1. The Stranger
Written and Illustrated by
Chris Van Allsburg

2. Genre: Fantasy
• Characters and events
that could occur in real
life combine with
those that could not.

3. Selection Summary:
The Baileys take in an injured stranger.
The man doesn’t speak or seem to know
who he is, but strange cold drafts seem to
follow him, and autumn mysteriously
comes to a halt. Even so, the stranger
becomes part of the family-until he
suddenly realizes he must go. But he does
return every fall!

4. Key Vocabulary
Autumn
Draft
Etched
Frost
Mercury
Peculiar
Thermometer
Timid

5. Autumn- n. the season after the
summer
The leaves changed colors and fell to
the ground once autumn arrived.

6. Draft- n. a flow of air
We felt a cold draft from the ceiling fan
while we were sitting at the dinner table.

7. Etched- v. made a design by
cutting lines
We found lines of frost etched on the
windows of the house.

8. Frost- n. a very thin covering of
ice
The young boy slipped on the frost
that covered the ground.

9. Mercury- n. silvery white metal
used in thermometers
The mercury in the thermometer
began to rise from the heat.

10. Peculiar- adj. Unusual, strange or
odd
The boy looked peculiar when he
dressed in his father’s sweater.

11. Thermometer- n. an instrument
that measures temperature
The thermometer said that her
temperature was above 99 degrees.

12. Timid- adj. Easily frightened;
shy
The young girl seemed timid when
she peeked out from behind the door.