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Copywork
About This Passage
Kate DiCamillo cuts back and forth between two soundtracks — Mercy's stomach and the Watsons' call for help — without ever letting Mercy notice the second one. The juxtaposition is the joke and the truth: Mercy's whole world is her appetite.
Mercy's stomach growled in disappointment. 'Boom. Crack.' 'Help us!' Mrs. Watson called. Mercy thought very hard. Where could she get a snack?
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
In your own words, tell the chapter. What is the most surprising moment, and what is it surprising about?
Discussion Questions
- Kate DiCamillo deliberately puts Mrs. Watson's calls for help right next to Mercy's search for toast. The two sounds are happening in the same kitchen. Why does the author force the reader to hear both at once?
- Mercy 'thought very hard' about where to find a snack. The author uses the words 'thought very hard' for a pig. What is being claimed about Mercy's interior life? Is this a joke, or a quiet seriousness?
+ 3 more questions in the complete study guide
Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
made a low rumbling sound — used here for an empty stomach
Item 2
the feeling of being let down when something you hoped for does not happen
Item 3
a very small piece of bread or food
+ 6 more vocabulary words in the complete study guide
Critical Thinking
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