45 pages • 1 hour read
Sharon M. DraperDouble Dutch
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2002A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 16-20Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 16 Summary
The paramedics tend to Yolanda and wake her up. She recounts running through the hall as everything seemed to blow up and getting hit on the head. She thought the Tollivers were chasing her but learns they saved her life and carried her out. Yolanda asks how she can ever thank them. They tell her to win at Double Dutch. Delia’s mom arrives to pick her up. Delia learns that the state proficiency exams have been postponed.
Chapter 17 Summary
Randy goes to Bomani’s house, fielding questions from Bomani’s children about the storm. Randy finally tells Bomani the truth about his missing father. Bomani assures Randy that he can stay with him and promises to help Randy figure out what happened to his father. Randy calls Delia and learns Yolanda has a mild concussion but is okay. Delia wonders if they’ve all been unfair to the Tollivers. Randy and Delia are both excited about the Double Dutch championship.
Chapter 18 Summary
Yolanda calls Delia to report that she just spoke to a reporter and, more surprisingly, with the Tollivers. She called to thank them and learned about how they ran out of the room so nobody would see how they were afraid. Then they had to move rubble aside to escape. They didn’t call for help because they didn’t think anybody would care that they were gone. Yolanda discovered that they like the same music and TV shows as all the other kids. Then the Tollivers revealed that they both liked Yolanda and watched her jump at the city and state tournaments.
Chapter 19 Summary
Delia is happy; she spends all her time on Double Dutch and doesn’t have to go to school. The team checks into the hotel and watches the other teams arrive. Delia walks through downtown and notices a flyer with a picture of Randy’s dad on it. She is frustrated that she can’t read what it says and guesses that Randy’s dad committed some crime and could be on the run. She decides to keep it in her pocket and help Randy keep it a secret. The team has dinner and Bomani tells every girl how proud he is of them. Delia frets over the flyer and decides to wait until after the tournament to talk to Randy.
Chapter 20 Summary
Delia can feel the anticipation in the air as the gym fills up with jumpers. She, Charlene, and Yolanda do well in the compulsory round. At the party that night, the jumpers all mingle happily, forgetting about the competition. The next morning, the team marches out into the gym with crisp white shorts and freshly ironed t-shirts. Delia and Yolanda wave to Miss Benson and Yolanda’s parents in the crowd. Randy lies and says his dad wishes them luck from California. Delia recites the Double Dutch pledge. The competition begins.
Chapters 16-20 Analysis
The aftermath of the storm is a pivotal moment in the novel, symbolizing shifts in relationships and perceptions among the characters. The storm continues to act as a metaphor for the emotional turbulence Delia and Randy face as their secrets threaten to unravel the bonds they’ve formed.
Delia experiences a momentary reprieve from her reading issues when the state proficiency exam is postponed, symbolized by the clearing skies after the storm. However, her sense of calm does not last. She discovers a flyer with information about Randy’s father but cannot read it. Now The Psychological Toll of Secrets is higher than ever. The internal storm still looms over her and the stakes of maintaining her secret rise. In not revealing her secret, she risks her relationship with Randy and ultimately threatens his ability to find his father and survive.
Randy’s first real respite from his “emotional storm” comes when admitting the truth about his father to Bomani, who offers him understanding and support. Bomani’s role as a coach expands beyond the realm of competitive sports; he becomes a surrogate father figure to Randy, providing the stability that is lacking at home. The novel shows how coaches, and by extension, sports teams, can serve as a family for children who face instability in their personal lives.
The “twin” tornadoes reflect the inner turmoil that threatens to tear apart Delia and Randy’s relationships. The twin storms also represent the Tolliver twins and the way their classmates see them as inherently destructive. Draper sets up this parallel to highlight the difference between perception and reality. Though the Tollivers seem like the most problematic and destructive forces in the novel, the reality is that they are sensitive, protective. and capable of saving a life. While Randy and Delia seem like they have it all together, they are facing secret emotional “storms” that threaten to spill over and harm others.
The aftermath of the storm triggers a profound shift in how the Tollivers are perceived by the community. After they save Yolanda, the other characters must confront their judgment and bias against the twins. The twins reveal that they have been rooting for the Double Dutch team, underscoring the common ground between them and their peers, and revealing that their “otherness” and alienation is an illusion. Yolanda finally learns that the Tollivers share many common interests with their peers, creating a path toward acceptance and social participation.
Draper emphasizes the importance of empathy, understanding, and the dangers of judgment. The storms in Double Dutch—both literal and metaphorical—serve to break down barriers between characters, allowing them to see each other in new, more compassionate ways. In the end, the storms, while destructive, pave the way for growth, healing, and a deeper sense of community.
Related Titles
By Sharon M. Draper
