Ruby Holler

Chapters 1-15

Reading Check

1. The Boxton Creek Home (Chapter 2)

2. A gray bird (Chapter 3)

3. Ruby Holler (Chapter 8)

Short Answer

1. Mr. and Mrs. Trepid have strict guidelines and punishments for the children in their care. For example, Mr. Trepid threatens Dallas with weeding the garden when he looks out the window, and Florida is reprimanded for waving at a new resident. These punishments are frequent, and the children dream of leaving the facility. (Chapters 1-13)

2. Dallas and Florida have been subjected to abuse while living in foster homes in the past. For example, Florida recalls being slapped for breaking an egg, and the two always suspect they will be treated poorly at any moment. They eventually decide to remain at Ruby Holler for a time because the Moreys have agreed to pay them for their labor. (Chapters 3-10)

3. Florida, while in the Boxton Creek Home, imagines what it would be like to have a mother, and Dallas wonders who he might look like. The thinking of the children reveals their desire to belong to someone. (Chapters 5-12)

4. Tiller and Sairy provide the children with tasks to help them prepare for their trips. Dallas and Florida adjust to a life without physical and verbal abuse but are suspicious of the Moreys, believing they may be subject to abuse at any moment. The children are also surprised when they are praised or complimented. The Moreys, particularly Tiller, begin to doubt their ability to care for the twins because of their age. (Chapters 9, 11)

Chapters 16-32

Reading Check

1. Joey (Chapter 18)

2. Dallas’s passport (Chapter 22)

3. Mr. Z (Chapter 26)

Short Answer

1. When the twins get into trouble or mistreat the Moreys’ items, Sairy encourages Tiller not to become angry, but to view the problems in a positive light. For example, when the twins cut a hole in the barn, Sairy convinces Tiller it is a gift because there will be more natural light in the barn. (Chapters 16-27)

2. When the Moreys invite the children to use their items, the twins often refuse. The twins feel some confusion about the generosity of the Moreys because they have not had generous caretakers in the past. The children likely refuse the Moreys’ invitations because they don’t want to be punished for accidentally breaking something. (Various chapters, including Chapter 17)

3. The stability the Moreys offer surprises the twins. They expect the Moreys to lash out at them for simple mistakes such as hitting the window with a shoe or using Sairy’s fruit bowl to hold worms. (Chapter 19)

4. The twins, having attempted to run away the night before, wake up in their sleeping bags to Sairy and Tiller cooking breakfast nearby. The Moreys praise the twins for preparing for the trip by testing out the sleeping bags, but privately Sairy wonders why the twins were running away. (Chapter 27)

Chapters 33-48

Reading Check

1. Large stones (Chapter 33)

2. The compass (Chapter 34)

3. Sairy’s money box (Chapter 46)

Short Answer

1. Tiller and Sairy learn of the abuse the twins endured at the hands of their foster families. Sairy is shocked to learn the twins were locked in a cellar, and Tiller is angered by the treatment inflicted on the twins. (Chapters 34-35)

2. Tiller observes that he never wants to be separated from Sairy, making the connection between the possible separation of the twins. Sairy reflects on her family photos, wondering if it is better to never have known your family or to have known them and miss them—thinking of Florida and Dallas’s lost familial connections. (Chapters 34-36)

3. The twins frequently express their desire to never be separated. On their separate trips, Florida reveals that she is able to endure hardship because of the stories Dallas tells her about the future. Dallas, when Florida is in danger of drowning, has a suspicion that Florida may be in trouble when he spots a rat-like creature that he considers to be an omen. (Chapters 39-47)

4. Mr. Trepid asks a man known as Z to collect information on Ruby Holler. After visiting with the man, Mr. Trepid informs Mrs. Trepid that they will be in possession of a large sum of money soon, revealing Mr. Trepid’s nefarious intentions toward Ruby Holler and the Moreys. Mrs. Trepid fantasizes about relocating to an island, shops for luxurious clothing, and places an expensive necklace on hold at a department store. Mr. Trepid looks at Cadillacs and places an expensive watch on hold at a jewelry store. (Chapters 33-48)

Chapters 49-66

Reading Check

1. Their neighbor (Chapter 51)

2. Z’s former wife (Chapter 51)

3. Florida (Chapter 56)

Short Answer

1. Z turns out to be an ally of the Moreys and not the Trepids. The reader learns that Z is the Moreys’ neighbor and close friend. Additionally, Z believes he may be the father of the twins as his former wife is listed as their mother in hospital records. (Chapters 51-53)

2. Dallas is immediately suspicious of the boys who agree to watch their backpacks, while Sairy is more trusting. Dallas’s past abuse likely contributes to his mistrust of individuals, but in this case, he is correct to be cautious in trusting them. (Chapters 50-53)

3. Florida and Tiller are not wearing lifejackets when their boat capsizes, and it is revealed that Florida never learned to swim. Florida risks her own life to rescue Tiller by attaching a rope to a rock and wading into the river to drag Tiller ashore. (Chapters 54-57)

4. The twins decide to leave Ruby Holler when they overhear a conversation between the Moreys indicating that the Morey children do not want the twins to remain with Tiller and Sairy. The twins, who have gotten used to the kind treatment of the Moreys, do not want to go back to live with the Trepids. The twins camp out before deciding whether to leave and decide to stay when they smell the bacon the Moreys are cooking for them. This event mirrors their previous attempt to escape. (Chapters 63-66)