Name:

There’s a Boy in the Girls’ bathroom (Louis Sachar)

Reading Guide

Glossary:

To shrug: /ʃrʌɡ/ (v) to raise your shoulders and then lower them in order to say you do not know or are not interested.

To mumble: /ˈmʌm.bəl/  (v) speak quietly and in a way that is not clear so that the words are difficult to understand.
Shy: /ʃaɪ/ (adj) nervous and uncomfortable with other people.
To scribble: /ˈskrɪb.əl/ (v) to write or draw something quickly or carelessly.
Wad: /wɒd/ (n) a number of usually flat and/or small objects pressed tightly together.
To spit: /spɪt/ past tense and past participle spat. (v) to force out the contents of the mouth, especially saliva.

Recess: /rɪˈses/ (n) in school, a period of time between classes when children do not study.

Counselor: /ˈkɑʊn·sə·lər/ (n) a person whose job is to provide advice, help, or encouragement.
Mean:  /miːn/ (adj) unkind or unpleasant.
Fair: /feər/ (adj) 1- treating someone in a way that is right or reasonable, or treating a group of people equally and
not allowing personal opinions to influence your judgment. 2- If something is fair, it is reasonable and is what
you expect or deserve.
Grumpy: /ˈɡrʌm.pi/ (adj) easily annoyed and complaining.
Short-tempered: /ˌʃɔːtˈtem.pəd/ (adj) If someone is short-tempered, they get angry easily, often for no good reason.
Braces: /ˈbreɪ·sɪz/ (n) a set of wires attached to a person’s teeth to move them gradually in order to straighten them.
Charming: /ˈtʃɑː.mɪŋ/ (adj) pleasant and attractive
Delightful:  /dɪˈlaɪt.fəl/ (adj) very pleasant, attractive, or enjoyable
Military school: (n) a school that trains men and women for military careers as army officers, usually as part of a college
education.
To blush: /blʌʃ/ (v) to become pink in the face, usually from embarrassment.
To slug: /slʌɡ/ (v) to hit someone hard with the fist (= closed hand).

Chapters 1-8
Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE?

1. Nobody likes sitting next to Bradley.

2. Bradley is in fourth grade.
3. Mrs. Ebbel called Mrs. Chalkers on the phone.
4. Jeff has a collection on fifty little animals.
5. Claudia is nice to Bradley.
6. Mrs. Chalkers promised Bradley she would take him to the zoo.
7. Jeff doesn’t like Bradley.
8. Miss Davis wants to meet Bradley.
9. Bradley’s mother tells her husband what Mrs Ebbel said about Bradley.
10. Bradley is the youngest student in the class.

Complete the following statements with the name of a character.

1. _________________________ is Bradley’s teacher.

2. _________________________ is the new student.
3. _________________________ talks to his animal collection.
4. _________________________ is a good spitter.
5. _________________________ is the school counsellor.
6. _________________________ is the boy in the girls’ bathroom.
7. _________________________ makes fun of Bradley’s animals.
8. _________________________ talks to the counsellor.
9. _________________________ tells Mrs. Chalkers that Bradley has a very serious behaviour problem.
10. _________________________ lived in Washington D.C.

Chapters 11-20

Write who (speaker) said the following quotations and to whom (addressee).

11. “She said I can like her even if you hate her.”
Speaker: ______________________________
Addressee: ______________________________
12. “She’s weird. She never believes anything anyone says. I’m not going to see her anymore.”
Speaker: ______________________________
Addressee: ______________________________
13. “Girls are easy to beat up. You just have to hit them once, and they cry and run away.”
Speaker: ______________________________
Addressee: ______________________________
14. “First, we’ll beat up those girls; then we’ll go to your house and do our homework.”
Speaker: ______________________________
Addressee: ______________________________
15. “Let me give you a form for your parents to sign. Right now, I’m not even allowed to talk to you without your parents’
permission.”
Speaker: ______________________________
Addressee: ______________________________
16. “I don’t know yet. She won’t tell me until my parents sign this form.”
Speaker: ______________________________
Addressee: ______________________________
17. “The reason the President doesn’t wear a hat is because the doorways are too low.”
Speaker: ______________________________
Addressee: ______________________________
18. “Just because you and he are friends, that doesn’t mean that he can’t have other friends too.”
Speaker: ______________________________
Addressee: ______________________________
19. “Those girls. We have to beat them up so they won’t say hello to you.”
Speaker: ______________________________
Addressee: ______________________________
20. “We didn’t say hello to you! Just him! Hello, Jeff!
Speaker: ______________________________
Addressee: ______________________________
21. “No fair! Four against one!”
Speaker: ______________________________
Addressee: ______________________________
22. “They beat me up and threw me in the mud.”
Speaker: ______________________________
Addressee: ______________________________
23. “You’ll take a nice warm bath, put on clean clothes, and feel good as new.”
Speaker: ______________________________
Addressee: ______________________________
24. “Mom’s making cookies because you got beat up.”
Speaker: ______________________________
Addressee: ______________________________
25. “I didn’t get beat up. I beat them up. I gave one kid two black eyes, and another boy three.”
Speaker: ______________________________
Addressee: ______________________________

Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Correct the false statements.

1. Brian, Russell and Robbie talk to Jeff.

2. Bradley hates Jeff because he is friends with the other boys.

3. Bradley will stop visiting Carla because he has eight new friends.

4. Colleen’s parents think Carla should get married and have her own children.

5. Melinda thinks Jeff likes her.

6. Bradley’s father would have let Bradley stay home from school when he had the black eye.

7. Bradley is afraid of bullies.

8. Bradley is afraid of Melinda.

9. Mrs. Ebbel wants to know what happened to Bradley.

10. The principal thinks Melinda hit Bradley.

Chapters 17-20
 Do you think Jeff is treating Bradley fairly?
 How do you think Bradley really feels?
 Write down three pieces of advice for Jeff telling him how you think he should behave towards
Bradley.
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Chapters 23- 36
Bradley has been trying hard to behave better and impress Carla. What are the consequences of his good
behaviour? Mention 3 consequences to Bradley’s good behaviour.

1- _______________________________________________________________________________
2- _______________________________________________________________________________
3- _______________________________________________________________________________

2-minute Oral Presentation

Read the following guidelines and choose ONE to talk about for 2 minutes.

1- Imagine YOU are Carla Davis.

2- Imagine that YOU work for Bullseye
Prepare an oral report on Bradley’s
Books. Persuade the school teacher’s and
different stages and talk to his parents.
student’s to buy There’s a Boy in the Girl’s
Tell Mr and Mrs Chalkers how Bradley
Bathroom. Explain why you think they
was able to overcome his problems.
should all read the book in Literature class.
You should talk about the themes in the
3- Imagine YOU are Bradley, now aged book and how kids can relate to Bradley’s
45. You are visiting different schools to experience.
talk to kids who are going through the
same problems and how you solved
them. Suggest possible ways in which
kids can get help from adults.