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Questions and Answers
In the summer of 1916, Howard Leland Hutchings is preparing to travel with his father to visit his father’s family in Grand Tower, Illinois from St. Louis, Missouri. Howard's father is a well-respected ______.
doctor
Howard’s father works six-and-one-half days per week and realizes that the US is likely to get involved in the Great War soon, so this may be his last opportunity to visit his ______.
parents
Howard and his twin brothers, Raymond and Earl, get to drive across state lines in the family’s Model T Ford Touring Car to meet their distant ______.
grandparents
Howard's mother doesn’t approve of the trip, but Howard is ______.
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Howard and his father have been prepping for days, making sure they have all the tools they might need and extra gasoline and filing down the ______.
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Dad tells the boys about Grand Tower, calling it a ______ town. His “homeplace” is on a hill called the Devil’s Backbone.
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Grandma Tilly’s twin brother is named ______
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The ghost of an old woman runs across the road on dark nights upon the Devil’s ______
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Aunt Delphine has rings on each of her ______
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Uncle Noah was weeding in the garden with his shirt pinned around his missing ______
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Above Aunt Delphine's bed is a portrait of a man with ______ hair
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The room is so crowded with dresses and random objects that Howard almost misses the stout old lady lying in the ______
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Study Notes
Setting
- The story begins in the summer of 1916 in St. Louis, Missouri.
- The protagonist, 15-year-old Howard Leland Hutchings, is preparing to travel with his father to Grand Tower, Illinois.
Howard's Family
- Howard's father, the second William Hutchings, is a well-respected doctor.
- Howard has twin brothers, Raymond and Earl.
- Howard's mother does not approve of the trip to Grand Tower.
The Journey
- Howard, his father, and his brothers embark on a road trip to Grand Tower in their Model T Ford Touring Car.
- They prepare for the trip by packing tools, extra gasoline, and filing down the spark plugs.
- On the first day, they get four flat tires and make multiple bathroom breaks.
- They camp on the side of the road at night, where Howard's father tells them about Grand Tower.
Grand Tower
- Grand Tower is referred to as a ghost town by Howard's father.
- The family homeplace is located on a hill called the Devil's Backbone.
- Howard's father tells them about the ghost of an old woman in an old-timey dress that appears on dark nights.
The Grandparents' House
- The family arrives at Grand Tower in the afternoon, and Howard remembers the arrival like a silent, black-and-white movie.
- Grandma Tilly and her husband are waiting on the porch.
- Grandma Tilly is old but still seems young, while her husband looks ancient.
- The house is old, and Howard feels the weight of history it contains.
The Family Members
- Grandma Tilly calls Howard's dad "Young Bill" and the boys "Young Bill's boys".
- Aunt Delphine is lying in a four-poster bed, with rings on each of her fingers, and her hair falls in ringlets under her cap.
- Uncle Noah is mentioned, who lost his arm and is seen weeding in the garden with his shirt pinned around the missing limb.
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Description
Test your knowledge on 'The River Between Us' opening in 1916 St. Louis, where Howard Leland Hutchings prepares to visit his father's family in Grand Tower, Illinois. Explore the themes and characters of this novel.
