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 1-10

Reading Check

1. Which mysterious character appears in Meggie and Mo’s rainy garden in Chapter 1?

2. Whose home do Meggie and Mo flee to?

Short Answer

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

1. How are Meggie and Mo established as book lovers in the opening chapters?

2. How is Elinor initially characterized?

Paired Resource

“Full Fire Eating Tricktionary”

• Watch a clip of expert fire eaters.
• Imagine you are Meggie watching Dustfinger perform these tricks in the darkness of Elinor’s garden. How do Capricorn’s men sneak into Elinor’s home?
• How does this relate to the novel’s theme of The Complexities of Loyalty?

Chapters 11-20

Reading Check

1. Where did Meggie’s mother go nine years earlier?

2. Why does Capricorn think that having Meggie present will be helpful?

Short Answer

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

1. How does Dustfinger elicit readers’ anger in these chapters?

2. How does Dustfinger elicit readers’ sympathy in these chapters?

Paired Resource

“15 Ghost Towns in Italy”