Saving Zasha by Randi Barrow

PLEASE READ INTRODUCTION FIRST
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     Excellent book for young boys.  The setting is post World War II Russia.  The country is short on dogs.  The story is about two young boys, Mikhail and Nikolai, trying to keep a german shephard a secret in Vasily, Russia.  The writer does a good job describing the Russian people's hardships right after the war.

Prologue

1.       Who shouted? (A) ____________________________

2.       A was warning who? ___________________________

3.       Who showed up? (B) ___________________________

4.       What was B looking for? _______________________________________________

5.       How old was Mikhail? _________________________________________

6.       How old was Nikolai? ______________________________________________

Chapter 1

7.       Mikhail was riding _____________________ one day in June.

8.       What trick did Mikhail’s father teach the boys about farming? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9.       What happened this one day? ____________________________________________________

10.   What was Mikhail’s sister’s name? ________________________________

11.   What was the name of the stranger? ________________________________

12.   What did Mikhail’s mother try to do for the stranger? ________________________________

13.   What happened to the stranger at the end of the chapter? ______________________________

Chapter 2

14.   How long was the war? _______________________________________________

15.   Who begged their mother to keep Zasha? _______________________________________

16.   Why did Russians think it was their duty to destroy anything German? ______________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 3

17.   How far was the village from the house? ________________________________

18.   How far was their school? ________________________________

19.   What was the name of their village? _________________________________________

20.   Describe their village? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

21.   Where did Mikhail’s family take the dead man? _______________________________________

22.   Who did the grey-haired police captain call for in his station? __________________________

23.   What did the police captain ask Nikolai and Mikhail to do? _____________________________

24.   What was the name of their classmate? (A)________________________________________

25.   A’s father owned what? ___________________________________________________

Chapter 4

26.   Mother said, “People sometimes do heroic things in a war, but everyone does terrible things.  No one is only good, or only bad.”  What do you think her mom means by this? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

27.   What did their mother tell them that Russians did with their dogs during the war? ______________________________________________________________________________

28.   What did their mother tell them that Americans used during the war? _____________________

Chapter 5

29.   What did Mikhail see people stealing from his farm? ___________________________________

30.   What test did they give Zasha? ___________________________________________________

Chapter 6

31.   Who visited the Tarkov’s? ____________________________________

32.   How old was Rina? __________________________________

33.   What did Katia bring to the Tarkov’s? ________________________________________________

34.   What did Katia tell Mrs. Tarkov? ____________________________________________________

35.   What did Katia name the geese? ______________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 7

36.   This story is being told in whose perspective? _________________________________________

37.   Where did they think of hiding Zasha? _______________________________________________

Chapter 8

38.   Who showed up one day when they were playing with Zasha? ____________________________

39.   What was Katia looking for? _______________________________________________________

40.   Katia told them that they found dog hairs on the dead man’s clothes.  She took the dog hairs to a dog breeder named _______________________________________________.

41.   What did Katia say this man was trying to do? _______________________________________

42.   Did Katia suspect the dead man to be a spy?  Yes or No

Chapter 9

43.   What happened in this chapter? ___________________________________________________

Chapter 10

44.   Who found them in this chapter? (A) _______________________________________________

45.   What happened? _______________________________________________________________

46.   How did they escape A? __________________________________________________________

Chapter 11

47.   What was Mrs. Tarkov reading? ______________________________________

48.   What did Mrs.Tarkov & Mikhail discover about Zasha? _________________________________

Chapter 12

49.   Where did Mikhail and Nikolai go? ________________________________________________

50.   Why did they go? ______________________________________________________________________________

51.   What happened to them? _________________________________________________________

Chapter 13

52.   What was the name of the Kennel owner? (A) ______________________________________

53.   What did A show them? ________________________________________

54.   Did A ask them if they own a dog? Yes  No

55.   What did A tell them at the end of the chapter? ______________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 14

56.   What did the Tarkov’s talked about in this chapter? ______________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 15

57.   What was the Tarlov family looking for at the beginning of the chapter? ______________________________________________________________________________

