BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSSchool is out for the summer. When Rico, Ziggy, Jerome and Rashawn head to their neighborhood basketball court, they find that someone has cut the poles into little pieces with a chain saw. Stuck with nothing to do, the four ten-year-old friends start a secret club called the Black Dinosaurs, with Rashawn's big black plastic dinosaur as its mascot. They build a clubhouse out of an old fallen fence at the back of Ziggy's wild, jungle-like backyard, make up a password, and bring treasures to lock in a safe. Then they dig a hole to hide the safe, and their shovels hit a rusty red metal box. Inside it are bones. Ziggy, who sleeps in the bathtub so he can train to be a spy, says they have a real mystery on their hands. The boys start looking for clues like spies, and they turn up a strange note, a grumpy old neighbor, and a spooky song sung at midnight.
Free Battle of the Books questions for The Buried Bones Mystery
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 The Buried Bones Mystery. 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 husky named Afrika have one blue eye and one brown eye?
✓ Answer
The Buried Bones Mystery by Sharon M. Draper
Afrika is Rashawn's Siberian husky, and he has a large white stripe down his nose too. Ziggy calls him the best watchdog in the neighborhood because all he ever does is watch people.
- First half
In what book is a treasure hidden under a T-shirt and wrapped in a paper towel?
✓ Answer
The Buried Bones Mystery by Sharon M. Draper
Jerome arrives first on treasure day because he doesn't want anyone to see what he has hidden under his shirt. Silence fills the clubhouse as he unwraps the last layer of paper towel and shows everyone his kalimba.
- First half
In what book does a shovel go clunk on a rusty red metal box?
✓ Answer
The Buried Bones Mystery by Sharon M. Draper
Rashawn and Ziggy are taking the last turn digging a hole for the treasure safe when Ziggy's shovel hits something hard. Ziggy thinks it is a rock, but Rashawn's shovel has hit something too, and once the dirt is brushed away he thinks it is a box.
- Second half
In what book does a grandmother say, "You make me feel cloudy on a sunny day"?
✓ Answer
The Buried Bones Mystery by Sharon M. Draper
Granny ends her spooky story about the old graveyard and the whispers she heard as a girl because talking about it upsets her. She goes inside to check on the girls, leaving Jerome shivering alone on the porch.
- Second half
In what book does a boy sing in a soft, scary voice, "INDEED I KNOW IT, BROTHER"?
✓ Answer
The Buried Bones Mystery by Sharon M. Draper
Ziggy loves being dramatic, so he acts out the old song he heard Mr. Greene singing over and over at midnight. The song ends with the same words as the strange note the police found, and it scares all four boys.
- Near the end
In what book does an angry old man suddenly burst into tears during a clap of thunder?
✓ Answer
The Buried Bones Mystery by Sharon M. Draper
Tangled in the rope and surrounded by the boys, Mr. Greene screams threats, then bows his head and cries as the thunder booms. The boys lower their weapons in confusion, and Rico says he has never seen a grown man cry before.
