The Cricket in Times Square — Chapter 4

About This Passage

This sentence comes at the very end of Chapter 4, after Chester has been taken on a tour of Times Square and shown all the bright lights and the towers and the tall buildings. He has just spotted, way above New York, a single star he remembers from Connecticut. The author tells us this small fact made him feel better. The whole sentence is about the way one familiar thing — even something as far away as a star — can be a comfort in a strange place. Notice the word 'twinkling' — a soft, gentle word that makes the star feel kind. Copying this sentence teaches a writer how a single familiar detail can carry a whole feeling of home, even when nothing else around you is home.

Narration Prompt

Tell someone what happened in this chapter in order. When you get to the most important part, slow down and tell it carefully — what happened, why it mattered, and what you think about it.

Discussion Questions

1. At the end of Chapter 3, the cat seemed scary because he leaped out of the dark right next to Tucker and Chester. In Chapter 4, we learn that Harry Cat is actually Tucker's oldest friend. Were Tucker and Harry brave to be friends even though everyone says cats and mice should be enemies? Or were they just lucky? What in the story makes you think so?
2. Chester says, 'Back in Connecticut, I knew quite a few mice. I've seen mice before. But I thought cats and mice were enemies.' Tucker says, 'In the country, maybe. But in New York, we gave up those old habits long ago.' Which way of being together is better — the country way (where cats and mice are enemies) or the New York way (where they can be best friends)? What in the chapter helps you decide?

+ 2 more questions in the complete study guide