Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie Study Guide (ALL) – Flashcards
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What is the Setting of Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie (time and place--be as specific as possible)?
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Setting: Time = Steven Alper's 8th grade year. Places: his home (1.5 hours from Philadelphia), his schoo, and a hospital in Philadelphia, PA.
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What is leukemia?
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Leukemia is a cancer of the blood cells that occurs in the bone marrow as the blood cells are forming. In people with Leukemia, the cancerous blood cells crowd out the healthy cells in the bone marrow. Acute leukemias are ones that are fast-growing and get worse quickly and chronic leukemias are ones that are slower-growing and get worse slower over time.
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Important facts about Leukemia (give 3-5).
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1. "The type of leukemia depends on the type of blood cell that has become cancerous." (NCI webpage on Leukemia) 2. "Leukemia occurs most often in adults older than 55 years, and it is the most common cancer in children younger than 15 years." (NCI webpage on Leukemia) 3. "Chemotherapy is often used to treat leukemia." (NCI webpage on Leukemia) 4. "Most often, leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells, but some leukemias start in other blood cell types." (ACS, webpage on childhood leukemia) 5. "Almost all childhood leukemia is acute." (ACS, webpage on childhood leukemia)
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Who is Steven Alper?
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1. Steven Alper is the main character (protagonist) in the novel Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie. 2. He has "mouse-brown cowlicky hair, glasses that are about an inch thick, and braces that look like [he] tried to swallow a train wreck." 3. Steven is in the eighth grade, has the hots for Renee Albert, and has no idea that his best friend Annette Watson has a crush on him. But by the end of the book he is friends with Renee and Annette is his girlfriend. 4. Steven loves his parents, but in the beginning he takes a lot of his frustration over Jeffrey's illness and his loss of parental attention out on his mother. 5. Steven is very resentful of his father's lack of ability to engage with him or his mother or brother during Jeffrey's illness. 6. Steven often writes journal assignments for his teacher Miss Palma that have nothing to do with what she has assigned, but he doesn't really seem to dislike her. 7. Steven is wary of his guidance counselor Mrs. Galley but then comes to rely upon her and confide things to her that he has trouble discussing with others. 8. Steven idolizes his two drum instructors Mr. Stoll (private) and Mr. Watras (school). 9. Steven is frustrated by his little brother's adoration (or perhaps more by the forms in which it gets expressed), but he really loves him. 10. Steven is touched by Samantha's family situation as she is dying of cancer in the hospital and their brief time together gives him a lot of perspective on Jeffrey's struggles.
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Who is Jeffrey Alper?
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1. Jeffrey Alper is Steven's brother who is diagnosed with cancer (ALL = Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) early in the novel Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie; he is eight years younger than Steven and is in kindergarten. 2. In the beginning of the book he has "perfect little-kid chicklet-white teeth, 20-20 vision, and little blond ringlets like you see on the angels that you see on the posters that you see in art class." 3. Later in the book Jeffrey is puffy, covered in bruises, and bald. 4. By the end of the book Jeffrey has an inch or two of blond hair growing back. 5. Jeffrey is a sweet and giving little boy who idolizes his older brother Steven. 6. Jeffrey is aware of Steven's relationships (and lack) with Renee and Annette and likes to tease Steven about them.
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Who is Annette Watson?
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1. Annette Watson is an eighth-grade girl who is Steven's unacknowledged best friend at the beginning of the book. She has a crush on him, although he is unaware of it, and by the end of the book she is his girlfriend. 2. Annette is described as having "figured out Beethoven and Thelonious Monk" but not having "quite mastered the art of being a girl yet" at the beginning of the book. 3. Later, when Steven starts to become aware of her in Chapter 7 ("Take Me), he sees her in the band room and thinks she is "truly pretty...with amazing posture amd her hair falling long around her face in a quite non-Annette-ish way and a serene look...on her face." 4. Annette is attracted to Steven and resentful of his obsession with Renee Albert, but that does not stop her from being friends with Renee and working with her on the benefit concert. 5. Annette is, even when he is unaware of it, Steven's best friend. 6. Annette is music prodigy on the piano who wants to audition for a Saturday schooling at Julliard, but she breaks her right arm in three places trying to be kind to her cat while doing helping her Mom put away groceries (just to be nice, not because she has to).
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Who is Renee Albert?
