Preview
Copywork
About This Passage
Kate DiCamillo gives us Baby's hidden inner life in four short sentences. The word 'secretly' opens a private room inside a character we have only just met. This is how a writer creates depth fast.
Baby agrees with everything Eugenia says. It is easier that way. But secretly Baby has an opinion of her own. Baby's opinion is that Mercy is good company.
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
In your own words, tell what happens in the chapter. What is the most important moment, and how do you know?
Discussion Questions
- Eugenia is the older sister and does most of the deciding. Baby agrees out loud but disagrees secretly. Is Baby being a coward, or being wise? What in the chapter makes you think so?
- Eugenia uses very big words for a very small problem ('there is a crisis of an uncertain nature at 52 Deckawoo Drive'). Why does Kate DiCamillo make her talk this way? What does it tell us about how Eugenia thinks of herself?
+ 3 more questions in the complete study guide
Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
a personal view or belief, especially one not provable as fact
Item 2
in a way kept hidden from others
Item 3
a serious or dangerous situation needing immediate action
+ 6 more vocabulary words in the complete study guide
Critical Thinking
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