Pricilla and the Wimps

7/28/2019 Pricilla and the Wimps

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Setting The rst sentence

tells you that the story is set in a

school. The time period is not as

obvious, but as you read urther,

look or details that signal the

story takes place beore you were

born. (It was written in the late

1970s.)

SKILLS IN ACTION

Priscilla

a n d t h e W i m p sby Richard Peck

Listen, there was a time when you couldnt even go to

the rest room in this school without a pass. And Im not

talking about those little pink tickets made out by some

teacher. Im talking about a pass that could cost anywhere up to

a buck, sold by Monk Klutter.

Not that Mighty Monk ever touched money, not in public.

Te gang he ran, which ran the school or him, was his collec-

tion agency. Tey were Klutters Kobras, a name spelled out in

nailheads on six well-known black plastic windbreakers.

Monks threads were more . . . subtle. A pile-lined suede battle

jacket with lizard-skin aps over tailored Levis and a pair o

Read with a Purpose Read this storyto see how Priscilla handles the bullies at her school.

S H O R T S T O R Y

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Plot The writer provides an

introduction to the basic situ

tion o the story. Peck identi

the main characters and exp

the central confict: The scho

being bullied by a gang. As y

read, look or complication

new problemsthat aect

main characters.

ostrich-skin boots, brassed-toed and suitable or kicking people

around. One o his Kobras did nothing all day but walk a hal step

behind Monk, carrying a ftted bag with Monks gym shoes, a roll

o restroom passes, a cashbox, and a switchblade that Monk gave

himsel manicures with at lunch over at the Kobras table.

Speaking o lunch, there were a ew cases o advanced mal-

nutrition among the newer kids. Te ones who were a little slowin handing over a cut o their lunch money and were thereore

barred rom the caeteria. Monk ran a tight ship.

I admit it. Im fve oot fve, and when the Kobras slithered

by, with or without Monk, I shrank. I admit this, too: I paid up

on a regular basis. And I might add: so would you.

Tis school was old Monks Garden o Eden.1 Unortunately

or him, there was a serpent in it. Te reason Monk didnt rec-

ognize trouble when it was staring him in the ace is that the

serpent in the Kobras Eden was a girl.Practically every guy in school could show you his scars.

Fang marks rom Kobras, you might say. And they were all

highly visible in the shower room: lumps, lacerations,2blue

bruises, you name it. But girls usually got o with a warning.

Except there was this one girl named Priscilla Roseberry.

Picture a girl named Priscilla Roseberry, and youll be light

years o. Priscilla was, hands down, the largest student in our

particular institution o learning. Im not talking at. Im talk-

ing big. Even beautiul, in a bionic3 way. Priscilla wasnt inclinedtoward organized crime. Otherwise, she could have put together

a gang that would turn Klutters Kobras into garter snakes.

Priscilla was basically a loner except she had one riend.

A little guy named Melvin Detweiler. You talk about Te Odd

Couple. Melvins one o the smallest guys above midget status

ever seen. A really nice guy, but, you knowlittle. Tey even

had lockers next to each other, in the same bank as mine. I dont

know what they had going. Im not saying this was a romance.

Aer all, people deserve their privacy.

1. Garden of Eden: In the Bible, the paradise where Adam and Eve frstlived.

2. lacerations (las uh RAY shuhnz): cuts.

3. bionic (by AHN ihk): having artifcial body parts; in science fction,bionic parts give people superhuman strength or other powers.

Reading Model


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Sequencing Pay attention to the

order o events in the story. Peck

uses the phrase Until one winter

dayto signal the timing o a new

event that changes the relation-

ship between Priscilla and the

Kobras. Watch or the sequence

o events that ollows.

Retelling This is an importantevent in the story. Retell impor-

tant events in your own words to

make sure you understand what

happened. For example: Priscilla

puts her books away and then

chops the Kobras hand, breaking

its grip on Melvin. Aterward, the

hallway is really quiet because no

one had ever hit a Kobra beore.

Reading ModelPriscilla was sort o above everything, i youll pardon the

pun.4 And very calm, as only the very big can be. I there was

anybody who didnt notice Klutters Kobras, it was Priscilla.

Until one winter day aer school when we were all grab-

bing our coats out o our lockers. And hurrying, since Klutters

Kobras made sweeps o the halls or aer-school shakedowns.

Anyway, up to Melvins locker swaggers one o the Kobras.Never mind his name. Gang members dont need names.

Teyve got group identity. He reaches down and grabs little

Melvin by the neck and slams his head against his locker door.

Te sound o skull against steel rippled all the way down the

locker row, speeding the crowds on their way.

Okay, lets see your pass, snarls the Kobra.

A pass or what this time? Melvin asks, probably

still dazed.

Lets call it a pass or very short people, says the Kobra, adwar tax. He wheezes a little Kobra chuckle at his own witti-

ness. And already hes reaching or Melvins wallet with the hand

that isnt circling Melvins windpipe. All this time, o course,

Melvin and the Kobra are standing in Priscillas big shadow.

Shes taking her time shoving her books into her locker and

pulling on a very large-size coat. Ten, quicker than the eye,

she brings the side o her enormous hand down in a chop that

breaks the Kobras hold on Melvins throat. You could hear a pin

drop in that hallway. Nobodyd ever laid a fnger on a Kobra, letalone a hand the size o Priscillas.

Ten Priscilla, who hardly ever says anything to anybody

except Melvin, says to the Kobra, Whos your leader, wimp?

Tis practically blows the Kobra away. First hes chopped by

a girl, and now shes acting like she doesnt know Monk Klutter,

the Head Honcho o the World. Hes so amazed, he tells her.

