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This is a beautiful story of a young girl who has a difficult childhood. For some, the story may start slow but pick ups midway through the book. The last quarter of the book is very good. The story brought a tear to my eye. I recommend this story to middle school students, but not to elementary students because of some of the issues the character faces.
Title: Waiting for Normal
Author: Leslie Connor
ISBN: 978-0-545-23662-1
Chapter 1: Tin Box on a Tar Patch
1. Who is Addie?
2. Who is Mommers?
3. What is Mommers’ real name?
4. Who is Dwight?
5. Denis is _________________________________ mom.
6. Who is Jack?
7. What did Addie call her grandfather?
8. How old was Addie when her father died?
9. What were the names of Addie’s half sisters?
10. In what state does this story take place?
11. In what town does this story take place?
Chapter 2: Small Stuff
1. What did Addie and her mom had for dinner?
2. What was Addie’s youngest sister’s name?
3. What were the real names of the “Littles”?
4. What was Addie’s mom absorbed doing that first night in the trailer?
5. What did Addie do that first night in the trailer?
6. What did Addie catch in the trailer that night?
7. What is Addie good at getting used to?
Chapter 3: Welcome Pie
1. What did Addie call the big parking lot across the trailer?
2. What was the name of the store that was located in the big parking lot?(A)
3. What did Mommers’ say you were able to get at A?
4. What are the other names for a submarine sandwich?
5. In what state did Mommers’ grow up?
6. People from Ohio call their submarine sandwiches?
7. What was at the front of the Empty Acre?
8. Where did Addie go in her first day after school?
9. What was the name of the man who pushed past her to place something in the microwave?
10. What was the name of the man behind the register?
11. What was the name of the lady inside the minimart?
12. What is Addie’s real name?
13. What is the nickname Soula calls Addie?
Chapter 4: According to Webster’s
1. Who greeted Addie when she got home?
2. What time did Addie get home?
3. What was the name of Soula’s house?
4. What did Soula’s house look like?
5. What was the first thing Addie’s mom sat down to look at?
6. Addie’s mom made Addie dinner. Circle: True or False
7. Addie’s mom’s nickname is Mommers. Circle: True or False
8. Addie’s mother lit a cigarette. Circle: True or False
9. Mommer’s said, “that if you just pretend to be smart people will believe that you are.” Circle: True or False
10. Are Dwight and Mommers divorce? Circle: Yes or No
11. Did Katie and Brynna move in with Dwight because he was their natural father? Circle: Yes or No
12. What musical instrument did Addie take from her last school?
13. What was the name of her music teacher?
Chapter 5: The Over-Underpass
1. What did she call the “Over-Underpass”?
2. Who came on the first Sunday?
3. What was the weather like that first Sunday?
4. Who did Dwight bring on his visit?
5. What did Dwight bring that morning?
6. What game did the kids play?
7. What did Dwight make for the girls?
Chapter 6: A Renovation
1. In what city did Dwight get a job at?
2. The renovation job is going to be on a _______________. A) church B) mansion C) old building
3. Dwight needs to finish the job by May. True or False
Chapter 7: Tryouts and Friendships
1. Who is Ms. Rivera?
2. Who did Addie run into after Orchestra tryouts?
3. What instrument does Robert play?
4. What are the names of her new female friends at school?
Chapter 8: Gates and Bridges
1. Addie confused the name of Union College with _________________________________.
2. Why does Soula want to live outside the city?
3. Addie has an uncle who lives __________________________________________________.
Chapter 9: TV and Toast Dinners
1. What did Addie have for dinner?
2. What was Addie’s specialty?
3. What did Addie’s mom do one July?
4. What is Mommer’s favorite TV show?
Chapter 10: A Gift of Cream and Honey
1. What month does Chapter 10 take place in?
2. In what month does Dwight need to be done with the renovation project?
3. What did the Littles give Addie as a present?
4. What did the family do after Dwight and the Littles arrived?
5. What’s the name of the restaurant?
6. What name did Addie give the hamster?
7. What did the restaurant owner say to Addie’s family?
8. What did Addie order?
9. Does Addie live with Katie and Brynna? Yes or No
Chapter 11: A Bunch of Numbskulls
1. What did Soula have on the bulletin board?
2. Who walked in to the minimart?
Chapter 12: A Violent Storm
1. What month do you think this chapter takes place?
2. What illness does Soula have in this chapter?
3. Does Soula wear a wig? Yes or No
4. What treatment is Soula having?
Chapter 13: Evening Interview
1. Who had an interview?
Chapter 14: Waiting for Mommers
1. Addie is home alone in this chapter. As she is home alone, she begins to remember the last time Mommers left her alone. For how many days was she left home alone, until Grandio went over to pick her up?