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1. Renee Albert is the attractive eighth-grade girl that lives around the corner from Steven upon whom he has had a crush since the third grade. 2. Renee Albert is the "hottest girl in the eight grade" who swishes around "in a cloud of perfume while Annette just popped up like some spastic hand puppet." 3. Renee tends to wear tight and revealing clothes and has a boyfriend that Steven calls "Biff" (who is also in the All City Band). 4. Renee is a cheerleader. 5. Renee is an excellent math student. 6. Renee and student have a falling out when she comes over to tutor Steven (having volunteered to do so), but he turns her away so that she won't infect Jeffrey with her cold (this angers her).
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Who is Mr. Watras?
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1. Mr. Watras is Steven's drum teacher at school. 2. Mr. Watras is also the Conductor of the All City High School Jazz Band and part of the reason Steven is on it despite only being in middle school (Steven made it on in seventh grade though he is in eighth grade now). 3. Mr. Watras is the kind of teacher you can joke with and he cares very much about Steven. 4. Mr. Watras is friends with Mr. Stoll, Steven's private drum teacher. 5. Mr. Watras is even more proud of Steven when he leaves the big benefit concert to be with Jeffrey at the hospital rather than play the congas in Cubana Be, Cubana Bop for which he has been practicing all year. 6. We find out that Mr. Watras' first name is Max at the end of the book (the phone message from Mr. Stoll in "The End").
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Who is Miss Palma?
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1. Miss Palma is Steven's English teacher for whom he often writes journal entries that are very different from what she has actually assigned. 2. Miss Palma is the teacher who finds out about Jeffrey being ill and alerts the guidance counselor and other teachers that there is a problem (Renee Albert tells her about Jeffrey because she is concerned for both Jeffrey and Steven). 3. Steven mistakenly assumes that Miss Palma has been reading his private journal entries (indicated by folding down a corner of the paper), but she does not do this.
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Who is Mrs. Galley?
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1. Mrs. Galley is Steven's guidance counselor at school. 2. Mrs. Galley is very concerned about Steven and when he starts to confide in her she drops everything to the point of shutting and locking her door so that he can have her uninterrupted attention. 3. Mrs. Galley gives Steven the advice that helps him the most: to stop agonizing about what he can't change and work on what he can change. 4. Mrs. Galley helps broker the deal with Steven's teachers that they will give Steven a chance to fix things before calling his parents. 5. Mrs. Galley listens to Steven and when she has to tell him about his bad grade in math she actually gives him the option of not being there while she calls his mother.
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Who is Samantha?
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1. Samantha is a cancer patient on the cancer ward in Philadelphia where Jeffrey receives his treatments. 2. Samantha would be in eighth grade (based on Steven's feeling she wants to know what normal eighth-grade experiences would be like), but she has a private tutor because she basically lives at the hospital. 3. Samantha is taken care of by her single mother. 4. Samantha used to be very close to her sister, but her sister, who is in college, barely keeps in touch with her any more and has stopped some of her traditional gifts like an ice cream cake for Samantha's birthday. 5. Samantha has ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) just like Jeffrey, but she has had two relapses in the last four years and is dying (getting weaker and weaker when Steven meets her). 6. Samantha dies the morning of Steven's big concert and he finds out about it the next day when Jeffrey is transferred from their hometown back to the cancer ward in Philadelphia again.
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Who is Mrs. Alper?
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1. Mrs. Alper is Jeffrey and Steven's mother and she is an English teacher. 2. Mrs. Alper has to take a leave of absence from her job in order to take care of Steven when he is diagnosed with cancer. 3. One of Mrs. Alper's earliest crises is when she wonders whether she was spending more time paying attention to making dinner and grading papers than paying attention to her son's complaints about not feeling well. 4. Mrs. Alper loves both her sons very much. 5. Mrs. Alper takes charge of Jeffrey's cancer treatment/care and is the main caregiver for him. 6. Mrs. Alper usually is careful about her appearance so when she has to go pick Steven up from the dance in her sweats while rushing Jeffrey to the hospital it is a big deal. 7. Mrs. Alper's confrontations with her husband ("Discussions") are mentioned, but the details of their relationship are not discussed although you get the feeling there are problems based on Steven's descriptions of his father's behavior.
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Who is Mr. Alper? (#2, is this a mistake or...)
