The story is about a boy who finds a cricket in Times Square that had wandered away from the countryside. The cricket is unable to survive in the big city on its own so the boy decides to take care of it. They develop a friendship as the boy helps the cricket adjust to its new home in Manhattan and protects it from threats.

1. “The Cricket
in Times
Square”

2. wistfully
• longingly; sadly
remembering
something nice
• The boy was wistfully
looking at the
picture of his friend.

3. scrounging
• looking for scraps of
food or abandoned
materials
• The man was
scrounging around
for recyclables.

4. acquaintance
• knowing someone
or something
• The women met an
old acquaintance
for lunch.

5. excitable
• very emotional;
easily excited
• The girl is extremely
excitable.

6. eavesdropping
• listening secretly to
a conversation
• The man is
eavesdropping on
the conversation in
the other room.

7. sympathetically
• in a way that shows
concern for
someone else’s
feelings
• The man listened
sympathetically to
his friend.

8. logical
• reasonable; to be
expected
• The boy is being
logical about
studying for his test.