Weasel by Cynthia DeFelice is a historical fiction novel.
After the Removal Act of 1830, the U.S. government hires a man, known as Weasel, to remove the Shawnees from the Ohio Territory. Once all the Native Americans have fled, Weasel stays in Ohio. He then turns on the white settlers.
One of Weasel’s victims is eleven-year-old Nathan’s pa. Nathan struggles between taking the law into his own hands and letting Weasel go.
Teaching Ideas for the Book
Book Opening Lines
Weasel has a great opening line:
The dogs were dozing in their usual places by the fire when the knock came.
This free set of cards contains 20 cards with great opening lines from children’s literature. Have students sort the cards by type:
- dialogue
- question
- vivid description
- interesting fact
- sound effect
Bringing Ezra Back by Cynthia DeFelice
Cynthia DeFelice reads from Bringing Ezra Back, the sequel of Weasel. The sequel takes place five months after the book Weasel ends. In the next book, Nathan sees a handbill advertising a show with a ‘white injun.’ Nathan plans to save Ezra from being an exhibit in the traveling show. He sets out from Ohio to Pennsylvania with Orrin Beckwith, a peddler. Along the way, Nathan encounters others who are both helpful and mean.
Book Covers
Compare book covers for the book Weasel.
Weasel Book Unit
If you would like to try out the Weasel Book Unit before you buy it, this download contains free samples including:
- Vocabulary Practice for Chapters 1-2
- Comprehension Questions for Chapters 1-2
- Reading Skill Page on Analogies
- English Lesson on Plurals
Weasel Book Unit contains printables for
- vocabulary
- comprehension
- constructed response writing
- reading skill practice
- English skill lessons
- Activities