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1. Mr. Alper is Jeffrey and Steven's father and he is a CPA (Certified Public Accountant). 2. Mr. Alper does not handle Steven's diagnosis with cancer well: he withdraws his emotions from the family; he leaves the caregiving up to his wife and son; he buries himself in work with the excuse that the family needs the money; and he is initially to proud to accept the help of others as expressed by the benefit concert. 3. Mr. Alper and Steven have a contentious relationship with a lot of resentment on Steven's part, but after Steven confronts him things get a little better for a while.
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Who is Mr. Stoll?
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1. Mr. Stoll is Steven's private drum instructor and has been his teacher for 5 years. 2. Mr. Stoll tells Steven that rather than quit his drum lessons Mr. Stoll will teach him for free. 3. Mr. Stoll always comes to Steven's concerts and has invited Steven to something like "ten of his gigs." 4. Mr. Stoll plays the part on the congas that Steven was supposed to play when he has to leave the big concert to be with Jeffrey. 5. Mr. Stoll and Mr. Watras (school drum instructor) are friends and Mr. Stoll reveals Mr. Watras' first name (Max) in his phone message to Steven about the concert.
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When did Steven's life change forever? [Chapters 1-3]
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October 7th when he found out that his little brother had leukemia.
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Why did Miss Palma think that Steven's journal should not be private? [Chapters 1-3]
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Because the topic for the journal entry was, "Should foreign languages be taught in middle school?" (p. 27)
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What surprise did Mr. W. have for Steven at the end of the Opportunity Period? [Chapters 1-3]
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Mr. W. wanted Steven to learn the conga part of the song Cubana Be, Cubana Bop for the All City Band concert the following spring.
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Why does Steven feel his younger brother is a nightmare? [Chapters 1-3]
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Steven feels that his younger brother Jeffrey is an unrelenting nightmare because he idolizes Steven and follows him around everywhere and manages to destroy Steven's stuff and embarrass him in the process.
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Where were Steven's special sticks? [Chapters 1-3]
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Steven's special sticks were supposed to be on the shelf above his drum set in the basement.
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What was so special about Steven's special sticks? [Chapters 1-3]
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Steven's "special sticks" were special because they were autographed by his all-time drum hero Carter Beauford of the Dave Matthews Band during a drum clinic Steven was attending (for which he had saved all of this babysitting money for a couple of months to buy the tickets AND begged his Dad to drive him because it was an hour and a half away in Philadelphia).
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What class does Steven always choose during opportunity period? [Chapters 1-3]
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Steven always chooses to go to the Band room during Opportunity Period (O.P.) for drum lessons with Mr. Watras (who is also in charge of the All City Band).
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Why was is such a big deal for Steven to be in the All City High School Band? [Chapters 1-3]
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Being in the All City Band was a big deal because there are only two drummers and Steven made it in as a seventh grader (they had to send a special van to pick him and Annette Watson up in seventh grade).
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What was Steven's first emotional relief when his mother told him Jeffrey had leukemia? [Chapters 1-3]
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Steven felt relieved when his mother told him about the leukemia because he was off the hook because Jeffrey wasn't hurt because of his fall of the stool.
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Why was Steven nicknamed Peasant? [Chapters 1-3]
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Steven was nicknamed Peasant because all the other kids had nicknames as if they were in a kingdom (The King, The Duke, The Princess, and The Count were already taken). The other drummer explained all the nicknames and when Steven asked what that made him Bryan suggested the nickname "The Peasant" and it stuck. His drum teacher, Mr. W. shortened it to Pez (because he knew the nickname bugged Steven) which Steven likes better.
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Why did Steven feel guilty about his first thought concerning Jeffrey's illness? [Chapters 1-3]
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Steven felt guilty about his first thought concerning Jeffrey's leukemia because instead of being worried about his brother, he was relieved that his parents weren't mad about his brother falling off the stool that morning and blaming him for it.
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Describe how Jeffrey looked the morning after he fell off of the bar stool. [Chapters 4-5]
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The morning after he fell off the bar stool Jeffrey had two black eyes and his nose was swollen to twice its normal size. According to Jeffrey, he looked like a raccoon.
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Why did Jeffrey have the appearance that he did (the morning after he fell off of the bar stool)? [Chapters 4-5]
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Jeffrey looked terribly bruised because people with leukemia tend to bleed and bruise more easily because their blood does not clot normally.
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Why did Annette snicker all the way [home?] from the rehearsal? [Chapters 4-5]
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Annette snickered all the way home because Steven was "in the Zone" during practice until Renee walked in after cheerleading practice and distracted him causing him to fling a drumstick across the room and dent the bell of one of the trumpet player's instruments.
