The Cricket in Times Square

Book Information

Publication Date: January 1, 1960

Reading Level: Lexile Measure 780L, Scholastic Guided Reading Level S

Interest Level: Grades 4-6

Major Awards: 1961 Newbery Honor

Number of Pages: 144 pages

Approximate Word Count: 43,920 words

Audible Book Length: 2 hrs and 35 mins

Book Themes: Friendship, Moving Beyond the Comfort Zone, Everything is Not What is Seems, Home, Be Careful What You Wish For

Genre: fiction

Setting: Times Square Subway Station, New York City

Important Quote: I thought cats and mice were enemies.

First Line: A mouse was looking at Mario.

Point of View: third-person from the point of view of an outside narrator

 

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Vocabulary List

amble
amidst
anxiously
aria
billow
cautiously
contralto
dart
dwindle
eavesdrop
encore
entomologist
explore
gilded
haunches
indignantly
jinx

kimono
leery
liverwurst
lurch
meekly
melancholy
munch
peculiar
peer
peril
pivot
praise
recital
refuse
reproach
resolve
ruined

salvage
scornfully
sheen
smidgin
solemn
soot
stout
subside
throng
thrum
tuffet
unsavory
warble
whisper
wistfully

Discussion Questions

How does finding Chester change Mario's life?

How do Mama and Papa feel about Chester at the beginning of the story? How do their feelings about Chester change as the story progresses?

Chester has lived in the Connecticutt countryside. What problems does Chester face by coming to the city?

Who is Sai Fong? How does meeting Sai Fong change Mario's life?

Create a T-chart. One one side list all the ways Chester has helped Mario and his family. On the other side list all the ways Chester has done things that hurt the family. Which side has the longest list? Write a paragraph describing the pros and cons of Chester's visit.

How does Chester's music change Mama Bellini's attitude toward Chester?

How does Chester change the lives of Mario, Mama, Papa, Harry, and Tucker?

How does Mario feel after Chester leaves? Do you think Chester will visit again? Explain why or why not using proof from text.

What is the best part of the story? Which part is the funniest? scariest? saddest?

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