BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSTwelve-year-old Chris is thrilled to join his adventurous Uncle Jack on a sailing voyage down the Alaskan coast, even if it means sharing the cramped boat with a sullen older boy named Frank, whose connection to Uncle Jack is never explained. Less than two days out of Kodiak, their boat sinks in heavy seas. Uncle Jack goes down with it, and Chris and Frank wash ashore on a wild, empty stretch of coastline with no radio, no flares, no food, and no idea where they are. Stranded together in the Alaskan wilderness as summer turns toward winter, they have to figure out how to feed themselves, stay warm, and signal for rescue before time runs out.
Free Battle of the Books questions for The Skeleton Tree
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 Skeleton Tree. 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 uncle take his nephew sailing on a small boat called Puff?
✓ Answer
The Skeleton Tree by Iain Lawrence
Uncle Jack's sailboat Puff looks too small to have gone around the world, but he plans to sail it home from Kodiak with Chris and a mysterious boy named Frank aboard. Less than forty eight hours later the boat sinks.
- First half
In what book does one survivor brag he once ate glass and the other admits to eating dog droppings?
✓ Answer
The Skeleton Tree by Iain Lawrence
Trading stories about the worst things they ever ate, Chris admits to a childhood mouthful of dog droppings. Frank tops him by saying he once ate glass and his mom called 911. A rare moment of friendly competition between them.
- First half
In what book does a found pink plastic purse hold the treasures of a tsunami swept Japanese girl?
✓ Answer
The Skeleton Tree by Iain Lawrence
Frank pries open a small rusted purse with the jackknife. Inside are a toy horse with blue eyes, a silver plastic tiara, a sticky blue sucker, and four tiny worry dolls. Chris later buries the purse like a funeral.
- Second half
In what book do northern lights swirl as wolves howl in the distance, their songs seeming to match the aurora?
✓ Answer
The Skeleton Tree by Iain Lawrence
Frank and Chris venture out on the point with their plastic-bottle torches to watch the northern lights. The wolves begin singing to the flashing blue and green sky, leading Frank to call himself insignificant.
- Second half
In what book does a raven bring a boy a silver and gold watch with a pancake sized dial?
✓ Answer
The Skeleton Tree by Iain Lawrence
After Chris chases Thursday away, the raven returns with a peace offering placed on the ground at his feet. The watch is the fanciest Chris has ever seen, with its second hand still moving.
- Near the end
In what book does a boy burn the last page of a beloved novel so its ending stays unknown?
✓ Answer
The Skeleton Tree by Iain Lawrence
Just before Chris finishes reading the last sentence of Kaetil the Raven Hunter aloud, Frank asks for the book, tears out the final page and drops it in the fire. He tells Chris it is better to wonder and decide for yourself how it ends.