2. What does child abandonment mean to you?
Chapter 15: Late-Night Mail
1. What time did Mommers get home?
2. What does Addie think Mommers gave Pete?
Chapter 16: Another Dish of Fish-and-Chips
1. What news did Ms. Rivera have for Addie?
2. When are practices for the Stage Orchestra?
3. Was Mommers excited that Addie made the Stage Orchestra? Yes No
4. What did she do with the letter?
5. Where did they go to celebrate?
6. What month was this?
Chapter 17: A Different Sort of Halloween
1. What was her first plan for trick or treating on Halloween?
2. What couldn’t she trick or treat with Helena?
3. Why couldn’t she trick or treat with Marissa?
4. Did Addie tell Elliott and Soula that her mother is not taking her out to trick or treat? Yes or No
5. What did Elliott and Soula do to help Addie enjoy Halloween?
6. What time did Addie go home?
Chapter 18: A Phone Call From The Mansion
1. What night was Halloween?
2. Who did Addie speak to?
3. What did Addie look forward to?
Chapter 19: The New Blue Car
1. What day did Mommers return home?
2. With what did Mommers return home?
3. Mommers stuck her head out of the car window, while she dropped off Addie at school, and said “ _________________________________________________________________________”
Chapter 20: All or Nothing
1. Does Addie’s mother have mood swings? Yes or No
2. Did Mommers go to college after finishing high school?
3. What was one of Mommers ideas regarding school?
4. Brynna was a baby when Mommers went to night school. True or False
5. What did Mommers want to study when Brynna was a baby?
6. What did Mommers want to study when Katie was born?
7. Who wanted a divorce?
Chapter 21: Dwight Explaining Hannah
1. Who is Hannah?
2. When does Dwight want to get marry?
Chapter 22: All About Twos and Fours
1. Who purchased the inn?
2. What is Hannah’s plan?
Chapter 23: Bedtime at the Inn
1. Where was the inn located?
2. What room in the inn was not finished?
3. Addie took care of her sisters by herself for _______ days straight one winter.
Chapter 24: Breakfast and Boxes
1. What did the girls have for breakfast?
2. What type of business did Hannah have?
3. Hannah wanted the (kitchen or gift shop) done by spring.
4. Who made breakfast on Addie’s last morning?
Chapter 25: A Ton of Turkey Soup
1. Was Addie’s mother home when she arrived from the lake?
2. What was Addie worried about when she arrived home?
3. What did Mommers make for dinner?
Chapter 26: From Good to Bad
1. What burned in the toaster oven?
2. Elliot said that Numbskull Dorry’s got a bad review on the Gazette. True or False
3. What did Dwight bring Addie?
4. How old is Addie?
5. What did Hannah send Addie?
Chapter 27: Willing to Bloom
1. Who was Ms. Rivera?
Chapter 28: Twists and Turns
1. Who was Addie waiting for to take her to the concert?
2. What time did Addie have to be at school for the concert?
3. Who picked up Addie and take her to the concert?
4. Why couldn’t Addie go on stage?
5. What was the name of Borden’s music teacher?
6. Who caught up with the family at Numbskull Dorry’s?
Chapter 29: The Counting-on Part
1. At the end of this chapter, Addie decided that something needed to go back. What was that item?
Chapter 30: A Frozen Good-Bye
1. Where did Addie walk to this morning?
2. Who are/Who is in front of the school?
3. Was Addie able to leave the flute?
Chapter 31: An Unexpected Meeting
1. Who gave Addie a ride?
2. Where did Grandio see Addie?
3. How cold was it that morning?
4. Where did Grandio take Addie for lunch?
5. Who couldn’t Grandio get along with?
6. When Addie’s family broke up, all of their __________________ broke too.
7. What did Grandio give Addie?
8. What did Addie go buy?
