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

Chapters 1-3

Reading Check

1. Why is the farmhouse always dark?

2. Who eats all the pancakes?

3. How does the protagonist react to smoking a cigarette?

4. Who kicks the protagonist in the head?

Short Answer

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

1. Why is the protagonist going to stay with the Larsons?

2. Who is Harris’s sworn enemy on the farm, and what happens when they encounter one another?

3. How does the family show teamwork while working on the farm? Give at least one specific example.

Paired Resource

“Explaining Alcoholism to a Child”

• This resource provides tips and approaches for discussing alcoholism with children. Since some children may have direct experiences with this disease, this resource will help ensure the topic is discussed in a sensitive way.
• Teacher-appropriate; not student-facing

“Fostering and Foster Care in the 1950s”

• This article describes how the foster system evolved in the mid-20th century. Much like the protagonist in the novel, many children in the 1950s who experienced neglect or abuse spent time with other relatives rather than moving into a foster home.