Better than Weird by Anna Kerz
p. 1 What was Aaron’s full name? Aaron Stewart Waite.
p. 1 Who did Aaron live with? His Gran
p. 2 What did the tuft of hair on Aaron’s head remind him of? A chimney.
p. 3 When was Aaron’s dad coming home? Before the end of November.
p. 5 What did everyone call Aaron because he talked too much? Aaron Cantwait
p. 5 What did Aaron think of himself when people thought he was weird? He wasn’t weird, he was
different. He was better than weird.
p. 5 How long had Aaron’s father been away? Eight years.
p. 5 What was the name of Aaron’s Big Brother? Paul
p. 5 What did Paul tell Aaron that he should do if he wanted to get organized? Make lists
p. 6 What were the two lists that Aaron made for his dad? Things Dad will teach me and Things to do
with Dad
p. 7 What did Aaron keep under his bed? A cardboard box that contained his secret pet toad, Buddy.
p. 9 What grade was Aaron in? Grade Six
p. 9 Who chose Aaron to make the morning announcements with him? Jeremy
p. 10 Where had Jeremy come from in September? Nova Scotia
p. 10 What science project were Jeremy and Aaron working on? A space project. They were building a
city with houses and launching pads and rocket ships.
p. 12 What had happened to Jeremy’s dad? He was dead.
p. 12 Why did Jeremy and Aaron have to get to school so early that week? To practice making the
announcements.
p. 12 What was the kindergarten teacher’s name? Miss Chang.
p. 12 What was the music teacher’s name? Ms. Masilo.
p. 13 Who showed Aaron and Jeremy how to use the PA system to do the announcements? Mr. Collins
p. 15 What was the name of the book that the girl, Allissa had lost which was what Aaron’s
announcement on the PA was about? Buttercup’s Lovely Day.
p. 16 Whose grandmother came to the office to bring her grandson’s lunch while Aaron was making the
last minute announcements about the two kindergarten girls’ birthday? Tufan’s grandmother. Tufan had
forgotten his lunch.
p. 17 What embarrassing things were broadcast on the speakers about Tufan because Aaron hadn’t
turned off the PA system immediately after making the last announcement? That Tufan’s grandmother
said to remind him to eat slowly because it was better for his digestion and that foolish boy forgot
everything.
p. 18 What did Tufan tell Aaron after Aaron accidently left the PA on so everyone heard the
conversation with Tufan’s grandmother which embarrassed Tufan? Tufan said Aaron was dead meat.
p. 20 What did Mr. Collins tell the class to say to bullies? “You’re a bully and you don’t scare me.” Bullies
don’t hurt people who stand up for themselves.
p. 23 What did Aaron do to Tufan as the boys were playing soccer baseball that made Tufan even more
mad at Aaron? Aaron was trying to kick the ball back on the field when he kicked it and it hit Tufan in the
stomach really hard.
p.24 What was Aaron’s counselor’s name? Karen, Mrs. Matthews.
p. 24 Why did Aaron like his counselor’s name? Karen rhymed with Aaron, his name.
p. 30 What did Ms. Masilo, the music teacher, always do that scared Aaron a little? She was always
smiling, showing all of her teeth, even when she was mad. It made her look nice even when she was
mean.
p. 31 Where did Aaron usually go when the class went to choir practice? To the library.
p. 31 What concert was the class practicing for? The Voices of Winter concert.
p. 31 Why did Aaron change his mind and now wanted to be in the Voices of Winter concert? His Gran
said his dad would want to come and watch him at the concert.
p. 33 How did Ms. Masilo respond when Mr. Collins told her that she should help Aaron sing the best he
could? I can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.
p. 34 Who stood beside Aaron at choir practice which made Aaron feel dizzier? Tufan
p. 35 How big did Aaron think Ms. Masilo’s teeth were? As big as tombstones.
p. 38 What did Aaron do at choir practice that made Ms. Masilo say she wouldn’t be responsible for him,
for what happened? Aaron fell off the top riser.
p. 40 What was Aaron’s favorite place in school? The library.
p. 40 Why did Aaron look forward to Wednesday afternoon at school? His class went to the library.
p. 40 What was the librarian’s name? Mrs. Evans.
p. 40 Where was Aaron’s spot in the library? The carpet right next to Mrs. Evans rocking chair.
p. 40 Why did Mrs. Evans save the spot next to her chair just for Aaron? When he sat anywhere else, he
didn’t always pay attention.
p. 44 What myth did Mrs. Evans tell about the heavens? About Grandmother Spider giving the world fire
and light.
