Something Upstairs

Avi

Author’s Explanation

  1. Where was Avi visiting?
  2. Where is this school?
  3. Who is the boy who wanted to meet Avi?
  4. What does Kenny do that distracts Avi?
  5. What question did Kenny have regarding how a writer gets an idea for a story?
  6. According to Avi, whose story is this book?

Chapter One

Pages 7-12

  1. What has happened that has changed Kenny’s life?
  2. What was a Huldorf family tradition in LA?
  3. What did it do in Providence on the day he was informed they were moving
  4. What did Kenny seem to like about his new house?
  5. What caught his eye in this room?

Pages 12-19

  1. Why did Kenny have more time on his hands than most normal kids his age?
  2. What did Kenny do with much of this free time?
  3. What time did Kenny wake up?
  4. What did Kenny think the sound was?
  5. What did Kenny see when he looked into the other room?
  6. When the “figure” rose up from the floor, what did it appear to be doing?
  7. What did Kenny do when the “boy” reached toward Kenny with his hand?
  8. What did the “boy” do?

Chapter Two (Pages 20-24)

  1. What was different about the room the next morning?
  2. What question did Kenny ask his mom?
  3. What did Kenny’s dad mean when he said, “Everybody has something upstairs”?
  4. Why does Kenny’s dad think that this house has a right to have ghosts?
  5. Where is Kenny going to go?

(Pages 24-33)

  1. What illegal activity did some Providence residents engage in?
  2. Who is the Historical librarian?
  3. What did Kenny do while Mr. Willinghast looked at the list?
  4. What did Kenny decide to do to find out more about the stain on the floor?
  5. According to Kenny’s dad, why do ghosts supposedly haunt houses?
  6. What was Kenny planning to do that night?

Chapter Three (Pages 34-42)

  1. What did Kenny think woke him up this time?
  2. What did Kenny ask the “ghost boy”?
  3. What did the “ghost boy” say…then do?
  4. What was the stain caused from?
  5. When Kenny was talking with Mr. Willinghast, what do you think he (Willinghast) meant when he said, “There are always those who desire to rush history”?
  6. What does Kenny seemed to be investigating?
  7. Why does Willinghast think that investigating a slave murder is pointless?

(Pages 42-47)

  1. When asked the “ghost boy” if he was a slave, what was his answer?
  2. What is the ghost boy’s name?
  3. Why doesn’t Caleb know who killed him?
  4. What help does Caleb want from Kenny?
  5. What happened when Kenny stepped back into his own room?

Chapter Four

  1. What did Kenny see when he looked out the window?
  2. What is the first indication that Kenny is in the past?
  3. After noticing the changes in the surroundings and the people, what did Kenny notice about himself?
  4. What link or connection does he have with the present time?
  5. After arguing with another man about slavery, what did the man named Mr. Brown do to make his point?
  6. After Mr. Brown left, what did the other man ask Kenny to do?
  7. Once Kenny was out of sight of the man, what did he do?
  8. When did things return to the present time?

Chapter Five (Pages 58-68)

  1. How did Kenny try to logically explain the events of the previous night?
  2. What did Kenny’s dad say that leads you to believe it was not a dream?
  3. What did Kenny find from the past while he was walking the streets the next day?
  4. That night, what does Caleb say he is looking for?
  5. According to Caleb, what is he a prisoner of?
  6. In order to help Caleb, what two things must Kenny do?
  7. When is Kenny going to make his decision whether or not to help Caleb?

(Pages 68-75)

  1. When is the last day Caleb can recall being alive?
  2. Where did Kenny go to research Caleb’s death?
  3. What did the newspaper article say about Caleb’s death?
  4. What proof is there that this may be true?
  5. Who did Kenny tell about his discovery?

Chapter Six (Pages 76-85)

  1. How did Caleb prove that the suicide story was false?
  2. What happened to Caleb when Kenny gave him his hand?
  3. When Caleb took on a human form, what else changed about him?
  4. As they started to leave the house, what did Kenny reach for in his pocket?
  5. Whom did Caleb think the men were meeting about?
  6. Who joins the meeting?