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 1-4

Reading Check

1. Where are the Gaither sisters headed during the novel’s opening?

2. Why is Delphine surprised that Cecile lives in a house?

Short Answer

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

1. Why are Delphine and her sisters apprehensive about living with Cecile for a month?

2. How does Delphine remember Cecile?

3. How does Delphine characterize Cecile after they meet at the airport?

Chapters 5-11

Reading Check

1. What do the girls eat for dinner on their first night in Oakland?

2. Who visits Cecile’s home after the girls eat dinner? What do they want from her?

3. Why do the other children tease Fern at the community center?

Short Answer

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

1. What are some things Cecile does that make Delphine decide that Cecile is a bad mother?

2. What about Cecile and the other adults the girls encounter makes Delphine think her mother is a “secret agent” or a “fugitive” from the law?

3. Why does Cecile send her daughters to the Black Panther Party Community Center?

Paired Resources

“How the Black Panthers’ Breakfast Program Both Inspired and Threatened the Government"