huevos rancheros with cilantro on the side, but it's clear something is up. His dad is home from the road, and they need to talk about Dillon's bullying. Joe loses his appetite before he can enjoy the food.
- Second half
In what book does a mother discover a bruise on her son's shoulder and gasp?
✓ Answer
Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan
When Amma squeezes Ravi's shoulder and he cries out in pain, she gently pulls open his pajama shirt and finds the bruise from where Dillon hit him with the softball. Ravi lies and says he just bumped himself, but the evidence of bullying is becoming harder to hide.
- Near the end
In what book does a boy bring a jar of leeches to school and make a girl scream?
✓ Answer
Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan
For the personal reflection assignment, Ravi brings the jar of leeches he and Perippa caught at the pond. When he finally unwraps the heavily taped package and reveals three long, slimy, black leeches wriggling in murky water, Lucy Mulligan screams and the whole class crowds around to see.
