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ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSTwelve-year-old Natalie Nelson has been writing stories her whole life, so when she finishes her first novel, a school story called "The Cheater," her best friend Zoe is convinced it deserves to be published. There's one catch: Natalie's mom is an editor at a real publishing company, and submitting the book through the front door would mean certain rejection. So Zoe hatches a plan to get the manuscript into the right hands without letting Natalie's mom know who wrote it, which means someone has to become a literary agent, someone has to adopt a pen name, and a very nervous English teacher has to decide just how brave she really is.
Free Battle of the Books questions for The School Story
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 School Story. 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 sixth grader pick the pen name Cassandra Day?
✓ Answer
The School Story by Andrew Clements
Once Natalie understands that authors like Dr. Seuss and Mark Twain used pseudonyms, she chooses Cassandra Day, a name she's always wished she had. Zoe immediately shakes her hand to greet the new author.
- First half
In what book does a girl wish a novel had been called James and the Giant Pickle?
✓ Answer
The School Story by Andrew Clements
Young Zoe imagined calling Roald Dahl on the phone to ask why James didn't find a pickle instead of a peach. That urge to talk to authors is what eventually drives her to become Natalie's self-appointed literary representative.
- First half
In what book does an English teacher get talked into running a publishing club?
✓ Answer
The School Story by Andrew Clements
Ms. Clayton agrees to be the girls' adviser only after Zoe steamrolls her with a steady stream of arguments and the manuscript itself. Ms. Clayton even tells herself afterward that to argue with Zoe is to lose.
- Second half
In what book does an editor tell her daughter being her mom is the one thing she likes even more?
✓ Answer
The School Story by Andrew Clements
On the bus from Manhattan, Hannah tells Natalie that being her mom is the only thing she enjoys more than editing books. It comes right after she says that finding a new writer feels like finding a new island that goes on every map.
- Second half
In what book does a character secretly compare a cocky friend to the captain of the Titanic?
✓ Answer
The School Story by Andrew Clements
When Zoe boldly claims she can handle the high-stakes negotiation with the publisher, Natalie silently compares her cocky friend to the overconfident captain of the doomed ship. She still feels like she's on a sinking ship even after the plan is explained.
- Near the end
In what book do two friends share strawberry and lemon Italian ices on front steps before seventh grade?
✓ Answer
The School Story by Andrew Clements
On the Saturday before Labor Day, Natalie and Zoe sit on the steps of Zoe's house eating Italian ices, strawberry and lemon. They've been apart for a month and they reconnect by wondering what seventh grade will be like.
