Emily's Crime: Reading Adventure & Quiz

Emily's first crime was a small one caused by snow. Roots tripped her; her boots plunged into snowdrifts. Tiny avalanches cascaded coldly onto her hat, face and shoulders. Little by little, she squeezed herself through the gap in the thick hedge, the snow-covered flakes scraping against her coat. Snowflakes landed on her eyelids and made her blink. Behind her, her sledge caught against something. She yanked viciously at the cord and felt it bump itself free.

With another step she was standing in the castle grounds, her heart beating fast, her eyes peeled for danger. So far, so good. There was no one in sight.

Emily is squeezing through a hedge to get into castle grounds that she is not supposed to enter. She is dragging a sledge behind her on a cord.
The phrase "her heart beating fast" tells us she is nervous and excited — she knows she shouldn't be here.
The phrase "eyes peeled for danger" is an idiom meaning she is watching very carefully, looking all around to make sure nobody catches her.
Notice how the author piles up short, vivid details — roots, boots, snowdrifts, avalanches — to make you feel like you are right there with Emily.

Snowdrifts — Heaps of snow that have been blown together by the wind.
Cascaded — Poured or tumbled down quickly, like a waterfall.
Yanked — Pulled something suddenly and hard.
Viciously — With great force or aggression.
Eyes peeled — An idiom meaning to watch very carefully and stay alert.

1. What is the weather like in the passage?

2. Which form of transport has Emily used to get to the castle grounds?

3. What does the phrase 'her eyes peeled for danger' mean?

She was up to her knees in a low snowdrift that had built up inside the hedge. Away to the right, a straggling flock of birds flew in the grey sky above the wood, while the far hedge was like a pencil line drawn unevenly against the whiteness. All the small dips of Castle Field had been smoothed away by the snow, but a deep shadow beyond marked the great curve of the moat ditch.

A few patches of broken wall leant out unevenly from the moat's raised upper edge. In the background the body of the castle itself rose like a black slab.

Turning, Emily hauled on the cord. Abruptly the sledge jerked into view, only to jam again behind the final mess of stems and tangled thorn. She bent down and pulled the yellow plastic, twisting it so that it came clear. Then she guided it out of the hedge and let it fall onto the snow drift.

The snow is up to Emily's knees, which tells us how deep it is just inside the castle grounds. That is a lot of snow!
The author uses a simile — "the far hedge was like a pencil line drawn unevenly against the whiteness" — to show how the snow makes everything look flat and white, so the hedge looks like a thin drawn line.
Another simile compares the castle to "a black slab", making it sound dark, heavy, and a bit frightening against the white snow.
The snow has smoothed away all the small dips in Castle Field, making the landscape look flat and featureless — almost like a blank page.
Emily's sledge keeps getting stuck in the tangled thorn of the hedge, showing how difficult it is to squeeze through.

Straggling — Spread out untidily, not flying in a neat group.
Moat — A deep, wide ditch around a castle, sometimes filled with water.
Slab — A large, thick, flat piece of something (like stone).
Hauled — Pulled something heavy with a lot of effort.
Abruptly — Suddenly, without warning.

4. How deep is the snow just inside the castle grounds?

5. What has been the effect of the snow on the appearance of Castle Field?

6. Which of the following is a simile used in this section?

She listened. Echoing laughter came from the direction of the moat, muffled by distance and the blanketing snow. Good, others were trespassing too and no one had come to catch them. It was going to be all right.

She set off across the field, each stride flaking her legs with white. The cold prickled through her jeans. Later it might become damp and uncomfortable, but now it invigorated her. Every step helped freeze away the indoor stuffiness of the last few days.

She went down into a slight dip. Now she could no longer see the castle, just part of the outer wall, grey, crested with ice. The sky was heavy with the next snow. Her breath rose in big bursts of cloud.

Emily hears laughter from the moat, which reassures her — other people are also trespassing, and nobody has been caught. This makes her feel braver.
The word "trespassing" tells us what Emily's "crime" is: she has entered private property (the castle grounds) without permission. It is not a serious crime — she just wants to play in the snow!
The word "invigorated" means the cold made her feel energised and alive. After being stuck indoors for days, the fresh air and exercise feel wonderful.
Notice how Emily's feelings change: at first she was nervous (heart beating fast, eyes peeled), but now she feels relieved, excited, and full of energy.
The final image — "Her breath rose in big bursts of cloud" — is a lovely visual detail that reminds us just how cold it is.

Trespassing — Going onto someone else's land or property without permission.
Muffled — Made quieter or harder to hear, as if wrapped in something soft.
Invigorated — Made to feel full of energy and life.
Stuffiness — The feeling of being in a warm, airless room for too long.
Crested — Topped or covered along the highest edge.

7. What sort of 'crime' is Emily committing in the passage?

8. As she sets off across the field, how do Emily's feelings begin to change?

9. Why does hearing laughter from the moat make Emily feel better?

Reading: Emily's Crime

Vocabulary & Phrases Quiz

Reading test complete

Vocab quiz complete