58.   Who found a good hiding place? ____________________________________________

59.   Where was the hiding place? ________________________________________

Chapter 16

60. Write a short summary. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 17

61.   What was Katia’s secret? __________________________________________________________

62.   What did Rina suggest they give Katia? ______________________________________________

Chapter 18

63.   Who did Mikhail speak to in this chapter? (A)________________________________________

64.   What did A tell Mikhail the villagers of Tikhvin find? __________________________________

65.   Who did Mikhail tell A that he spoke to? ________________________________

66.   What was Petr’s last name? __________________________________________

67.   Who is coming to Vasily to speak to Irina? ____________________________________

Chapter 19

68.   What did Nikolai & Mikhail plan to tell/do if Petr’s wife asks about Zasha? __________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 20

69.   Who showed up at the Tarkov’s out of breath because he was running? (A) ________________

70.   What did A want? _______________________________________________________________

71.   What did Mikhail decide to give A? _______________________________________

Chapter 21

72.   Who showed up to the Tarkov’s house? _____________________________________________

73.   As the men were knocking loud at the door, what did Mikhail & Dimitri get from the closet? ________________________________________________________________

74.   As Rina unlocked the door, what did the 3 men do? __________________________________

75.   What happened when the men ran into the house? ___________________________________

76.   Who showed up to help? ________________________________________________

77.   What did they find in the back of the yellow truck? ___________________________________

78.   Where did Dimitri & the Tarkov’s take the three men? _____________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 22

79.   Did the police captain believe them at first that the three men were dog thieves? _________________________________________________________________________

80.   What convinced the police captain that they were thieves? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

81.   Irina showed up to the police station with whom? ____________________________________

Chapter 23

82.   What did Mikhail tell the police captain? __________________________________________

83.   What decision did the police captain make regarding Zasha? __________________________

84.   Who gets the rest of the puppies? ______________________________

Chapter 24

85.   Who shows up first at the police station? _______________________________________

86.   Who shows up next? __________________________________________

87.   What did Dimitri offer Katia? __________________________________________________

Chapter 25

88.   Who was at the Tarkov’s house when they returned with the dogs? _________________________________________________________________________

89.   What surprise did the soldiers have for the Tarkov family? _________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 26

90.   Where did Constantin say he was for the last year and a half? ____________________________

91.   Where was the prison camp? _______________________________________________

92.   How did Constantin get out of the camp? ___________________________________________

93.   When was the camp liberated? ____________________________________________________

94.   What month is it now? ________________________________________________________

95.   Was Constantin happy to see Zasha? ______________________________________________________________________________

96.   Write 5 things you have learned about the war by reading this book? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Answer Key

The Time Warp Trio by Jon Scieszka

PLEASE READ INTRODUCTION FIRST
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Answer Key

     This is fun reading for your fourth grader.  The book is the same as the television show by the same name.

Chapter 1

1. On page 1, the writer writes, “The four players of the game we had interrupted stood eyeing us.”  Why do you think this primitive game of basketball was played with four players on each side? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. On page 2, the author writes, “I am the High Priest of Chichen Itza.”  Do you think this is a fictional person?  Yes  No
3. Do you think Chichen Itza is a real place?  Yes  No    If yes, what country is it located? _______________________________________
4. On page 3, Sam says that they’re in a Maya ring ball court around the year (circa) 1010 A.D.  Look at the picture on page 2.  Do you think this is the New World, Europe, or Asia? ____________________________________________________
5. On page 4, they mention two players in red-feathers and two in blue-feathers.  Do you think these players were in two separate teams?  _______________________
6. On page 4, Joe asks the High Priest if he has seen a blue book.  Do you think books were invented around 1010 A.D.? _________________________________

Chapter 2

1. Sam mentioned that the Mayan people had a “number system every bit as good as ours, and a calendar that was even better.”  What was the name of their number system? _________________________________________
2. What is the name of their calendar? _____________________
3. Sam says the Mayan people also invented the zero.  What does their zero look like? _____________________________________________________________

Chapter 3

1. How was the High Priest dressed? _________________________________________________________________

Chapter 4

1.    Does Fred make the shot to save them or will they be sacrificed? ____________________________________________________________________