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How did Jeffrey so quickly get over how bad his bruises looked? [Chapters 4-5]
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Jeffrey got over how bad his bruises looked quickly because Steven started a monologue about raccoon children taking over society which made Jeffrey laugh and he fed Jeffrey his favorite breakfast, "Moatmeal."
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Why was Steven angry at his mother? [Chapters 4-5]
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Steven was angry at his mother because he hadn't contacted him all week while she and Jeffrey were in Philadelphia.
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Why didn't any of Steven's friends notice anything was wrong with Steven? [Chapters 4-5]
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None of Steven's friends noticed anything was wrong with him because he just kept acting funny and played his drums and no one noticed because he didn't tell them what was going on and he was just the "funny guy" and the "drummer guy" so as long as he kept the jokes coming they wouldn't notice.
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What made Steven forget about Jeffrey for a while? [Chapters 4-5]
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Steven was only able to forget about Jeffrey for a while when he was playing his drums.
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Everyone in the family felt guilty after Jeffrey was diagnosed with leukemia. Explain why each family member felt guilt. [Chapters 4-5]
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--Steven felt guilty both because he was Jeffrey's protector and because he didn't notice Jeffrey was sick. He also feels guilty for ignoring Jeffrey saying he was "cold" and "his parts hurt" and more worried about his own practice and making Jeffrey breakfast. --Steven's Mom felt guilty because Jeffrey was limping and had a fever and she had no idea for how long it had been going on (she worries she was paying more attention to grading papers and making dinner).
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How did Jeffrey know there was something pretty seriously wrong with him? [Chapters 4-5]
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Jeffrey knew something was pretty seriously wrong with him when they decided his "Bone Narrow" was sick. This was after they put a needle in his back (and he couldn't move for an hour) and they put a catheter in his chest and they put a needle all the way in his hipbone and they put a needle in his back and he had a needle stuck in his chest for five days.
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How old was Steven when Jeffrey was born? [Chapters 4-5]
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Steven was eight years old when Jeffrey was born.
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There is a saying No news is good news. Explain why this was not the case in regards to Jeffrey's visit to the specialists in Philadelphia. [Chapters 4-5]
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In the case of Jeffrey's visit to the specialists in Philadelphia, no new was because Steven's father was not communicating with him, not because there was no bad news to communicate.
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Why was Steven confused after seeing Annette in the practice room? [Chapters 6-7]
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Steven was confused after seeing Annette in the practice room because he suddenly saw her in a new light when he caught her practicing for her Julliard audition and then she challenged him to play the classic Dave Brubeck piece, Take Five.
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Why was Jeffrey's prognosis considered moderate? [Chapters 6-7]
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Jeffrey's prognosis was considered moderate because his odds of surviving his cancer were over 50%, although not by much. If he did not get treatment the cancer would have been 100% fatal.
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Where was the awesome piano music coming from? [Chapters 6-7]
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When Steven left math class one day to go to the bathroom he heard awesome piano music coming from the band room and it turned out to be Annette.
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What was Steven's first clue something was really wrong when he saw his Mom's car pull into the driveway? [Chapters 6-7]
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Steven's first clue something was really wrong when he saw his Mom's car pull into the driveway was that Jeffrey, who never slept in the car, was sleeping.
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What are "blasts?" [Chapters 6-7]
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"Blasts" are the deformed cancerous white blood cells in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
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Why was Steven's mother so angry when she got out of the car? [Chapters 6-7]
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Steven's mother was angry when she got out of the car because Steven thought the cancer diagnosis was a mistake and said so based on the fact that his Mom hadn't called him, but it turned out his Mom had called every night and his Dad hadn't told him anything including that his Mom had called.
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What bothered Steven and Jeffrey about the visitors that had started coming to the house? [Chapters 6-7]
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Steven and Jeffrey were both bothered by the visitors because everything was so awkward. Steven didn't like people manhandling his brother because he was worried about bruises. He also didn't like the "frowny people" who seemed to expect Jeff to be a "sad, sick boy--to EARN the pot roast they were carrying, or whatever" because they made Jeffrey feel bad.
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Describe the game that Steven came up with to deal with all of the visitors who were coming to see Jeffrey. [Chapters 6-7]
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The game that Steven came up with to deal with the visitors involved them betting on whether the person who came up would be a "cheery" or frowny" person and afterward Steven would act like a sports commentator rating them from 1 to 10 on different aspects of their performance with Jeffrey's input.