p. 44 What book on space did Aaron choose to check out from the library? The one with the flying boy
on the cover.
p. 45 What sport did Jeremy have practice for? Volleyball.
p. 46 What girl did Jeremy usually walk home with from school but didn’t because he had volleyball
practice? Karima
p. 46 Why did Karima get mad at Aaron? Because Aaron said out loud that Jeremy was in love with
Karima.
p. 51 What did Aaron sound like when he laughed according to Jeremy? Like he was doing an hyena
imitation.
p. 51 What advice did Jeremy give Aaron to do so he wouldn’t be weird? He could stop laughing when
things weren’t funny and when he laughed, he shouldn’t laugh so loudly. And he needed to grow up and
act his age.
p. 53 What was on Aaron’s list on how to stop being weird? Don’t laugh like a hyena. Grow up. Look
people in the eye. Shut the heck up.
p. 52 What advice did Jeremy’s dad give him that Jeremy thought Aaron should follow? Look people in
the eye when they are talking to you. Listen to what they say. If you can’t think of something smart to
say, shut up.
p. 56 What did Aaron do that caused Tufan to make an angry face and punch Aaron a couple times and
then twist his arm? Aaron was jumping into ice puddles on the way to school and didn’t notice Tufan
until he splattered Tufan with mud.
p. 58 Why wouldn’t Aaron get up out of the puddle to come into the school when Ms. Masilo told him
to? He was afraid of Tufan who had told him to stay in the puddle or Tufan would come back after him.
p. 62 When Aaron and Jeremy were working on their science project in the basement, what did Aaron
keep talking about that made Jeremy leave in a hurry? Aaron kept talking about what he and his dad
would do when his dad came home and he forgot that Jeremy’s dad was dead and would never be
coming home.
p. 64 Who was Sarah? Aaron’s mother who died.
p. 64 When did Gran come to live with Aaron? When Liam, Aaron’s dad, called her and said they needed
help with Aaron since Sarah was dying.
p.64 Whose house did Jeremy and his mother live in? Milly’s who was a friend of Gran.
p. 65 Why did Aaron want the mealworms from the class science study? To feed his frog.
p. 65 Where did Aaron put the mealworms he got from science class much to the dismay of Gran? In her
box of bran flakes.
p. 66 How long had Gran been taking care of Aaron? Eight years.
p. 68 Who made a vivarium for Buddy, the toad, so that Gran would let Aaron keep him? Paul, Aaron’s
Big Brother.
p. 69 What did Paul use to make the vivarium for the toad? An empty fish tank, the bottom filled with
charcoal, then potting soil on top.
p. 70 Where did Aaron store the worms to feed his toad? In a Mason jar.
p. 70 What did Aaron compare Buddy’s tongue to when Buddy quickly ate a worm? Jabba the Hutt from
Star Wars.
p. 72 Why did Aaron wish he could hide camouflaged in the dirt like his toad? So he could hide from
Tufan.
p. 74 Why was Aaron upset at the snowstorm? He was afraid his dad wouldn’t be able to come because
of the snow storm.
p. 75 When Aaron was small, what did Aaron used to tell himself about when his dad would come back?
When his dad’s heart had mended from the broken heart he had when Sarah, Aaron’s mom, died.
p. 76 How long did it take a broken heart to mend according to Mrs. Evans, the librarian? It’s different
for everybody.
p. 77 Who had made the blue quilt that Aaron really loved and took good care of? His mother’s
grandmother made the quilt.
p. 78 Who did Gran say Aaron looked like? She said he was the spitting image of his mother.
p. 82 How was Aaron’s squirrel, the squirrel that lived in the neighbor’s tree, different from all the other
squirrels? It had a flash of white on the end of its black tail that made it easy to recognize. It also chased
other squirrels that came into its yard – it stood up for itself.
p. 83 Who was the principal at Aaron’s school? Mr. Ulanni
p. 83 Who was chasing Aaron home from school and made him fall on an ice patch and then hit him with
an ice ball on the back of his head? Tufan
p. 94 Why did Aaron have to go to the emergency room? He had a broken arm from when he fell in the
icy patch trying to get away from Tufan.
p. 95 Who were the paramedics bringing into the emergency room as Aaron and his Gran were leaving?
