AUNT MILLIE AND UNCLE FRED---

HAZELINE---PETIE----SETTING--------SUMMARY --Tom has to spend months on his Aunt Millie and Uncle Fred's farm.He knows he will not like it.He is a city boy who doesn't adjust easily, and he is full of fears.Besides, he will miss a whole of fun with his best friend, .But one day while in the woods near the ,

sees a rare black.Over the next few weeks he spends most of his time catching glimpses of the beautiful.

He even finds her and watches her woolly cub play in the grass by the .Just when Tom begins to be happy at the ,Aunt Millie reports that a , has stolen her .Tom knows it must be the fox he has grown to love.

Uncle has his own method for getting rid of the .

To lure the mother, he captures her cuband puts it in aby the farmhouse.Then he sits on thewith his gun and waits for theto come after her.But aoccurs, saving the fox for the moment. In the middle of that stormy night, Tom performs the first really brave act of his life.Overcoming his fear of, he sneaks out of hiswindow, climbs down a rain-slicked, and sets the baby fox.To his amazement, his aunt andunderstand.

Uncle Fred says, "I never like to see wild things in amyself.:At the end, when Tom's mother asks, "Now tell me, how was the farm really?"Tom replies, "."

Foxes

Foxes are members of the dog family and have a long, sharp snout, large, pointed ears, and a bushy tail.Adult foxes are about twenty-seven inches long and their tails an additional fifteen inches.They weigh about ten pounds and can live to be fourteen years old.

When the female fox, or vixen, is ready to give birth (usually to eight cubs), she and her mate settle in a den.A den may be in a cave, among rocks, or in a hollow log or tree.Some foxes did their own dens or use abandoned burrows.Foxes have keen senses of hearing and smell.They can hear a mouse squeak over one hundred feet away.Foxes may sometimes eat a farmer's chickens but they also help keep the farmer's rodent population down.The most common fox in America is the red fox.Some red foxes have black fur tipped with white.They are called silver foxes.Silver foxes with black fur are called black foxes.

Draw a picture of a black fox.

How many cubs does a female fox have at birth?

Where do foxes live?What is the difference between a red fox and a black fox?What is another name for a red fox?The Midnight Fox

Bad NewsPages 9-18

Why does Tom have to stay with his aunt Millie and Uncle Fred on their farm?

Why is Tom sure he will not like the farm?

How do you think it feels to have to do something you know you will not like?

Have you ever had this experience?

How did it turn out?

Who is Petie?Petie has a weird way of stating events.What does he always come up with that has to do with a newspaper?copy one of his headlines from the book and write it below:

The Midnight Fox

The Trouble with Leaving

Pages 19-25

Tom and his best friend Petie say goodbye for the summer, promising to write.

What fun will Tom miss while he's away on the farm?

Write a paragraph about how you think Tom feels about being away from his parents for the summer.

If you had to spend the summer away from your friends, what would you miss?

The Midnight Fox

Pages 26-35Abandoned

Tom’s parents drop him off at the farm.He tries very hard to control his emotions.What is he feeling and thinking?

Do you think Tom might eventually grow to like the farm?Why or Why not?

In the table below list reasons why Tom thinks he will not like the farm.
 

Tom Likes the farm	Tom Dislikes the farm

As the story progresses Tom's feelings about the farm change.Keep adding situations detailing how his attitude changes.

THE MIDNIGHT FOX

ABANDONED

I remember one time when

Burkies came over to myand told me that he knew a way that you could figure out when you're going to , the very day.He learned this from a he'd had the night before.It was all according to the in your hand, you counted them a certain way.Well, we sat right down and counted the wrinkles in my .It took over an hour, and it came that I was going to in my seventy-ninth year, on either the eighty-second or eighty-third day.Petie said probably I would fall terrible on the eighty-second and last until just after midnight on the eighty-third. 

Then we started counting the in Petie's.He had a peculiar hand, and it came out that he was going to die on the two-hundred and seventy-ninth day of hisyear.Well, Petie was years old right then, so he said, "Get a calendar, quick, get a calendar," and he looke like he was already getting .

The Midnight Fox

Pages 36-29Stranger

Aunt Millie gives Tom one of her grown son's room for the summer.After looking at the room, Tom realizes how different he is from his cousin Bubba.In the table below list the differences.
 