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Though Jeffrey's prognosis was considered moderate, Steven wasn't too sure what to think about it. Explain why the prognosis seemed positive and not so positive at the same time. [Chapters 6-7]
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Steven felt that Jeffrey's prognosis was troublesome because it was positive in that he had a better than 50% chance of surviving, but not by much and it was negative because he had a just under 50% chance of dying.
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Why was Annette worried about Steven? [Chapters 8-9]
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Annette was worried about Steven because she said that he never did his work anymore, he spaced out all day unless he was in band class, and he yelled at her half of the time when she tried to talk to him.
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Who had told Miss Palma about Jeffrey's condition? [Chapters 8-9]
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Renee Albert was the one who had told Miss Palma aboout Jeffrey's condition, not Annette.
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Why did Jeffrey have to stay in the hospital for a simple ear infection? [Chapters 8-9]
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Jeffrey had to stay in the hospital for a simple ear infection because his white cell count was low meaning his body could not do as good a job of protecting itself other infections which could make things worse.
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What was strange about the breakfast that Jeffrey and his father had together? [Chapters 8-9]
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The breakfast that Jeffrey and Steven and their father have together is strange because it takes place in the local hospital at 5:00 a.m. and is a combination of breakfast and a family medical conference.
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What did Steven get his teachers to agree to before leaving the meeting? [Chapters 8-9]
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Steven got his teachers to agree to let him make up all the work and not tell his parents what was going on unless he didn't succeed because he did not want to add stress to his parents (and he didn't want to get in trouble).
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How had Steven underestimated Mrs. Galley? [Chapters 8-9]
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Steven realizes he has possibly underestimated Mrs. Galley when she gives him the silent treatment until he asks for a candy heart and then she says: "My rule is you talk, you eat."
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Why did Steven's mother pick him up from the dance in her sweatpants? [Chapters 8-9]
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Steven's mother picked him up from the dance in her sweatpants because Jeffrey had a fever and she had no time to change her clothes and her husband was at a business dinner so she dropped everything to pick up Steven from the dance and head straight to the hospital with Jeffrey.
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How did the E.R. staff react when Steven's mother mentioned Jeffrey's leukemia? [Chapters 8-9]
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As soon as Steven's mother mentions Jeffrey's leukemia, the E.R. staff burst into activity with "doctors, nurses, and technicians swarming all over" and the doctor in charge "barking orders like a marine drill sergeant" and asking questions of Steven's Mom about Jeffrey's latest test results.
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How did Steven's plan not to tell his teachers about Jeffrey's leukemia backfire on him? [Chapters 8-9]
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Steven's plan not to tell his teachers about Jeffrey's leukemia backfired on him because they found out anyway and he ended up having to go to a meeting with all of his teachers about it in which he got really upset.
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How did Renee Albert volunteering to tutor Steven in math "paint a target on his forehead?" [Chapters 10-13]
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When Renee Albert volunteered to tutor Steven in math, it made all the guys so obviously jealous that Steven couldn't help feeling as though he had a "target on his forehead."
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Who had been asking Annette about Steven's absence from school? [Chapters 10-13]
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While Steven was absent from school because of the flu, Renee Albert kept asking Annette about how he was doing.
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Describe the symptoms of Jeffrey's treatment. [Chapters 10-13]
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The following symptoms of Jeffrey's treatment are mentioned: --his white blood cell count was lowered --his gums bled every time he tried to brush his teeth --he lost his hair --the steroids he was taking made his face swell and he looked "puffy" --the steroids also made him hyper --he was nauseated a lot --he vomited a lot
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What upset Steven the most about being shipped away to his grandparents' house? [Chapters 10-13]
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Steven was upset that just when he needed his parents the most in his "hour of deepest need and intestinal crampage, they shipped [him] across town to his grandpa and grandma's" house.
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Explain what Steven did that made Renee so angry? [Chapters 10-13]
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Steven made Renee terribly angry when she offered to tutor him in math and as a result of her showing up with a cold to his house, he sent her back out into the winter night ("kicked her to the curb"). He didn't let her in because Jeffrey could get even more sick if he caught a cold from her, but she didn't understand that.
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What happened when Steven yelled at his father? [Chapters 10-13]
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Steven yelled at his father because he was frustrated that his father was not there for the family and his Dad actually agreed with him and then helped him with his math.
