69 pages • 2 hours read
William Pene du BoisThe 21 Balloons
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1947A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Essay Topics
What is it about Sherman’s rescue that causes a worldwide sensation? What might have happened to all the attention if he had complied immediately with the request to explain himself, and why?
Describe, with examples, San Francisco’s over-the-top welcome to the returning Sherman. What message is conveyed through these events?
What are some unique advantages of sustained flight in a balloon? Suggest some disadvantages as well.
Give three reasons why Krakatoa in 1883 is the perfect place to locate a story about a secret colony of rich families.
Why can’t the Krakatoans reveal their diamond mines and sell as many diamonds as possible? How do they solve the problem of having too many diamonds?
Explain the island’s “Gourmet Government” and why it works so well for the Krakatoans.
The Moroccan house contains a number of ingenious devices. Briefly describe two and suggest why they’re both useful and a problem.
The Balloon Merry-Go-Round is the first ride in a planned amusement park for the island’s children. Imagine and describe another such ride that might take advantage of the island’s features and the wealth of its inhabitants.
Explain why the balloon life raft is a better escape device than the ship docked in the harbor. Also explain why the platform system is smarter than a separate balloon for each family.
Choose a feature of Krakatoan social life that you think might be valuable for people in general and explain why.