Tom	Bubba

Why doesn't Tom feel like eating?

Whom does Tom miss the most?

Why does he miss this person?

The Midnight Fox

Abandoned

USE CONTEXT CLUES TO WRITE THE MEANINGS OF THE UNDERLINED WORDS.

1.Instead of the boy, the orphanage sent them a puny girl, and there was tremendous disappointment. (p.27) Puny means .

2."Now we have someone to get the boulders out of the north forty." Boulders means3.I then went on to imagine a wonderful ending, where I turned out to be such a merry boy that I brightened the entire household, bringing fun to a dark house, but this didn't cheer me up, because it seemed to me that any farm people would rather have a sullen muscular worker than a skinny one.sullen means4.I couldn't imagine anyone having any more control than it took to sit quietly on the steps, nose and eyes dry, while being abandoned.Abandoned means5. He had a peculiar hand, and it came out that he was going to die on the two hundred and seventy-ninth day of his ninth year.

peculiar means6."The time is twelve-o-two," Petie started jumping up and down and saying, "I'm spared, I'm spared."

spared means7.No one had much to say, so my mom turned on the radio and we listened to a disc jockey play his songs from the past.

disc jockey meansCHOOSE THREE VOCABULARY WORDS AND WRITE SENTENCES OF YOUR OWN.

The Midnight Fox

Pages 40-48The Black Fox

Tom feels out of place at the farm, and is not quite sure what to do with himself.One day while writing a letter to Petie, he looks up just in time to see a beautiful fox running across the field.Where was Tom when he was writing this letter?Tom felt excited when he saw the fox.What does he feel like doing?What is the difference (from Tom's point of view) of seeing an animal in a zoo and seeing an animal natural and free?

Do you think the fox is as excited to see a boy as Tom is to see a fox?Taking the point of view of the fox, write about how the fox might feel about Tom.(Pretend you are the fox and you see Tom)

Write you paragraph on a separate sheet of paper in your best handwriting

The Midnight Fox

Pages 49-58Hazeline

Who is Hazeline?Tom asks Hazeline about foxes but does not tell her about his fox.What does she tell Tom about foxes?Tom hears a story about how a farmer killed a fox that was stealing his chickens.Why do foxes steal chickens?Tom returns to the field, hoping to catch another glimpse of the fox.Besides being afraid his relatives might say there is no such thing as a black fox, what other reasons might Tom have for keeping the fox secret?

The Midnight Fox

Pages 59-64Discovery at the Field

Tom doesn't see the fox again for four days.When he finally does see her, he is treated with the sight of the fox hunting for mice in the field.Describe this event.Tom says that he is not a "patient waiter."List the skills that are necessary to observe an animal in the wild.

The Midnight Fox

Pages 65-71 The Forest Chase

Tom cannot explain his fascination with the fox, but when he hears her bark, he follows her.He feels that the fox is calling him and leading him somewhere, but then he loses her.Why did the fox make him follow her and then lose Tom?

Tom explained what happened to Hazeline.How did she explain this to Tom?What was the fox trying to do and why?In his rambles through the woods trying to find the fox, Tom learns a lot about nature with realizing it.What other creatures might Tom see in his explorations?Tommy cannot explain his fascination with the fox.He related his feeling with an experience he had with Petie Burkis.What was the comparison? pages 65-66

The Midnight Fox

pages 72-79Uncle Fred

Uncle Fred and Tom talk about foxes.Does Tom tell Uncle Fred about the black fox?

How does Tom feel about the black fox?Tom feels he will never get enough of looking at the fox.Have you ever felt this way about something in nature?Write a short description about something in nature that would make you feel the same way Tom feels about this fox.

Are black foxes smarter than red ones? page 76

When Tommy went to bed he felt good.There were two reasons for his feeling this way.Name them (Page 79)

The Midnight Fox

Pages 80-89 The Search

Tom is determined to find the fox's den.After many days, he comes upon the fox and her cub in a clearing.What does he see the baby fox do as he watches? Why does Tom decide never to return to the den?Once Tom makes the decision not to return to the den, he knows he will miss the baby fox.But that would be the best thing to do. Why?

