She fled back to Granny’s house, crying, “Granny! Granny! Smoke is coming from Mr. Joe’s house! Something’s burning in there.” Granny hurried out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. “Are you joking?” she demanded, but the look on her granddaughter’s face told her that Melissa was serious. Together they hurried into the street. Now, other neighbours were emerging from their houses, alerted by Melissa’s shouting. Mrs. Lyons had already called the fire service.
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“The fire brigade is coming,” she said to anyone who would listen, waving her cell phone as if firefighters were about to pour out from it. “Where’s Mr. Joe?” Melissa asked Granny. “I don’t know,” she answered. “An hour ago, I saw him out front. He said he was going to lie down.” “Maybe he is sleeping,” said Melissa. “We must get into the house. Quickly!”
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1 Find evidence in the text that tells us what Granny was doing. 2 Who is Mr. Joe? 3 What is the main idea of each of paragraphs 1, 2 and 3?
4 Her body stiffened (paragraph 2). What does this tell us about the change in Melissa’s mood? 5 Curious rather than fearful (paragraph 3). What does this tell us about what the character is feeling and thinking? Answer in your own words. 6 Why do you think Melissa turned over the corner of the page in her book? 7 Why did the neighbours come out of their houses? 8 How does Granny know that Melissa is not joking? 9 Think of another title for this story. 10 What do you think will happen next in the story? Vocabulary 1 Find each of these words in the passage. Work out what each one means from the context.
fled emerging
aware cautious
snatching alerted
staccato relishing
2 Suggest another word or phrase similar in meaning to each of the words above.
• Encourage students to find evidence in the text for their answers. DA Vocabulary: Work with some students in a small group, helping them to use context clues.
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