Chapter 5

1.          Why do you think the buildings had carvings of snakes, birds, and cats? _________________________________________________________________

2.          What is the habitat of snakes, birds, and cats?

a.       Snakes live in _______________________________________________

b.      Birds live in _________________________________________________

c.       Cats live in __________________________________________________

3.          Do these animals live in the same habitat? ______________________________

4.          Why do you think the buildings had carvings of people colored red, yellow, green, and blue? ________________________________________________________________

5.          Joe describes the town square in the center of the buildings filled with people buying and selling stuff.  What did they use for money? ________________________________________________________________

6.          What did Joe say the ninety-one steps stood for in the Mayan Pyramid? _______

7.          How many sides on a Mayan Pyramid? _________________  (A)

8.          How many steps on each side of the pyramid? _________________ (B)

9.          If you multiply A and B, what do you get as a product? _____________  (C)

10.      The last step on top of the pyramid is added to C to give you an answer of? ____

11.      The steps in the Mayan Pyramid represent the number of __________ in a year on the Mayan Calendar.

12.      Joe mentioned that sound travels down the pyramid.  The speaker at the top of the pyramid doesn’t have to yell or scream to be heard by the people at the bottom.  True or False

13.      What did the High Priest get upset at the boys when they head his name? _________________________________________________________________

Chapter 6

1.          What colors are anacondas? __________________________________________

2.          How big do anacondas get? __________________________________________

Chapter 7

1.          What was the name of the boy who rescued the trio? ___________________ (A)

2.          Where did he rescue the trio? _________________________________________

3.          Who is A’s mom’s younger brother? ____________________________

Chapter 8

1.          Jun’s mother told the boys about a legend.  What was the legend about? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.          On page 41, Jun says, “Kaka loses his head.  Then my mom and I can return to our place in the city.”  Do you consider this plan to be ethical?   ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 9

1.          Did the High Priest accept the challenge? _______________________________

Chapter 10

1. Joe compared the Mayan players to current _____________ pros.
2. Joe said they didn’t _____________ the ball for the first _________ minutes.
3. They ____________ the ______________ from ____________ to __________ to _________________.

Chapter 11

1. How did Sam give his own blood to the stone serpent? ________________________________________________________________
2. Did Sam spare the losing team? Yes    No
3. What did Sam ask for in return after freeing the city from the High Priest? ________________________________________________________________

Chapter 12

1. What do you think Sam meant on page 61 when he said, “But you really might want to look into this thing called ‘the wheel.’  Very handy invention.” ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Why do you think the planet Venus swirled around them when they warped back to the present day? __________________________________________________

Chapter 13

1. Do you think Sam made the shot at the end of the book? _________________________________________________________________

Da Wild, Da Crazy, Da Vinci

Chapter 1

1.  Who do you think Thomas Crapper is? _________________________________________________________________
2. What did Leonardo da Vinci invent? _________________________________________________________________

Chapter 2

1. Who have the trio sailed with? _______________________________________
2. Who have they fought? _____________________________________________
3. Who invented the first flushing toilet? _________________________________
4. Who do people associate as the inventor of the toilet? _____________________
5. Who painted the Mona Lisa? _________________________________________

What type of drawings did Leonardo make? ________________

Journey to Topaz by Yoshiko Uchida

PLEASE READ INTRODUCTION POST FIRST
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     This is a great book.  The book is about a Japanese-American girl’s, Yuki, perspective of what happens to her and her family during World War II.  Her family was moved, by the U.S. Government, from the Bay Area in San Francisco to Topaz, Utah.   Yuki’s family had to sell all their belongings and report to a Civil Control Station in San Jose, CA.  Then they were transferred to a detainment camp in Utah.  This book falls in the category of World War II historical fiction.

