Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie

Chapters 1-3

Reading Check

1. “Peasant” (Chapter 1)

2. His mother is an English teacher, and his father is an accountant. (Chapters 1-2)

3. He creates “a really complex math problem to solve in [his] head” involving Tic Tacs. (Chapter 3)

Short Answer

1. For his English class prompt on “The most annoying thing in the world,” Steven decides to write about his younger brother Jeffrey. He notes that the problem with his brother is that Jeffrey idolizes Steven, but he also almost ruined Steven’s prized drumsticks and embarrassed him in front of Renee Albert. (Chapter 1)

2. On October 7, Jeffrey falls off a stool, hits his head, and begins bleeding significantly. Steven and his parents are shaken by the amount of blood, and his mother rushes Jeffrey to the hospital, while Steven’s dad quietly drives him to school. (Chapter 2)

3. While both girls inquire about Steven’s unusual mental state that day, Renee leaves almost immediately to speak with her friends, while Annette compassionately asks about Jeffrey’s health. (Chapter 3)

4. Mr. W is the conductor of the All-City High School Jazz Band, who supports Steven with his music. He starts calling him “Pez” as opposed to “Peasant” and shares with him musical inspiration such as Dizzy Gillespie. He invites him to play the congas in the Latin music-themed spring concert. (Chapter 3)

Chapters 4-6

Reading Check

1. “You’re going to be very important because you are going to be your new baby’s protector.” (Chapter 4)

2. By not talking to him (Chapter 5)

3. He vomits. (Chapter 6)

4. He is sleepier now. (Chapter 6)

Short Answer

1. Steven’s mother is visibly shaken as she relays the hospital visit with her family. She feels particularly guilty that she did not notice Jeffrey limping. Steven responds, “Mom, we were ALL too busy to notice. It’s not just you. He even told me this morning that he was cold and his parts hurt, and I just thought he was Jeffrey being Jeffrey.” (Chapter 4)

2. Steven’s mother announces that she will not be working for some time. She will accompany Jeffrey to Philadelphia for testing, while Steven and his father remain in their city. (Chapter 4)

3. During the week that Jeffrey and his mother are in Philadelphia, Steven focuses on practicing drums and neglects his schoolwork. He realizes that as long as continues to be funny and play the drums, no one at school, other than Annette, will realize something is wrong. During this time, he chooses not to talk to anyone, and instead writes his feelings in his English journal. (Chapter 5)

4. Upon returning from Philadelphia, Steven’s mom shares that Jeffrey has been diagnosed with “ALL, which stands for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a form of blood cancer in which certain types of white blood cells become deformed and multiply rapidly.” Jeffrey has a 50% chance of survival, and Steven’s mother will travel to Philadelphia twice a week to get tests for Jeffrey. (Chapter 6)

Chapters 7-9

Reading Check

1. Bargaining with God (Chapter 7)

2. If the condolence visitor will be “frowny or cheery” (Chapter 7)

3. “So, umm, how about those Knicks?” (Chapter 8)

4. The Matt Medic Rescue Heroes action figure (Chapter 8)

5. His crush, Renee Albert (Chapter 9)

Short Answer

1. Hearing Annette play the piano in the school hall, Steven is surprised to see his friend looking in a “quite non-Annette-ish way” (i.e., pretty and serene). She invites him to have a jam session with her while she plays piano and he plays drums; he becomes so engrossed in their jam session that he accidentally skips class. (Chapter 7)

2. Steven recalls that “dances and dodgeball” are the two “Ds” of his nightmares. At the dance, he feels shy and awkward, particularly when Annette comes over to speak with him, and he is mortified when his mom comes to pick him up early. (Chapter 7)

3. Steven’s mother comes to get him from his school dance because Jeffrey has a fever and needs to be rushed to the hospital. After a series of tests, the doctors determine that Jeffrey has a simple ear infection, which becomes much more serious with Jeffrey’s chemotherapy. Steven overhears his mother admitting that the medical costs are becoming a financial burden. (Chapter 8)

4. Mrs. Galley is the guidance counselor who tries to get Steven to open up about why he is not focused on his schoolwork. After he refuses to speak to her, Mrs. Galley leads him to a room where he meets all of his teachers, including Mr. W, who share similar concerns for his well-being. Although he does not intend to share that his brother has cancer, he finds himself emotional and ends up telling the teachers the truth about Jeffrey. They are empathetic and give him extensions to turn in his work. (Chapter 9)

