BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSNeel is a Class Five student who lives with his family on an island in the Sunderbans, and he never wants to leave. Headmaster has chosen him to compete for a scholarship to a boarding school in Kolkata, but Neel is weak in math and has no plans to win, because winning would mean leaving home. Then his friend Viju shows up at the pond with big news: a ten-week-old tiger cub has escaped from the reserve, and people say she is hiding on their island. Gupta, a greedy rich newcomer, has offered a secret reward to whoever finds her, and Viju wants Neel's help, since nobody knows the island's hiding places better. Neel refuses, though he promises to keep the reward a secret. He is sure Gupta will sell the cub, and he wants her safe with her mother. With his older sister, Rupa, Neel sets out to find the cub before Gupta's men do, even as the big exam gets closer.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Tiger Boy
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 Tiger Boy. 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 headmaster say he will "murder two birds with the same rock"?
✓ Answer
Tiger Boy by Mitali Perkins
Headmaster studied in London and often uses English sayings, but he always seems to mix them up. Neel silently fixes this one in his head, turning it back into the real saying about two birds and one stone.
- First half
In what book does a silent father stride past his bleating goats without greeting them?
✓ Answer
Tiger Boy by Mitali Perkins
Baba usually scratches the goats' heads and greets the animals when he gets home, but after Headmaster scolds him in front of the workers, he walks straight to the pump. He barely says a word at dinner, and his silence worries Neel.
- First half
In what book does a student tell himself, "Each millimeter is one hundred steps"?
✓ Answer
Tiger Boy by Mitali Perkins
Neel picks this scale as he begins his map of the island. He grins for the first time in days when he realizes he sounds just like Headmaster mangling a saying.
- Second half
In what book do fiddler crabs dig burrows on a moonlit shore before the tide comes in?
✓ Answer
Tiger Boy by Mitali Perkins
Neel has worked out the tides so that he and Rupa can reach the big creek's shore while the path is above water. In the bright moonlight, fiddler crabs scuttle around digging burrows in the mud, while Neel keeps an eye out for cobras.
- Second half
In what book does a student smear mud over a creek-side trail while his sister waits by the bridge?
✓ Answer
Tiger Boy by Mitali Perkins
After their first secret search, Neel and Rupa slosh back to shore under the bridge as the creek rises. Neel doesn't bother to rub out their footprints on the lower trail, since the water will soon cover any traces, but he does take time to smear the mud on the upper part.
- Near the end
In what book does a father sip tea and chat with other parents during a four-hour test?
✓ Answer
Tiger Boy by Mitali Perkins
Baba rides the ferry with Neel to the regional scholarship examination center. While Neel takes the long exam, Baba sips tea with the other parents, then asks how the math went.
