Name __________________________________ Date _______________________
The first letter that wasn’t a letter came in the noon mail. It lay in the middle of the kitchen table like a dropped apple, addressed to Cat and me, Mama’s name in the left-hand corner.
I’d watched Cat walk up the front path from the mailbox, slowly, as if caught by the camera in slow motion or in a series of what Grandfather called stills: Cat smiling. Cat looking eager. Cat, her face suddenly unfolding out of a smile. She brushed past me at the front door and opened her hand, the letter falling to the table.
“No return address,” she said flatly.
Journey – pages 6 and 7
o Using the context, define the word “eager.”
o Using a dictionary, define the word “eager.”
o Now that you understand the meaning of the word “eager,” describe a time when you felt eager.
After reading the excerpt above, it seems as if Cat is experiencing a variety of emotions as she’s walking back from the mailbox. As you reread the chapter, consider how the rest of the family feels about the letter.
o Compare and contrast Cat’s reaction to the letter from her mother to Journey’s reaction.
