Comparing Siblings

Like his sister in the previous book, Shin-chi looks at everything. Ask students: Does he look at the same things that Shi-shi-etko did? Why do you think that Shin-chi memorizes different things than she did?

“No Vacancy”?

The title of this book is No Vacancy. What do you imagine when you hear these words? What does this phrase mean? Where do you most often see these words?

Identity Chart

Create an identity chart for Emile Zola to better understand what it takes to be an upstander. Include things that are referenced in the story such as location, age, career, and also adjectives that describe him based on what we know about him.

Fact Scavenger Hunt

Have students test their comprehension by answering the following questions and recording the number of the page where the answer is located. Come together as a class and discuss their answers. Where did Milly first see recycling in action? How did Milly get the money...

Pioneers

The subtitle of this book is: โ€œThe Remarkable Pioneer of Plastics Recycling.โ€ What does it mean to be a pioneer? What does it mean in this context?