The Impact of Food Insecurity

Addressing the Social Stigma of Poverty

Children’s Resilience amid Hardship

Lisa Fipps

Middle grade

Novel/Book in Verse

Fiction

Guide

Study Guide

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Overview

Get ready to explore And Then, Boom! and its meaning. Our full analysis and study guide provides an even deeper dive with character analysis and quotes explained to help you discover the complexity and beauty of this book.

And Then, Boom! Summary and Study Guide

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Background

And Then, Boom! Background

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Content Warning: Both the source material and this guide feature depictions of child abuse and abandonment, emotional abuse, and trauma due to extreme poverty. Note: These pages contain the poems “Just Like Superman,” “Origin Story,” “Why the World Needs Comic Books,” “And-Thens And Booms!,” “Scratching an Itch,” “Prepare for Takeoff,” “Mom’s First Takeoff,” “Make Me Choose,” “Pop!,” “Onomatopoeia,” “Oodles of Doodles,” “Power of a Word,” “From Poor to Poorer,” “The Mess with Mom,” “Wish I Didn’t Have to Know,” “What I Know About My Dad,” “Two Halves ≠ Whole,” “Unhoused,” “The Fishbowl,” “Eating Crumbs,” “Out of Our Reach,” “Dirty,” “Ant-Man,” “It’s Amazing,” “Life Preserver,” “The Overripe Banana,” “Nick,” “Three-Finger Rundown,” “Uncle Frankie,” “Frank-Mart,” “The Quilt,” “Grandmum’s Arms,” “Key,” “By the Front Door,” and “Safe Space.”

Pages 1-65

And Then, Boom! Pages 1-65 Summary & Analysis

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains descriptions of poverty, emotional abuse, illness, and death. Note: These pages contain the poems “The Grower,” “My Walk to School,” “Hakeem,” “FARBAL,” “Math Matters,” “Juste Horrible,” “The Share Table and Corner Store,” “The Reticulated Python,” “Not Enough, But Plenty,” “Villains at the Table,” “Fair and Square,” “Sitgen,” “Tummy Troubles,” “Hunger,” “Wasted,” “Bowling Ball Pyramid,” “Sick and Tired,” “I Love Basketball,” “What the Game’s About,” “The Turd,” “Happy Farts,” “Out for Supper,” “Worse Than Hunger,” “All I Need,” “Last Night,” “Nighttime’s For Wishes and Dreams,” “Everyone Has A One Day,” “The Return of Thanos,” “Raven,” “Seeds of Hope,” “Screaming,” “Three Kinds of People,” “I Am Falcon,” “The Hug Sandwich,” and “Grandmum Got Her One Day.”

Pages 66-120

And Then, Boom! Pages 66-120 Summary & Analysis

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains descriptions of emotional abuse, child abandonment, and trauma due to poverty. Note: These pages contain the poems “The Crow,” “The Chimera,” “Casserole Surprise!,” “Shepherd’s Pie,” “Snapped,” “Around and Around,” “Take Him Off My Hands,” “Reeling in the Food,” “Fish Fry,” “Fly Free,” “I Get It Now,” “One Sweet Moment,” “Losing More of Grandmum,” “Mom and Me,” “Maybe It’s Like Basketball,” “The Kiss,” “Silence,” “The Balloon,” “Texting,” “Zipped Lips,” “Couldn’t Help But Hear,” “Doomsday’s Left Hook,” “No Reply,” “The Bag,” “Tangled Webs,” “Should Have Asked,” “Abandoned,” “Rescued,” “The Luckies,” and “I Can’t Even Feed Me.”

Pages 121-164

And Then, Boom! Pages 121-164 Summary & Analysis

Content Warning: This section contains descriptions of poverty, starvation, and child abandonment. Note: These pages contain the poems “The Knock On The Door,” “Places to Go. People to See.,” “The Right Thing,” “Dawggone Hole,” “The Magic Closet,” “Mrs. Swan. My Superhero,” “Rock. Paper. Scissors.,” “We Have to Talk,” “Logic Train,” “Worst Thing Ever,” “I’m Not Alone,” “Running Out,” “Surprised, Not Surprised,” “Problem Solved,” “Leaning On Each Other,” “The Grocery List,” “Disconnected,” “The Five Marbles,” “Going, Going, Gone,” “Just a Fraction,” “Making Sure I Don’t Go Hungry,” “Satisfying Sounds,” “Right Hook!,” “Oh Deer!,” “Did What I Asked,” “What Hunger Feels Like,” “Oak. Joe Oak,” “Dumpster Diving,” “Olympic Medalist,” “Eating Leftovers,” “Can’t Win,” “Maybe,” “Can’t Be All That Bad,” “Bad Beef Stew,” and “All That For Nothing.”

Pages 165-216

And Then, Boom! Pages 165-216 Summary & Analysis

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains descriptions of extreme poverty, starvation, injury, and child abandonment. Note: These pages contain the poems “On the Tip of My Tongue,” “My Favorite Day,” “Not Quite Right,” “Howling Winds,” “Trapped,” “A Big Pile of Poo,” “It’s Just Beginning,” “Lighting Strikes,” “And Then,” “Here It Comes,” “The Tornado,” “Holding On,” “Superman,” “Survived the Storm,” “After A Storm,” “Hurt,” “Take Care of Yourself,” “My Story,” “My Story,” “Bracing,” “All Kinds of Lucky,” “Barely Recognizable,” “Hunger Three-Finger Rundown,” “Clean Start,” “A Lot of Ifs,” “The Suitcase,” “Everybody Knows Now,” “Slushy Manor,” “A Little Overwhelming,” “Phoenix and Olivia,” “The Davisons,” “A Minute to Get Used to All This,” “Surrounded By Food,” “Learn From Each Other,” “The Fifth Chair,” “Taken Care Of,” “Before They Get So Bad,” “My Room,” “Rebuilding,” “My Boy,” “Little Free Pantries,” “Do What You Can,” “The View From Here,” and “Even Superheroes Need Help.”

Pages 217-288

And Then, Boom! Pages 217-288 Summary & Analysis

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Content Warning: This section of the guide contains descriptions of child abuse and extreme poverty.

Character Analysis

And Then, Boom! Character Analysis

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Themes

And Then, Boom! Themes

Symbols & Motifs

And Then, Boom! Symbols & Motifs

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Content Warning: This section of the guide contains descriptions of child abuse, starvation, and extreme poverty.