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Copywork
About This Passage
The chapter’s central horror moment — Stanley sees he is standing in a lizard nest. Sachar does not narrate Stanley’s thoughts; he just inventories the six lizards by position and lets the reader feel the count. The passage teaches imagery, inventory as tension, and the vocabulary of suppression — illuminated, suppress, remain.
“There’s another one!” gasped Mr. Pendanski. He shined the flashlight on the box of Frosted Flakes, which lay on its side beside Stanley’s hole. A lizard was crawling out of it. The light also illumin...
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Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
In three or four sentences, retell Chapter 45. Use the names Stanley, Zero, and the Warden. Be sure to include the lizards, the Warden’s decision to wait, and her memory of her parents.
Discussion Questions
- The Warden is wearing boots even though she is in a T-shirt and bed clothes. Mr. Sir is barefoot and in pajama bottoms. In the chapter, what does this evidence reveal about who was prepared for this moment and who was not? The author uses clothing to tell us something.
- The Warden begins to say “You boys arrived just in the nick—” and then stops mid-sentence when she sees the lizard. What does the text suggest this interruption reveals about who has power at this instant? For example, power usually finishes its own sentences.
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Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
To hold something back, especially a feeling, sound, or movement; to keep from coming out.
Item 2
Lit up brightly by a light source.
Item 3
A sudden burst of noise or movement that draws attention and can cause confusion.
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Critical Thinking
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