Double Dutch

By Sharon M. Draper
For Ages: 10 - 14
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Delia loves Double Dutch. And she's good at it. Really good. So good that her team has a chance to win the World Double Dutch Championships this year -- Delia is sure of it. What she is less sure of is her chance of passing the school's state exam, because Delia has been using her success at Double Dutch to mask a secret that could jeopardize her place on the team, and also her future.
Delia's not the only one with a secret. Her potential boyfriend, Randy, has one too -- his dad has been missing for weeks, and Randy hasn't told anyone for fear he'll be put in a foster home. But he is running out of money and getting scared.
The one thing that isn't a secret is that their classmates, the Tolliver twins, are out to cause trouble. With their skull caps, angry demeanors, and hints of violence emanating from even the way they stalk down the school halls, they seem to enjoy intimidating the other kids. But will they cross the line from intimidation to violence?
With consummate skill and an uncanny ability to capture how real kids think, act, and feel, Tears of a Tiger author Sharon M. Draper weaves these three stories tighter and tighter, creating a novel that tingles with suspense and emotion.
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Book details:
  • Atheneum Books for Young Readers | 
  • 192 pages | 
  • ISBN 9780689842306 | 
  • June 2002 | 
  • Grades 5 - 9 | 
  • Lexile 760L
$17.99 List Price
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Read an Excerpt

Chapter One


"Look out, girl, here come the Tolliver twins! Have mercy! They look like they're ready to bite something." Delia pulled her books close to her body and tried to avoid what looked like was going to be a direct confrontation with the two most feared boys at the school -- Tabu and Titan Tolliver.


"Or kill something," Charlene whispered, eyes wide with real concern. "I wouldn't want to be alone in a room with them. Every time they pass me, I get so scared, I feel like I'm gonna wet my pants!"


"That's disgusting!" Delia said, laughing, as she glanced at Charlene.


"I ain't lyin'! I'm scared for...

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Reading Group Guide

A Reading Group Guide to

Double Dutch
by Sharon M. Draper

About the Book

Delia loves Double Dutch jump roping. And she’s good at it. Really good. But Delia is using her success to mask an embarrassing secret: She doesn’t know how to read. Her friend Randy has a secret too. His dad has been missing for weeks and he’s almost out of money, but he’s afraid to ask for help.

These two storylines collide at the World Double Dutch Championship as Delia and Randy are also forced to deal with the very real threat of violence at school, coming from two of their fellow students, the menacing Tolliver twins, who also have a secret: They like to make people scared. But will they act on their threats?

Discussion Topics

1. Double Dutch begins with a discussion of the characters’ fear of the Tolliver twins. Trace how the idea of fear and the result of fear are developed throughout the story.

2. The twins use intimidation and fear to terrorize the school. Analyze the names Titan and Tabu. Why are their names intimidating? What other factors about the twins make them seem dangerous and deadly?

3. Why is the television program, which the twins appear on an effective way to increase their negative reputation? Discuss the effect of these kinds of talk shows.

4. Yolanda is a humorous character because she tells tall tales an see more

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