Book Scavenger

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-8

Reading Check

1. In what Edgar Allan Poe book does Griswold say he has hidden clues?

2. In Chapter 4, who returns Emily’s notebook?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why has the Crane family moved to San Francisco?

2. What does Emily discover in Chapter 6 when she goes to the Ferry Building to capture her next book?

3. What contrasts between her own home and James’s home does Emily notice in Chapter 8?

Paired Resource

“Moving as a Child Can Change Who You Are as an Adult”

• This brief article from The Washington Post reports on research into the impact of frequent moves on children.
• This resource relates to the theme of Stability Versus Adventure.
• What conclusions did the researchers come to about the impact moving can have on children? Does this mean that bad outcomes will happen or that they can happen? What are some things that might make moving less stressful for children? Based on this article, what advice do you have for Emily and her parents?

Chapters 9-15

Reading Check

1. Which player does Emily communicate with online in Chapter 11?

2. Who is Emily and James’s social studies teacher?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Where does Emily go with her family in Chapter 10, and why does she have a hard time enjoying the outing?

2. What important step do Barry and Clyde take toward finding Emily in Chapter 12?

3. What is Griswold’s assistant’s name, and what is in the big pile he shows James and Emily?

Paired Resource

“The Secret Language”

• This article on ciphers appears on the website of San Francisco’s famous Exploratorium Museum.
• What are some of the serious purposes that codes and ciphers are used for? How can ciphers be used to create puzzles for fun? Which of the ciphers in this article is most interesting to you, and why? Which of the ideas in this article do you see reflected in Emily’s attempts to solve the puzzles in the Book Scavenger game? What do you think appeals to Emily so much about solving this kind of puzzle?

Chapter 16-26

Reading Check

1. Besides being the name of a Poe short story, what else does Emily learn that “The Black Cat” might refer to?

2. Where is the concert that the Cranes go to in Chapter 23?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What is important to Emily about the sentence “For the most wild yet most homely narrative which I am about to pen, I neither expect nor solicit belief”? (151)

2. What lie does Emily tell when Mr. Quisling asks her about the Poe book he saw in her backpack?

3. When Clyde and Barry stake out Emily’s school, how do they end up recognizing her and James?

Paired Resource

“Why Winning Doesn't Always Equal Success”

• This 16-minute TED Talk by Valorie Kondos Field, a highly regarded collegiate coach, points out the damaging effects of the “win at all costs” mentality.
• This resource relates to the themes of Winning at All Costs.
• What are some of the reasons that Field says winning at all costs is damaging? What difference does she see between “winning” and “success”? How do characters in Book Scavenger sometimes act as if getting to their goals is more important than the moral choices they are making along the way? Do you think any of these characters are in danger of “winning” without “succeeding”?

Chapters 27-34

Reading Check

1. Until Emily explains her reasons for thinking that Barry and Clyde are after the book, who does James think the two men are?

2. In Chapter 32, who does Emily learn used to be a co-owner of Hollister’s bookstore?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. While they are on the bus in Chapter 29, what does Matthew tell Emily about missing things because of their frequent moves?

2. What surprising discovery about Babbage does Emily make when she agrees to meet him on Halloween?

3. How does Emily eventually apologize to James, in Chapter 34?

Paired Resource

“Why Is It Important That Your Friends Support You?”

• This 7-minute TED Talk by junior-high student Ivy Cobbs discusses important qualities of a healthy friendship.
• This resource relates to the theme of How to Be a Good Friend.
• What are the ingredients that Cobbs thinks are important in a friendship? How do her ideas relate to what is happening between Emily and James? Do you think that Emily’s personality or her circumstances are more responsible for the problems between her and James? What advice would Cobbs give to Emily?

Chapters 35-42

Reading Check

• To whom does the motorcoach that Emily hides in in Chapter 37 belong?
• In Chapter 41, what does Emily learn Raven really is?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. In Chapter 36, what does Emily learn Remora wants from her?

2. How are Hollister and Barry both responsible for saving Emily, Matthew, and James?

3. In Chapter 40, what good news does Emily receive from her parents?

Recommended Next Reads 

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

• In this Newbery-Medal-winning middle-grade novel, eccentric millionaire Sam Westing creates a will that is also a puzzle the sixteen potential heirs gathered at his mansion must solve.
• Shared themes include How to Be a Good Friend and Winning at All Costs.
• Shared topics include puzzles, mystery, adventure, and teamwork.
• The Westing Game on SuperSummary

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein

• In this Agatha-Award-winning middle-grade novel, twelve middle schoolers are assembled in a game maker’s library and challenged to solve an escape puzzle in order to win a valuable prize.
• A shared theme is Winning at All Costs.
• Shared topics include puzzles, mystery, books, adventure, and teamwork.
• Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library on SuperSummary