Monk Klutter.

Never heard o him, Priscilla mentions. Send him to see

me. Te Kobra just backs away rom her like the whole situa-tion is too big or him, which it is.

4. pun: humorous play on words, oen involving two meanings o thesame word or phrase.

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Summarizing Remember

summarizing involves ident

only the key details. This par

graph can easily be summar

in one sentence: Priscilla sh

Monk into her locker, locks h

in, and then leaves with Me

Plot The climax is the mos

suspenseful moment in the s

It occurs when we find out ho

the conflict will be resolved. storys climax is a confrontat

between Monk and Priscilla.

Pretty soon Monk himsel slides up. He jerks his head once,

and his Kobras slither of down the hall. Hes going to handle

this interesting case personally. Who is it around here doesnt

know Monk Klutter?

Hes standing inches rom Priscilla, but since hed have to

look up at her, he doesnt. Never heard o him, says Priscilla.

Monks not happy with this answer, but by now hes spottedMelvin, whos grown smaller in spite o himsel. Monk breaks

his own rule by reaching or Melvin with his own hands. Kid,

he says, youre going to have to educate your girl riend.

His hands never quite make it to Melvin. In a move o pure

poetry Priscilla has Monk in a hammerlock. His necks popping

like gunre, and his heads bowed under the immense weight o

her orearm. His suede jackets peeling back, showing pile.

Priscillas behind him in another easy motion. And with

a single mighty thrust orward, rog-marches Monk into herown locker. Its incredible. His ostrich-skin boots click once in

the air. And suddenly hes gone, neatly wedged into the locker,

a perect t. Priscilla bangs the door shut, twirls the lock, and

strolls out o school. Melvin goes with her, o course, trotting

along below her shoulder. Te last stragglers leave quietly.

Well, this is where ate, an even bigger orce than Priscilla,

steps in. It snows all that night, a blizzard. Te whole town ices

up. And school closes or a week.

Read with a Purpose How does Priscilla deal with the bullies in thisstory? How else could she have handled them?

Viewing and Interpreting

Which of Priscillas character

traits, as described in the

story, do you see in this

photograph?

Reading Model


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Reading Model

Newbery

MedalWINNER

Newbery

MedalWINNER

M E E T T H E W R I T E R

Richard Peck(1934 )

Taught by His StudentsAs a high school English teacher, Richard Peck became

amiliar with the reading habits o his teenage students:

It was my students who taught me to be a writer,

though I had been hired to teach them. They taught me that a novel

must entertain rst beore it can be anything else.

Although Peck liked his students and ound their lives ascinating, he

eventually decided the classroom wasnt the best place or him. He

wanted to write young adult ctionnovels or readers around hisstudents ages. He has written more than thirty-two books to date, all

o them on a typewriter. Beore he let teaching, however, he learned

about ar more than his audiences taste in stories; he also learned

about the problems that young people ace both inside and outside

o school. His books have been praised or dealing with such prob-

lems bravely and realistically.

Asking Honest QuestionsPeck writes about tough topics, such as peer pressure, censorship,

and death. He says that a goal o his writing is to ask honest ques-

tions about serious issues. Although the answers to such questions

arent always pleasant, dealing with serious issues is a part o growing

up. Peck hopes that his books help young people do just that. In his

young adult novels he hopes that the reader meets a worthy young

character who takes one step nearer maturity, and he or she takes

that step independently.

A novel is never an answer; its always a question.

Peck wants his writing to ask honestquestions about serious issues. Whatquestions does he ask about bullying inPriscilla and the Wimps?

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Academic Vocabulary for Collection 2

SKILLS IN ACTION

Basic Situation

Event

Event

Event

Climax

Resolution

Into Action: Summarizing the PlotOn a separate sheet o paper, draw and complete

a diagram like this one to summarize the mainevents o Priscilla and the Wimps:

Talk About . . .1. Retell your avorite part o Priscilla and the

Wimps to a partner. Then, explain why you

liked the story. In your explanation, try to

use each Academic Vocabulary word listed

on the right at least once.

Write About . . .Answer the ollowing questions about Priscilla

and the Wimps. For denitions o the underlined

Academic Vocabulary words, see the column onthe right.

2. What is the major confict in the story?

3. How does Priscilla interact with Melvin,

with other students who are not Kobras,

and with the Kobras?

4. What does Priscilla achieve or all students

when she deeats Monk?

Talking and Writing About Plot

and Setting

Academic Vocabulary is the language you use to write and ta

about literature. Use these words to discuss the stories you r

in this collection. The words are underlined throughout the c

lection.

achieve (uh CHEEV) v.: succeed in getting a good result or in do

something you want. The confict in a story develops because

something the main character wants to achieve.

create (kree AYT) v.: make something new exist or happen. Wr

use descriptive words to create a story setting.interact (ihn tuhr AKT) v.: talk to and deal with others. Confict

develop when characters interact and dont get along.

major (MAY juhr) adj.: very large and important, especially com

pared with other things o a similar kind. The major event in

story is the climax.

Your TurnCopy the Academic Vocabulary word

into your Reader/Writer Notebook. Thwrite a paragraph about the plot and setting

another story youve read. Use each Academ

Vocabulary word at least once in the paragra

Tink as a Reader/WriterIn Collection 2, the Writing Focus activities exp

how writers create interesting plots and memo

rable settings. Youll have a chance to write abo

these methods and even practice them yourse

Literary Skills Analyze plotstructure. Reading Skills Summarize a plot; retell stevents.

SKILLS FOCUSSKILLS FOCUS

Wrap Up

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Pricilla and the Wimps