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Why didn't Steven respond to his mother's message to call her ASAP? [Chapters 10-13]
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Steven did not call his mother ASAP because he didn't want to face his problems and even though it crossed his mind that she might be worried, he was more focused on himself and being lonely.
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Why had Steven's father been crying at the kitchen table? [Chapters 10-13]
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Steven's father had been crying at the kitchen table because the amount of money they had to pay for Jeffrey's medical treatment was immense and there were years more treatment that they would have to get the money for somehow.
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Why was it such a crisis for Steven to get the flu? [Chapters 10-13]
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It was a crisis for Steven to get the flu because he couldn't be around Jeffrey while he was sick because Jeffrey's compromised immune system and someone needed to take care of him so Steven had to be sent to his grandparents because his Mom was busy with Jeffrey and his Dad was busy with work.
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Why was Steven upset when he was finally allowed to return home? [Chapters 10-13]
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Steven was upset when he was finally allowed to return home because no one was at home when he got there and when he checked his email it was mostly spam and people checking in on Jeffrey as if they didn't care about him.
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How does Annette prove over and over again that she is truly Steven's best friend? [Chapters 10-13]
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Annette does many things to prove she is Steven's best friend: --she tutors him in all the classes they have together (everything except math) --despite having a crush on him, she actually tells him that Renee Albert was asking about him --she figures out a way to help Steven in every way she can including working with Renee to turn the band concert into a benefit concert for Jeffrey
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Why do you think that Steven still doesn't treat Annette as one should treat a best friend? [Chapters 10-13]
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Steven doesn't treat Annette as one should treat a best friend because he is so wrapped in his own problems that he doesn't see that she is trying to do everything possible to help him.
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Why did Steven shave his hair off? [Chapters 14-17]
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Steven shaved off his hair so Jeffrey wouldn't be bald alone.
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What big idea did Annette and Renee come up with to help Steven's family? [Chapters 14-17]
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Annette and Renee came up with the idea to turn the band concert into a benefit concert to help Steven's family with medical bills and also to provide a way for the band to stay together and still fulfill their community service requirements.
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What bad news did Steven and the All-City Band get? [Chapters 14-17]
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Steven and the All-City band got bad news in the form of a new community service requirement for high school students effective immediately which was going to force some members to quit in order to have enough time for community service, but Annette and Renee came up with the benefit concert idea and solved the problem.
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How did Mr. Stoll react to Steven telling him he couldn't take drum lessons any more? [Chapters 14-17]
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When Steven told Mr. Stoll he couldn't take drum lessons any more Mr. Stoll was very sympathetic and said Steven could keep taking lessons for free.
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How did Steven's parents react when he told them about the concert idea? [Chapters 14-17]
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When Steven told his parents about the concert idea his Dad did not like the idea and his Mom got quieter and quieter and then got sick.
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How did Steven make up with Renee?
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Steven and Renee made up on the bus when he offered her a piece of gum, which she accepted, and then they talked about things.
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Why did someone besides his mother need to take Jeffrey to the hospital? [Chapters 14-17]
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Someone besides his mother had to take Jeffrey to the hospital because his mother was sick and therefore could not be around Jeffrey or any other cancer patients.
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Describe Steven's nightmares. [Chapters 14-17]
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Steven's nightmare involves him throwing something (sometimes a ball, sometimes a snowball) at Jeffrey and each time it hits Jeffrey a part of him turns black, but Jeffrey continues to beg him to play even when Steven tries to stop. The dream ends with Jeffrey slowly sinking into the ground while their parents stand behind him and Jeffrey tells Steven he, Steven, is their only boy/child/son left now.
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What did Mrs. Galley tell Steven to do about his nightmares? [Chapters 14-17]
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Mrs. Galley tells Steven that he should try to focus on the things that he can change and stop agonizing about the things that he can't change when he tells her about his nightmares.
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Jeffrey is usually pretty optimistic, but, when the new boy in his class told him he was bald, he burst into tears. Why would being told he was bald make him cry when all the other horrible things that were happening to him did not [make him cry]? [Chapters 14-17]
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Jeffrey burst into tears when the new boy told him he was bald because Jeffrey was a young child and mistakenly thought that no one else had noticed that he was bald and they wouldn't notice unless somebody told them.
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Why were Steven and Samantha staying up all night and talking so strangely? [Chapters 18-19]
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Steven and Samantha stayed up all night and talked because Samantha hardly ever got out of the hospital and really wanted to know what a regular eighth-graders life was like and her stories about her life and family gave Steven perspective about what his brother was going through and what was important in life.