9. Who asked if anyone has holiday plans?
10. Where did Addie say she might go?
11. What does Elliot think?
Chapter 32: A Few Gifts Before Christmas
1. Who met Addie on Monday morning?
2. Ms. Rivera wanted an explanation to what?
3. On her way home after school, Addie stopped to see ______________________.
4. Soula, Elliot and Rick gave a present to Addie for Christmas. True or False
5. The present was money. True or False
6. Was Addie’s mother happy she got presents?
7. At the end of this chapter, Mommers gave Addie permission to go visit Dwight. True or False
Chapter 33: Waiting for Normal
1. What did Addie feel bad about?
2. What activity was Addie doing in this chapter?
Chapter 34: Jingle All The Way
1. How many gifts did Mommers give Addie for Christmas and what were they?
2. Did Addie have a Christmas tree for Christmas?
Chapter 35: Another Thing to Borrow
1. To where did Addie take the bus?
2. What did Annie start feeling like when she was at the inn?
Chapter 36: Loads of Snow
1. The snowfall was great until the city started dumping truckloads of _________________ in front of Soula’s house.
2. Why was Elliot upset?
3. What sport did Annie discover?
4. What did Addie and Soula have for dinner?
5. For how many nights was Mommers away?
Chapter 37: A Visit from Grandio
1. Why was Mommer’s upset about Dwight’s check?
2. What did Mommers want Addie to ask Soula?
3. Why did Grandio visit?
Chapter 38: Valentine Hearts
1. Who was waiting for Addie outside of school on Valentine’s Day?
2. What did Dwight give Addie?
Chapter 39: The Goosh In My Gut
1. Was Addie allowed to visit Dwight during vacation in February?
2. Is Mommers happy with Dwight?
Chapter 40: Fiesta Night
1. What type of problems was Saoula having?
2. What type of dinners did Soula like?
3. What did these types of dinners remind Soula of?
4. Who stayed around for dinner sometimes?
5. Who had salad wars?
6. Why did Soula have trouble eating?
7. When Addie returned home, her mother was cooking tacos for ___________ Night.
8. Addie felt her mother was “trailer stuffing.” What is “trailer stuffing”?
Chapter 41: Making Changes
1. Why od you think Elliot thanked Addie for hanging around?
Chapter 42: My Fault
1. Why did Addie turn on the burner?
2. How did Addie try to turn off the fire?
3. Who helped Addie when her trailer caught on fire?
4. What was urgent/important that Addie tell the firemen?
5. At the end of this chapter, the weather started to change. What was the weather like at the end?
Chapter 43: A Hero in the Fog
1. Who moved Soula and Piccolo inside the minimart?
2. Who checked on the laundromat?
3. Who was sitting in the gray car?
4. For who does the lady in the gray car work for?
5. Who called Grandio?
Chapter 44: After the Fire
1. Who did Addie call when they got to Grandio’s house?
2. Who visited Addie later that day?
Chapter 45: Something Familiar
1. Who drove a big box of second-hand clothes to Grandio’s house?
2. What was the name of her new school?
3. How many days after the fire did Addie have visitors at Grandio’s farm?
Chapter 46: The Going-Away Note
1. Who died in this chapter?
2. What did Elliot hand Addie?
3. What did Soula want Addie to buy?
Chapter 47: Defining Normal
1. Who was her agency appointed guardian?
2. How much time had pass since Mommers saw Addie?
3. Who was upset that Denise (Mommers) visited?
4. Is Mommers allowed to see Addie?
5. Is Mommers going to have a baby?
6. What’s Addie’s definition of normal?
Chapter 48: Full of Surprises
1. Who took Addie to the mall?
2. What instrument did Addie end up buying?
3. What happened in June?
Chapter 49: All to Home
1. How many weeks did Addie have left for summer vacation?
2. Where did Addie finally end up living?