Chapters 10-12

Reading Check

1. Anger and guilt (Chapter 10)

2. Annette (Chapter 10)

3. A stack of medical bills (Chapter 11)

4. Because he “kicked Renee Albert to the curb, and people just decided [he] must be the MAN” (Chapter 12)

Short Answer

1. After working hard on finishing his schoolwork, Steven becomes sick with the flu; however, with Jeffrey’s compromised immune system, Steven must recover from his illness away from his house. He compares his grandparents’ house to Siberia, as he is bored without electronics or television. (Chapter 10)

2. Steven expects that after he returns home to his parents’ house, his friends and family will be there to greet him and there will be lots of messages. Unfortunately, he is disappointed: His parents are preoccupied with Jeffrey, and Steven received very few messages from his friends. (Chapter 10)

3. Renee comes to Steven’s house to tutor him in math. He is very excited at finally having her come over; however, on her arrival she admits she is sick, and he refuses to let her enter. Although he tries to explain it is because he cannot compromise his brother’s immune system, Renee leaves annoyed because “any boy in the school would be drooling to have [her] come over.” (Chapter 11)

4. After an emotional conversation with his dad regarding how he feels neglected, Steven is happy that the weekend is becoming like the old times. His dad plays chess with him and helps him with math; his relatives come over to visit, and they have home-cooked meals together; and even Jeffrey is feeling better. Steven realizes that this is a “silver lining” distracting everyone from a “dark cloud.” (Chapter 12)

Chapters 13-15

Reading Check

1. “Instead of agonizing about the things you can’t change, why don’t you try working on the things you CAN change?” (Chapter 13)

2. Because she broke her arm (Chapter 14)

3. “Unfair” (Chapter 15)

Short Answer

1. Steven begins to have a reoccurring nightmare in which he is responsible for his brother’s death. He wakes up screaming. This alarms his parents, as they are concerned for his mental health. He decides one day to speak with Mrs. Galley, and he tells her how he is feeling. (Chapter 13)

2. Steven decides to forgo his drum lessons to save money. When he tells his teacher of five years, he tries to offer him his “Special Sticks” in order to soften the hurtful news; however, his teacher tells him he does not have to pay and that he does not want to keep his sticks. (Chapter 14)

3. Steven shaves his head after Jeffrey tried to befriend a new kid in school, and the new kid pointed out Jeffrey’s baldness. In solidarity and with Mrs. Galley’s advice in his ears, he shaves his head. The response is overwhelmingly positive: his mother helps him shave off the hair properly, Jeffrey is overjoyed, and the girls at school think he is “‘soooooo sweet!’” (Chapter 16)

Chapters 16-18

Reading Check

1. Because she is sick (Chapter 17)

2. To keep Jeffrey brave (Chapter 17)

3. A “man” (Chapter 18)

4. A book about leukemia in children (Chapter 18)

Short Answer

1. Annette and Renee have the idea of turning their spring concert into a fundraiser for Steven’s family, which would ultimately double as community service time for the band members. Although Steven is impressed with the possibility of raising money, he worries about how his parents will respond to the plan. (Chapter 16)

2. Samantha, who Steven gets along with and talks to for hours, is one of the patients in the cancer ward. Since her older sister does not visit her very much, she is happy that Steven is there for his brother. Steven gives her his special drumsticks and offers to give her lessons in the future. (Chapter 17)

3. After returning from Philadelphia, Steven is focused on preparing for the concert. Renee and Annette take turns tutoring Steven in the subjects that he missed, and most of the people in the school purchase tickets to the benefit concert. (Chapter 18)

Chapters 19-21

Reading Check

1. April 4 is the date of the concert as well as the last time that Steven has the reoccurring dream. (Chapter 19)

2. $21,000 (Chapter 19)

3. A kiss (Chapter 19)

4. “I love you” (Chapter 21)

Short Answer

1. Steven’s father gives Steven the excuse that he will probably not attend the concert because of the workload during tax season. Steven, who is unhappy about this, gathers that his mother is not pleased either, and he is grateful that she brings Jeffrey from the hospital to come see the concert. In the end, Steven’s dad does come to the concert. (Chapter 19)

2. The All-City Band gives a hat and shirt to Jeffrey, since he is an honorary member of the band. They all take off their hats, revealing that everyone had either shaved their head or cut their hair short in solidarity with Jeffrey. (Chapter 19)

3. At the intermission, Steven’s father makes a speech to the band: He thanks them for what they have done and shares his insecurities about attending. At the end of the speech, Jeffrey begins to vomit, and Steven decides to forgo the second half of the concert to accompany him to the hospital. (Chapter 19)

4. Steven learns that Samantha passed away the morning prior, with only her mother (not her sister) by her side. He becomes emotional at hearing this news, and the nurse gives him the sticks that he lent Samantha. (Chapter 20)