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What did Steven hear as they were leaving the hospital ward? [Chapters 18-19]
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As they were leaving the hospital ward Steven heard clicking sounds as Sam tried out the drumsticks he had given her.
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Why was Jeffrey so excited about going back to the hospital? [Chapters 18-19]
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Jeffrey is excited about going back because it is just him, his brother, and their Dad going to the hospital on a "Men's Journey" without their Mom and he wants to show Steven everything at the hospital.
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Who else was reading the book that Mrs. Galley had bought for Steven? [Chapters 18-19]
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Mrs. Galley bought a book for Steven about childhood leukemia and his treatment and his father was reading as well when he saw that Steven had it.
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Who was "Matt Medic?" [Chapters 18-19]
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"Matt Medic" is Jeffrey's favorite Rescue Heroes action figure (think Power Rangers spoof) who carries a large plastic paramedic bag and a "giant gunlike thing" that Steven and Jeffrey pretend is a "vaccine syringe." Jeffrey liked when Steven pretended to be his toys, especially Matt Medic. Steven tells Jeffrey that Matt Medic will protect him and shoot the blasts and save Jeffrey's bone marrow. When Steven is sick with the flu at his grandparents' house, Jeffrey sends Matt Medic to take care of him.
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Where was "Matt Medic?" [Chapters 18-19]
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In chapters 18-19, Matt Medic is at home and Jeffrey really needs/wants Steven to come with him from the band concert to the hospital even more than ever.
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What shocked Steven when they entered Jeffrey's hospital ward? [Chapters 18-19]
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Steven was shocked when the entered Jeffrey's hospital ward because Sam's was cleaned out and he figured out that she had died. It turned out she had died the day before, Friday, the morning of his concert.
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Why did Mrs. Galley buy a book for Steven? [Chapters 18-19]
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Mrs. Galley bought a book for Steven because she thought it might help him "process" his "feelings."
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Why did Samantha insist that Steven promise to always stay with his brother? [Chapters 18-19]
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Samantha insisted that Steven promise to always stay with his brother because her sister had stopped coming to be with her and she didn't want that to happen to Jeffrey because she was dying and lonely and it could have been much better with just a little more attention from her sister.
question
How did the All-City Band honor Jeffrey and his fight against cancer on the night of the benefit concert? [Chapters 20-Epilogue]
answer
The All-City Band honored Jeffrey and his fight against cancer on the night of the benefit concert by shaving their heads and getting special ball caps for the whole band and then made Jeffrey an honorary member of the band and gave him a t-shirt and ball cap.
question
How much money did the benefit concert raise for Steven's family? [Chapters 20-Epilogue]
answer
The benefit concert raised twenty-three thousand, four hundred eighty-nine dollars and seventeen cents for Steven's family.
question
Why did Steven lose it when he went looking for Samantha? [Chapters 20-Epilogue]
answer
Steven lost it when he went looking for Samantha because she died just the day before and he was afraid that she died all alone feeling abandoned by her sister and even though she died with her mom there, her sister was not there and that upset him.
question
What was the first clue that something was going to go wrong the night of the concert? [Chapters 20-Epilogue]
answer
The first actual clue that something was going to go wrong the night of the concert (as opposed to a bad omen like the dream) was when Steven's Mom told him that Jeffrey's doctor had wanted to keep Jeffrey in the hospital, but let him go to the concert with a warning to take him to the E.R. immediately if there were a problem.
question
Why had the doctors agreed to let Jeffrey go home even though he wasn't doing well? [Chapters 20-Epilogue]
answer
The doctors agreed to let Jeffrey go home even though he wasn't doing well because they didn't want him to have to miss his brother's concert which was in Jeffrey's honor.
question
Why didn't Steven and his father have anything to speak about as his father was driving him to school the day of the concert? [Chapters 20-Epilogue]
answer
Steven and his father had nothing to talk about as his father was driving him to school the day of the concert because Steven's father was still saying that he didn't think he could go to the concert because he was too busy with work and Steven felt like that was a cop out.
question
What did Steven's father say in his speech to the kids holding the benefit concert for his family? [Chapters 20-Epilogue]
answer
Steven's father told the kids holding the benefit concert for his family that he almost didn't come because he was a proud man and didn't like the idea of accepting charity and because he realized that his family needed a father more than they needed extra money.
