Street Magic

At the beginning of “Street Magic,” Mersh tells his young cousin that they are walking down an “enemy block.” Soon, they come upon a group of bullies who want to beat up Cousin Mersh. Looking at the drawings, what do you think the neighborhood in which Cousin Mersh lives is like? Is it a city neighborhood or a small town? What do the streets look like? What kind of buildings do people live in? What sorts of clothes do they wear? Take time to imagine the neighborhood in “Street Magic.” Then write a paragraph describing what you see. Include descriptions of what you see on the streets, what the buildings look like, what sorts of smells there are, and what the various people you see around you are doing. When you are finished, share your description with a classmate and compare the way the two of you imagine the world of the story.