About
The stranger lurking on the Witting family's prairie farm turns out to be their long-lost grandfather, whose presence, plus prodding from Caleb, forces Jacob to deal with his past.
Read one section at a time, then discuss the questions to review understanding. These questions are a starting place for conversation, not a complete test of the chapter.
Chapter 1
Comprehension questions
Who’s telling the story? How do you know?
Page 3 — Caleb; the journal entry at the beginning is his
3
Where’s Anna going?
Page 7 — To work in town, she’s a nurse
7
Chapter 2
Comprehension questions
Predict who the old man is?
Listen to your child’s answer
Should Sarah have let him into the house?
Listen to your child’s answer
Chapter 3
Comprehension questions
Why did John want to play hide and seek with Cassie?
Page 25 — To distract her so she wouldn’t stare at the man
25
Chapter 4
Comprehension questions
Who is the man and why is Jacob shocked to see him?
Page 35 — Jacob’s father; he was told he was dead
35
Chapter 5
Comprehension questions
Why is Jacob upset to see his father?
Page 44 — He left their family when he was young and never came back
44
Chapter 6
Comprehension questions
Why was grandfather upset with Sarah?
Page 57 — She found out about his pills and said they would take him to the doctor in town
57
Chapter 7
Comprehension questions
Why did Sarah warn Anna to be careful?
Page 68 — She didn’t want her to get sick with the influenza that was spreading
68
Why didn’t Grandfather ever want to read?
Page 72 — He didn’t know how
72
Chapter 8
Comprehension questions
What was the result of Cassie’s comment at dinner?
Page 81 — Jacob and his father pushed each other around and Jacob got hurt
81
Chapter 9
Comprehension questions
What does it mean to set a bone?
Page 83 — To line it up the broken bone so it can heal straight
83
Chapter 10
Comprehension questions
Why is it important for Jacob to forgive his father?
Page 99 — So, he won’t be angry anymore
99
Chapter 11
Comprehension questions
How did Sarah get stuck in the snow?
Page 106 — There was a bad snow storm and she tried to follow the rope, but it broke
106
Chapter 12
Comprehension questions
How could Jacob forgive his father?
Page 112 — By sharing his own feelings as well as listening and understanding his father’s; by letting go of his pride
112
Downloads
All the book’s resources, or just the ones you need, ready to read or print.
Worksheets
Practice sheets with space to write your answers.
Download one reading section
A small printout with all the resources for the selected section.