Chapter 1

1.       How old was Yuki’s brother? _____________________________________

2.       Yuki’s brother was going to high school or the university? _______________________________

3.       How old was Yuki? ___________________________________

4.       What was Yuki’s last name? ________________________________

5.       What was the name of her dog? _______________________________

6.       What was the name of Yuki’s canary? _____________________________

7.       What influenced Yuki to give her canary that name? ___________________________________

8.       What was Yuki’s father’s name? __________________________________________________

9.       Where did the FBI take Yuki’s father? _______________________________________________

10.   Why did the FBI take her father? __________________________________________________

11.   Was the Chang family allowed to leave their home? ____________________________________

Chapter 2

1.       Did Yuki’s mother practice Japanese traditions? _______________________________

2.       If yes, what traditions did she practice? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3.       What did Yuki’s mother offered the FBI’s Agents? ____________________________________

4.       Where did Yuki’s father say they were transferring all the prisoners? _____________________________________________________________________________

5.       What does Issei mean? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6.       Were other Japanese men, from the community taken by the FBI? _______________________

Chapter 3

1.       How long was Yuri’s father away until they received news from him? ______________________

2.       What did Mr. Toda whisper to Yuki’s mother? _________________________________________

3.       What did Garvis hissed to Yuki at school? ____________________________________________

4.       What did the teacher say to the class? ______________________________________________

5.       What is a Nisei? _________________________________________________________________

6.       Where did Father say he was held? _________________________________________________

7.       What did Mrs. Jamieson give Yuki as she dropped off her Christmas cookies? ______________________________________________________________________________

8.       Who was the U.S. at war with besides Japan? _______________________________________

9.       What day did President Franklin Roosevelt issue an executive order? ____________________

10.   Do you think this order of the President was fair to the Japanese people? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 4

1.       What day did they have to report to camp? _________________________________________

2.       Where did they have to report to? _________________________________________________

3.       Japanese people had to turn in what objects? ________________________________________

4.       What were these objects considered if they kept them? ________________________________

5.       After what time were Japanese people not allowed outside? _____________________________

6.       Japanese people were forbidden to travel more than __________miles from home.

7.       What is a curfew? _______________________________________________________________

8.       Who had a curfew? _________________________________________________________

9.       What were some of the items they were required to take to camp? _____________________________________________________________________________

10.   Why do you think the Government told them to take all these items to camp? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 5

1.       Who drove them to the Civil Control Station? ________________________________________

2.       Where was the Civil Control Station? ____________________________________________

3.       Describe the scene at the Congregational Church. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4.       Yuki noticed a large group watching all the Japanese people board buses from the Congregational Church.  What did Yuki wondered what they were thinking? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5.       Where was Yuki’s family taken once they reported to the church? ______________________________________________________________________________

6.       How many Japanese Americans were evacuated on the West Coast of the U.S.? ____________

Chapter 6

1.       Who did Yuki see first once arriving at the Tanforan Assembly Center? ____________________

2.       Who did they see next? _______________________________________

3.       Describe Barrack 16, Apartment 40. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4.       Describe the latrines and washroom. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5.       What did Ken get for dinner on his first night? _____________________________________________________________________________

6.       What did Mr. Toda bring Yuki? ___________________________________________________

Chapter 7

1.       What was the name of the girl who lived at the stall next to Yuki? (A)____________________

2.       What was the name of the girl’s grandmother? _____________________________________

3.       A’s grandfather said, shaking his head, “I never dreamed that America would do such a thing to us.”  What was he feeling that he said this? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4.       Yuki tells the bald man playing with Mr. Toda that she hopes America will win the war because America is fighting for what’s right.  Do you think this is right of what America is doing to Yuki’s family? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5.       Do you think things will improve if the U.S. wins the war? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 8

1.       What event happened at the camp? ____________________________________________

2.       The couple drove off in a decorated car.  Where did they go? __________________________

3.       How long did Mimi have to wait in line to visit Yuki? _________________________________

4.       Ken had a job that paid him $_____ a month.

5.       If Ken gets promoted he will earn $_______ a month.

6.       A top professional made $________ a month.

7.       Why was Ken excited about the dean’s visit? ____________________________________________________________________________

8.       Does it make sense to you that Japanese people are permitted to be free on the Eastern part of the U.S.? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 9