Tufan’s grandmother.
p. 98 Why had Gran gotten rid of their TV? All Aaron had wanted to do was sit and watch it. She even
found him watching a movie in the middle of the night.
p. 100 What happened between Aaron and Tufan when the snake got out in Mr. Collins’ room and
Aaron found it? Aaron hadn’t been afraid of the snake and picked it right up but he may have got too
close to Tufan with the snake which made Tufan jump up and his chair fell over which caused everyone
to laugh and Tufan was mad at Aaron.
p. 100 Who else in Aaron’s class was going to start seeing Karen, the counselor at school? Tufan
p. 109 Why did Aaron say he felt sorry for Tufan? Tufan’s grandmother was sick and she was scared.
p. 113 What type of fish were in Mr. Collins’s fish tank? Guppies
p. 113 Who did Aaron help clean out Mr. Collins’s fish tank? Jeremy. Horace was supposed to help but
he had to pick up his brother at daycare.
p. 115 How did Jeremy get a bloody nose while cleaning the fish tank? Aaron’s elbow hit Jeremy in the
nose as Aaron was avoiding giving up the fish net to Jeremy.
p. 119 Why did Aaron have to get a new cast on his arm? His cast got wet when he accidentally pulled
down the fish tank at school breaking the tank and soaking Jeremy and himself.
p. 118 Who had to clean up the mess Aaron made when he pulled down the fish tank? Mr. Birch, the
caretaker.
p. 119 What incident made Jeremy tell Aaron that they were done and that Aaron was a loser? When
Aaron caused the fish tank to fall off the counter.
p. 123 What idea did Ms. Masilo and Mr. Collins have for Tufan and Aaron to do at the concert? They
could do the introductions and ask everyone to turn off their cell phones. They decided to do the
introduction as a rap.
p. 129 Where did Aaron run to hide when he heard that his dad was finally actually on his way to Gran’s
house? He hid in a corner of his closet.
p. 132 What was Aaron’s father’s name? Liam
p. 132 What was the name of Aaron’s father’s new wife’s? Sophie
p. 133 What was the surprise that Aaron’s dad promised? Sophie was his wife and she was having a
baby.
p. 135 What was the first thing that Aaron showed his dad? The toad.
p. 136 What did Gran make for dinner on the first night Aaron’s dad was with them? Spaghetti, it used
to be Liam’s favorite.
p. 137 In the picture of Aaron’s dad and him mom, Sarah, what were they doing? Riding a bicycle.
p. 139 What were Liam and Sophie going to name their new baby if it was a girl? Frances or Fran after
Aaron’s grandmother.
p. 139 How had Aaron received his name? His mother, Sarah, had named him after her grandfather who
used to live in Nova Scotia.
p. 140 What did Aaron do constantly when he was a baby according to his dad? He cried from the
moment he was born, all day and most of the nights. The doctors didn’t know what was wrong with him.
p. 140 Why did Sarah, Aaron’s mom, blame herself for Aaron’s crying, his sickness? She thought it was
because of all the treatments she got before she knew she was pregnant.
p. 141 Why did Aaron’s father leave? After the funeral, when he returned home and Aaron saw him,
Aaron turned purple and started to scream. It was like Aaron was terrified of the sight of his dad. His dad
didn’t even stop to say goodbye, he just took off.
p. 142 When Aaron’s dad told him he was sorry for leaving Aaron and Aaron got choked up, coughing,
what did his dad say he sounded like? A cougar trying to cough up a hairball.
p. 144 Why hadn’t Gran used the best china before the dinner with Liam and Sophie? She didn’t feel
entitled to use Sarah’s best china, not without really good reason, but with Liam home, that was a good
reason to use the china.
p. 145 How did Liam and Sophie meet? She was wearing a surgical mask and used a needle to stitch up
the cut on his leg.
p. 146 What was the first story Aaron’s dad told him about how he had cut his leg that Sophie had to
stitch? He was working at a placer mine in Dawson City in the Yukon for a man named Herb. One day, a
grizzly bear was coming towards him but the bear hit his head and scared himself and ran away. Aaron’s
dad thought it was so funny that he laughed so hard and didn’t watch where he was going so he stepped
into the cutting edge of a piece of scrap metal that cut his leg. Herb took him to the nursing station in
Dawson which is where he met Sophie.
p. 148 What did Sophie call Aaron’s father’s story about the grizzly bear and how he got his cut leg? A
tall tale.
p. 148 What souvenir did Aaron’s father bring him? A key chain with fool’s gold on it.
p. 148 What is iron pyrite? Fool’s gold.
p. 150 What did Aaron’s father and Sophie refer to as the Great Escape and the Exodus? Aaron forgot to
put the top back on the worm Mason jar and worms got out and were all over his room.
p. 150 What made Sophie scream late at night the first night she spent at Gran’s? She stepped on one of
Aaron’s worm that had escaped the Mason jar because the lid was off when she got up at night to go to
the bathroom.
