Allies

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 1-15

Reading Check

1. What is Dee’s secret?

2. What suspicious event encouraged Dee’s family to leave Germany?

3. What does “D-Day” mean?

4. What happened to Samira’s father?

5. Who are the “Maquis?” Where do their code names come from?

6. Who is Cyrano?

Short Answer

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

1. Describe the physical differences between Dee and Sid. What unites these two unlikely friends?

2. How was Dee able to enlist in the army? What did the recruitment officer suggest he do?

3. Who are Samira and Kenza Zidane? Describe what happens to Kenza, and what Samira resolves to do about the situation.

4. Who does Samira come across unexpectedly after she finds her dog? What does she request from them, and how do they respond?

5. Who is Brigadier Rene de Compiegne? Describe his reaction to Samira and the Maquis.

6. Describe the scene in Chapter 15. How does Samira help de Compiegne before she leaves?

Paired Resource

Algerians in France During WWII

• Information from Britannica regarding the rise of the Algerian nationalist movement
• How does France’s involvement in WWII correlate with Algeria’s independence?

“Who Gets to Wear a Headscarf? The Complicated History Behind France's Latest Hijab Controversy”

• A 2021 Times article regarding the politicization of the headscarf (i.e. hijab) in France
• Compare the debate regarding the headscarf in Samira’s era and today’s society.

Chapters 16-28

Reading Check

1. What was Sam’s motivation for joining the Canadian army?

2. How does James apply the phrase “We’re stronger together” to his own predicament with Marvin?

3. What is “Rommel’s asparagus?”

4. What unfortunate fact do James and Sam learn about where they landed?

5. How did the Canadian army change between WWI and WWII?

6. How do the German soldiers respond when James and Sam destroy their weapons in Chapter 25?

Short Answer

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

1. What was “If Day?” Describe why the Canadian government organized this day for the citizens of Winnipeg and some of the changes they arranged.

2. Who do James and Sam meet when they land in France? How are these characters connected to a prior character in the novel?

3. What do James, Sam, and the other paratroopers find in Varaville? Describe what happens in the moments after their discovery.

4. What discovery do James and Sam find in the basement of the house? How does James feel about his role in the war after this discovery?

Paired Resource

War Bonds

• Information from the National WWII Museum in New Orleans on War Bonds, including images and advertisements
• How did the purchase of War Bonds support Solidarity as a Way of Overcoming Challenges?

“‘If’ Day”

• Information from Valour Canada on “If” Day in Winnipeg, Canada
• How did “If” Day impact the citizens of Winnipeg?

Chapters 29-39

Reading Check

1. What is the name of Bill’s tank?

2. Which historical item would Bill like to see in France?

3. What action is Bill and Thomas tasked with in order to help the tank?

4. Which American soldier does Bill meet?

5. How does Henry keep his patients engaged during difficult procedures?

Short Answer

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

1. Which historical fact does Bill share with his crewmates in Chapter 29? Who are Bill and his siblings named after?

2. What is Bill’s “Operation Amiens?” Why is this French town significant to him?

3. Summarize the significant plot events that take place in Chapter 33 and Chapter 34.

4. Who are the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion and what was their intended mission on D-Day?

5. Summarize Henry’s experience in military training, and explain how his experience may have influenced his decision to assist Lieutenant Hoyte?

Paired Resource

“African Americans Fought for Freedom at Home and Abroad during World War II”

• An article from the National WWII Museum in New Orleans on segregation during WWII
• In which ways is Henry’s story an example of 1940s Discrimination through a Different Lens?

The Bayeux Tapestry

• Information and pictures from the official Bayeux Museum
• Considering the resource above and Bill’s story, how does the Bayeux Tapestry depict warfare in an unusual way?

Chapters 40-50

Reading Check

1. Who is the soldier that Dee helps Henry bring to the seawall?

2. What do Dee and the other soldiers at the wall decide to do?

3. What is a Widerstandsnest?

4. What is a Panzer?

5. How does Dee learn about the Germans’ plans?

6. What secret does Dee reveal to Sid?

Short Answer

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

1. Explain why the “the Luckiest Soldier on Omaha Beach” is considered lucky, and explain Dee’s encounter with him. 

2. Who is D. Kaufmann? Explain the similarities and differences between him and Dee, and identify the new goal Dee has after their encounter.

3. Describe the scene where Dee and the other soldiers attack the German bunker. How do Dee and Sid feel at the end of the attack?

4. What does Dee offer to do in Chapter 47? Why does he make this offer?

5. Why does the German army plan to set fire to the church? Describe the outcome of their plans.

Paired Resource

Pictures of the Landing at Omaha Beach

• Photos of the landing at Omaha Beach on D-Day (Content Warning: some depictions of violence)
• Compare Gratz’s descriptions of Omaha Beach with the photos in the above link.

Chapter 51- Author’s Note

Reading Check

1. What does J’attrendai mean?

2. Why is Monique Marchand forced to hide in a beach hut?

3. Where does Dorothy suggest she and Monique go in Chapter 54?

4. Who do Monique and Dorothy come across on the beach?

5. According to the Author’s Note, why was D-Day important in WWII?

Short Answer

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

1. What is Monque’s nickname? How does this nickname relate to how she helps the soldier?

2. Who is Dorothy Powell? Describe what she and Monique do together.

3. Why does Samira’s mother thank Dee?

Recommended Next Reads 

Resist by Alan Gratz

• Gratz’s 2020 companion novel to Allies focuses on Samira’s journey in the French Resistance.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

• Bestselling 2006 novel of an unlikely friendship between a German and Jewish boy in the Auschwitz concentration camp
• The Boy in the Striped Pajamas on SuperSummary