Describe the feeling Tom has developed for the fox and her cub.Would you feel the same way about something in nature or would you keep following the fox?Write a paragraph about a time you may have encountered an animal in nature and decided to follow it.

The Midnight Fox

The Search

1.Where did Tommy see the black fox again? p. 802.Did Tommy follow the fox when he found her there? p. 84

Explain your answer

3.Where did Tommy see the fox again? p. 854.Why did Tommy decide he would never come near the den again?5.Would you do the same thing if you were in Tommy's situation?Please explain your answer and tell why you would act that way.6.How many times had Tommy seen the black fox?7.How did he keep tract of the times he saw the fox?8.Explain Tommy's painful memory.Your paragraph should include all important facts and some details to get a clear picture of what happened.

The Midnight Fox

Pages 90-95Tragedy Begins

After spending the day around the farm, Tom realizes that he is really and truly happy-happier than he has ever been.What has made him so happy?

Tragedy begins in this chapter.What is the tragedy?Pages 96-104One Fear

Aunt Millie discovers that her turkey is missing and suspects that a fox stole it.Who does Tom think the thief is?

Besides hunting the fox, what other solutions can you think of that would keep Aunt Millie’s chickens safe?

The Midnight Fox

Pages 105-113Tacooma!

Tacooma is a word Tom learned at camp.What does it mean?When does a person use this word?Tom wants to say Tacooma to Uncle Fred to save the fox.Tom goes to Hazeline for help and advice but she has her own problems.What are Hazeline's problems?What do you think of Tom as a character.List some words that describe him.Do you like him?Why or why not?Is he a strong or weak character? Why do you feel as you do?Write a persuasive letter to Uncle Fred, asking him to leave the fox alone.THE MIDNIGHT FOX

Pages 114-121

UNWILLING HUNTER

1. Why was Aunt Millie so grumpy?Do you think she should have been grumpy?EXPLAIN.

2. Tommy didn't want to go with Uncle Fred to find the fox.Why did he decide to go anyway?

3. Why is Hazeline do grumpy and sad?

4. Was Uncle Fred grumpy?Why or why not?

5. Why did they take Happ with them when they hunted the fox?

6. How did Uncle Fred find the den?

The Unwilling Hunter (continued)

7. Describe the event where the "hunters" found the baby fox.Include who, what, where, when, and why in your description.

How did Tommy feel?Explain his feelings.

9. What did Uncle Fred say he was going to do with the baby fox?

10. Tommy didn't feel like eating supper.What did he decide to do that night?

11. Describe the Stormy Rescue.

The Unwilling Hunter (Continued)

12. Why did Tommy spend the next week in the woods?

13. Did he ever find the fox? 

The Midnight Fox

Pages 122-128The Den

Uncle Fred finds the den, digs out the baby fox, and puts it in the sack Tom has brought him. 

Where does Uncle Fred put the baby fox?

If you were Tom, would you have gone back to the house to fetch the shovel and sack?

Why or why not?

What else could you have done?

The Stormy Rescuepages 138-148

How does Tom feel about climbling down the tree?

Why did he free the baby fox?

Does Uncle Fred know that Tom freed the baby fox?

How did he find out?

Does Uncle Fred understand what Tom did or did he get mad at Tom?

The Midnight Fox

Do you think Tom was brave to climb down the tree in the pouring rain, to disobey his uncle and to release the cub?

Explain why you would do the same thing if you were in Tom's situation.

Aunt Millie says the foxes are miles away by now, but Tom surveys the farm, making certain the black fox and her baby are gone.Does Tom feel better after surveying the farm?

Do you think Tom has changed over the summer?

In what ways has he changed?

Once back home again, things return to normal.Tom's memories of his summer on the farm begin to fade.What does he think about everytime it rains?Why will Tom always remember the fox?

The Midnight Fox

Tom says that someday he will see a painting in a museum called Fox with Baby at Midnight.It will look just like that stormy night as the foxes ran away from death."...the black fox and her baby running beneath the wet ghostly apple trees toward a patch of light in the distance."

Create this painting on white butcher paper.Get your ideas for this picture from the chapter called "Stormy Rescue"We will hang the drawing in the classroom.Use pictures of foxes from books in the library to help you.Make sure you draw the scene as it is described in the book.