Worksheet

Starter Level

Book Boy Antoinette Moses

Before reading 2. Is David finding it easy to write? What is his
book about?
1. Look at the front cover. What is the boy in the 3. Why does David go out? Whom does he see
picture doing? What do you think the cat is outside the café?
looking at? Which characters are mentioned on 4. Match the beginnings and ends of the sentences:
the back cover? What do we learn about them? 1) David gets money a) pizza every day.
2. Look at page 3, the Contents page. How many 2) His aunt lives b) from his aunt.
chapters are there? Whom do you think ‘my’ and 3) He eats c) because his
‘I’ refer to in Chapters 1, 3 and 4? Whom are parents are dead.
Chapters 2 and 5 about? Do you think the story 4) Nobody in London d) to David.
will have a happy ending? 5) David lives alone e) knows he is there.
3. Look at the People in the story on page 4. Work 6) The house belongs f) in Canada.
with a partner. Ask each other questions: How old 5. Look at the picture on page 7. How do you think
is David? What does Steve do? What is the name David’s parents died?
of David’s cat? Think of two more questions.
4. Look at the maps on page 5 and circle the correct Chapter 2
answer in the sentences below. 1. Read Chapter 2 and mark the following
a) Hampstead is in North / South London. sentences True (T) or False (F).
b) Leeds is 200 / 600 miles from London. a) The girl asks David for money. ( )
c) David’s house is near / a long way from b) David doesn’t like anchovies. ( )
Hampstead Heath. c) Ella’s father works in a prison. ( )
d) Hampstead Heath is a small / large park. d) Ella is cold and dirty. ( )
e) The Lido is about 800 / 80 yards from e) David gives Ella some of his mother’s clothes
David’s house. to wear. ( )
5. The following numbers come in the story. They f ) Ella’s mother is dead. ( )
are written in words below. Write them in figures 2. What new information do we learn about David
and practise saying them. and Ella? Complete the sentences about them.
a) seventeen ( ) David: He’s going to university in October.
b) a hundred ( ) a) He doesn’t like …
c) a hundred and sixty ( ) b) He thinks about …
d) three hundred and eighteen ( ) Ella: Her father is in prison.
e) three thousand ( ) c) She comes from …
f ) a million ( ) d) Her mother ….
g) seven million, five hundred and sixty
thousand ( ) Chapter 3
1. Why doesn’t Ella like living on the street? Why
Check your reading does she prefer David’s house?
2. What happens after two weeks? How does Ella
Chapter 1
change?
1. Before you read this chapter, look at the picture 3. Why does David want to go to the Lido?
on page 6. What can you see in David’s room? 4. What does he find when he comes back?
What do you think he is trying to do? Read Describe the picture on page 19. What is
through the chapter to check your answers. missing?

Cambridge English Readers © Cambridge University Press 2010 www.cambridge.org/elt/readers PHOTOCOPIABLE

 Worksheet
Starter Level

Book Boy Antoinette Moses

Chapter 4 Write out the sentences in the correct order.
Now look at the text on pages 28-9 to check your
1. Read through the chapter and correct the words
answers.
underlined in the sentences below.
2. How does David’s aunt help Ella?
a) David doesn’t miss Ella. (______)
3. What happens to Steve?
b) Ella likes the police. (______ ______)
4. Why is Socrates famous?
c) The people in the shops know Ella.
5. What do Ella and David do now? Are they
(______ ______)
happy?
d) Ella is sleeping on the street. (in an old
______)
e) The house in Pond Street is clean and light. After reading
(______ and ______) Choose some of these activities.
f ) Ella is happy. (______) 1. David writes stories about Ella. Write Ella’s story
2. Why is David worried about Ella? in her own words. Start, ‘My name is Ella ...’
Write about her home town, her parents, her life
Chapter 5
on the street. Describe how she meets David and
1. Before you read this chapter, what do you goes to live in his house.
remember about Steve? 2. Are there many homeless people in your
2. Look at the picture on page 24. What has Steve country? Who helps them? Talk about these
got under his arm? What is he doing to Ella? questions with a partner or in a small group.
Read the chapter and find out. 3. Perhaps Socrates and David have more
3. What does Steve bring to the house? What does adventures. Work with a partner and think up
he steal? some ideas, and then write the story.
4. What kind of work does Ella do for Steve? 4. Do you have any pets? Are they intelligent? Talk
5. How do Ella and David feel about Steve? Why? about the clever things they can do.
5. Look again at the list of numbers in ‘Before
Chapter 6 reading’, question 5. Look quickly through the
1. ‘Everything goes very fast.’ Read through the story and see if you can find them in the text.
chapter and make sentences about what happens. Note the page you found them on and what they
Try to remember without looking at the text. refer to, e.g.
a) Steve kicks the gun. a) 17 – David’s age (page 4)
b) Socrates takes on the floor. 6. Look at the dialogue on page 27 (Extract 3).
c) Steve jumps the police. Work with another student and act it out.
d) Socrates hits Miaow! Choose some other dialogues in the book and
e) Ella falls Socrates’ tail. work in small groups to act them out. Perform
f) Steve phones onto Steve’s them for the class.
face.
g) David steps on Socrates.
h) Ella says Steve with a
book.

Cambridge English Readers © Cambridge University Press 2010 www.cambridge.org/elt/readers PHOTOCOPIABLE