81 pages 2 hours read

Leon Leyson

The Boy On The Wooden Box

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Middle Grade | Published in 2013

A 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.

Reading Questions & Paired Texts

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Prologue-Chapter 2

Reading Check

1. Who is Leon Leyson waiting to meet in Los Angeles?

2. Where did Leon spend his childhood before the war?

3. Where does Moshe move with his job in the glass factory?

4. What was Moshe forced to do during World War I?

5. What country does Hitler invade, causing Moshe and Hershel to leave the family?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What events caused the Jewish community in Poland to worry about German oppression?

2. Why are the Polish Jews justified in their concerns, even though Germany is a different country?

Paired Resources

Forced Labor During World War I

  • This article relates the prevalence of forced-labor camps in World War I.
  • What demographic was often targeted for forced labor? Why did countries choose to use forced labor? What problem were countries attempting to solve through forced labor? How is this article’s content related to the memoir’s theme of Passive Resistance in the Face of Oppression?

Kristallnacht

  • This 4-minute video describes the events of Kristallnacht.