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ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSButterbean, a long-haired wiener dog, shares Apartment D in the Strathmore apartment building with Walt the black cat and Oscar, a mynah bird who learns a lot from TV. The animals all talk to each other, though the humans around them mostly hear barks, meows and squeaks. At exactly 10 a.m. on Tuesday, October 20, their older owner, whom they call Mrs. Food, slips on the kitchen tile (extra slippery thanks to Butterbean) and is taken away on a stretcher. That evening Bob the maintenance guy brings a girl to look after them, tells her the animals have about a week before they go to the pound, and brings out two rats, Marco and Polo, who have been living in Mrs. Food's office all along. Oscar would rather they become "independently wealthy" than get jobs. Their best lead is a small gold coin that Butterbean picked up after a man wearing way too much cologne dropped it, and Oscar figures that man has plenty more. With a rat riding under a dog's tummy, wild elevator rides, a hidden vent, silly distractions to fool their sitter, and an unexpected new friend, the animals set out to find the mysterious neighbor and take his stash.
Free Battle of the Books questions for The Great Pet Heist
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 Great Pet Heist. 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 bird claim a can of dog food costs a dollar forty-five?
✓ Answer
The Great Pet Heist by Emily Ecton
After Mrs. Food is carried out, Oscar is sure they're doomed, partly because he doesn't have that kind of money. When Walt asks about his sources, Oscar screeches that it was The Price Is Right and that his TV sources are never wrong.
- First half
In what book does a corn chip smell lead two rats to a maintenance man making spaghetti sauce?
✓ Answer
The Great Pet Heist by Emily Ecton
Marco and Polo get lost in the vents after a few detours and find Bob in an apron, stirring a pot. When Bob spots them, he drops his wooden spoon, spatters sauce everywhere and yells "RATS!"
- First half
In what book does a dog inhale her fluff and a bird spit millet at a girl's surprise return?
✓ Answer
The Great Pet Heist by Emily Ecton
With Marco and Polo still off in the vents, nobody expects Madison back so soon. Butterbean leaps at her begging to go out, Oscar answers her in his human voice, and Walt drapes herself over the empty aquarium.
- Second half
In what book does a rat suggest the Strathmore Six as a group name so an octopus isn't left out?
✓ Answer
The Great Pet Heist by Emily Ecton
Marco wants a catchy name for their outlaw gang, and when Polo suggests naming it after their apartment building, Marco doesn't want to leave Chad out. Polo agrees that six sounds better anyway.
- Second half
In what book does an octopus change color until he looks like a dark fold in some curtains?
✓ Answer
The Great Pet Heist by Emily Ecton
Chad has climbed out of the kitchen sink drain and opened the Coin Man's window when the Number Two Man suddenly stands up. Watching from the vent grate, Marco and Polo can hardly see him.
- Near the end
In what book does a man go pale and slam the door on a silently staring dog and cat?
✓ Answer
The Great Pet Heist by Emily Ecton
Instead of screaming like last time, Walt and Butterbean ring the Number Two Man's doorbell and simply sit and stare at him. The man is so spooked that he slams the door, and Wallace can't understand why anyone would be scared of a dog named Butterbean.