1.       Were the children from the camp able to attend school?  Yes or No

2.       Who provided the school/schooling? _______________________________________________

3.       What did Yuki’s mother want Ken to be, as a profession, when he got older? ________________

4.       When Yuki was in the shower, she heard a teenage girl say what? ______________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 10

1.       Mrs. Jamieson wrote to Yuki that Mimi couldn’t write to her to inform her that something happened to Pepper.  What did she say happened to her dog, Pepper? ____________________

2.       What small town in Utah did Yuki’s family get transferred to? ___________________________

Chapter 11

1.       What was the name of the town the train stopped in Utah? ____________________________

2.       What was waiting for them when they arrived at this town? ________________________

3.       What was the name of the desert the buses entered? ______________________________

4.       The boy at the camp told Ken that once all the barracks are filled, they will be the _____ largest city in Utah.

5.       It took Yuki and her family several days to get used to the altitude and heat of Topaz.  What did the doctors give her? ______________________________________________

6.       What happened to Ermi (Emiko), on this chapter, while she was walking with Yuki? ____________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 12

1.       What illness did Yuki’s mother think Emi had? ______________________________________

2.       When they were stationed in Tanforan, Emi’s grandmother made her a broth to feel better.  What was the broth made of? __________________________________________________

Chapter 13

1.       Why do you think Ken gave up wanting to go to school/college? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 14

1.       Who got shot? ______________________________________________________________

2.       Who was he walking with when he got shot? _____________________________________

3.       Mr. Kurihara was __________________’s grandfather.

4.       Where was Mr. Kurihara buried? _________________________________________________

5.       What did the women from the church make for Mr. Kurihara’s funeral? ___________________________________________________________________________

6.       What did Yuki buried besides Mr. Kurihara’s grave? __________________________________

Chapter 15

1.       What holiday came and went? ____________________________________________________

2.       Mrs. Jamieson sent Yuki a package containing what inside? ______________________________________________________________________________

3.       From what state did Yuki’s father come from? _________________________________________

4.       Yuki’s father told them about stuff that happened at the Prisoner of War Camp that he had interned.  What did he say about winter at this camp? ______________________________________________________________________________

5.       Yuki took a small box to Emi at the hospital filled with what items? _____________________________________________________________________________

6.       Was Yuki allowed to see Emi at the hospital?  Yes  No

7.       How many people are in Yuki’s family? __________________________________

8.       What are their names? _________________________________________________________

9.       How many people are in Emi’s family? _____________________________________

10.   How many people ate Christmas dinner with Yuki’s family? ________________

11.   Who ate dinner with them? _____________________________________________________

Chapter 16

1.       Why did the army recruiters visit the camp? __________________________________________

2.       What were some of the questions people had for the army recruiters? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3.       What did Yuki’s father tell Mr. Toda he would decide to do if he was allowed to enlist in the army? ________________________________________________________________________

4.       __________ and __________ decided to volunteer the next morning after the A______y R____________r made his speech.

5.       Who tried to change Ken’s mind on volunteering? ____________________________________

6.       Do you agree or disagree with this saying and why?  “When you do what you know is right,” father explained, “you find a dignity in yourself that makes you a happy person.” ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7.       Where was basic training camp held? _______________________________________________

Chapter 17

1.       If you were an able-bodied men, you were allowed to go out of the camp and work where? ______________________________________________________________________________

2.       If you were a college student, you were allowed to do what? _____________________________________________________________________________

3.       If your father could find work outside the prohibited West Coast zone, what was your family allowed to do? _____________________________

4.       Why couldn’t Yuki’s father leave the camp as easily as the other families? ______________________________________________________________________________

5.       What did Mr. Toda say to Mr. Sakane regarding being in danger? ______________________________________________________________________________

6.       What happened one night? _______________________________________________________

7.       Was Yuki and her family able to get out of camp?  Yes  No

8.       Where did they go? ___________________________________________________________

9.       Was Yuki’s family allowed to take Mr. Toda with them?  Yes  No

10.   Was Yuki’s family allowed to take Emi and Mrs. Kurihara with them?  Yes  No

11.   Who sent Yuki the pale blue dress? _________________________________________________