p. 154 What secret had Gran been keeping from Aaron? That the tests she had taken at the doctor’s
showed that there might be some cancer in her thyroid and she needed an operation to see.
p. 155 What did Aaron immediately do when he heard his Gran was sick and may have cancer? He ran
upstairs and hid in the corner of his closet.
p. 157 When would Aaron run and hide in his closet did he tell his dad? When he was scared.
p. 161 What was the first meal that Aaron cooked with Sophie’s help? Tuna casserole.
p. 165 When Aaron returned to school on the Monday after his dad arrived, what was he proud to show
to the other students? His key chain with the fool’s gold.
p. 167 What was the name of the big city where Aaron’s father had gone shopping and had been gone
so long that Gran and Sophie began to worry? Toronto.
p. 172 What message did Mr. Ulanni have for Aaron when he called Aaron into the principal’s office?
That his Gran’s operation went well and she was going to be fine but when Sophie was walking to the
school to let him know, she had slipped and fell. She was taken to the hospital to be checked out but
wanted to make sure Aaron had someone to go home with.
p. 174 Who did Mr. Collins arrange for Aaron to go home with when Sophie had to be taken to the
hospital and his Gran was already in the hospital? Mr. Collins had called Milly, Jeremy’s mother, and had
arranged for Aaron to go home with Jeremy.
p. 175 What did Milly cook for Aaron and Jeremy to eat for lunch? Vegetable soup and grilled cheese.
p. 179 What story did Jeremy tell Aaron about when Aaron came over for lunch and the two made up
and became friendly again? Jeremy told the story of how he and his dad went fishing and he caused his
dad to get thrown overboard. He thought his dad would be mad but his dad just said “ If everything goes
smoothly all the time, we’ll never have good stories to tell.” This made Jeremy realize that the incident
with Aaron and the fish tank would be a good story to tell.
p. 181 What was Mr. Collins recording Aaron on the video camera for? He had Aaron recite the poem
they wrote for the introduction to the concert so that Aaron could hear himself recite the poem.
p. 182 What was Aaron’s dad shopping for when he was gone so long that Gran got worried? A
computer, a printer, and a webcam.
p. 184 Where did Aaron’s dad take Aaron for their man-to-man talk? A pizza place. It was Aaron’s
choice.
p. 185 What did Aaron’s dad tell him during their man-to-man talk? That he and Sophie were going back
to Dawson the week after next.
p. 192 What did Sophie say that people came from all over the world to Dawson to see? The northern
lights.
p. 193 Who did Aaron run into in the elevator when they went to take Gran home from the hospital?
Tufan’s grandmother.
p. 193 Who was Amina? Tufan’s grandmother.
p. 195 What did Tufan’s grandmother tell Tufan about Aaron? That Aaron was a nice boy.
p. 197 When Tufan threatened to hurt Aaron again after they practiced for the concert, who did Aaron
say would believe him when he told that Tufan had hurt him that made Tufan say that it was only a joke,
he wasn’t really going to hurt him? Aaron said Tufan’s grandmother would believe Aaron because she
said he was a nice boy.
p. 202 Why had Aaron’s dad stayed away so long? He was too ashamed to come home. He had run away
from Aaron but he felt so bad about leaving and he started drinking and couldn’t stop. He was trying to
forget about Sarah and forget about the part of himself that couldn’t cope.
p. 202 Where did Aaron’s dad hide like Aaron hiding in his closet? When he was scared, Aaron’s dad
tried to hide in a bottle i.e. get drunk.
p. 203 What was the real story behind Aaron’s dad’s cut that led him to meet Sophie? There was no
bear. He was drunk and ran into a sharp blade and had to be carried to the nursing station by Herb.
p. 204 How long did Sophie make Liam wait before she would marry him? She told him he had to be dry
for two years before she’d even think of marrying.
p. 206 What were Liam’s and Sophie’s plan for Aaron and Dawson? Their house was small now but they
were going to add on because of the new baby then there would be room for Aaron and Gran to visit
them. They would see what would happen after that.
p. 208 What type of costume did Aaron wear for the concert? A green tunic with gold braid and a
jester’s hat. Tufan said it was a fool’s hat.
p. 209 Why did Mr. Collins want Aaron to wear the jester’s hat with the bells? It would remind him to
stand still. If he heard the bells, then he’d know he was moving too much and needed to stop.
p. 211 What was the Aaron’s classes’ concert called? Voices of Winter Concert.
p. 216 What poem did Mrs. Evans read to Aaron’s class in February? A poem by a Canadian named
Robert Service who lived in Dawson.