Sadie

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

INTRODUCTION-CHAPTER 6

Reading Check

1. What is the name of Danny Gilchrist’s podcast?

2. Where is West McCray’s podcast The Girls set?

3. What name does Sadie use when she buys the car?

4. What is the name of the man Sadie is looking for?

5. What weapon is Sadie carrying?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does West McCray make the decision to cover Mattie’s death and Sadie’s disappearance?

2. How did May Beth end up helping raise Sadie and Mattie?

3. What happens when Sadie tries to get information from Caddy?

4. How did Claire treat Sadie when Sadie was a child?

5. What is the purpose of Sadie’s trip?

Paired Resource

“How Parenting My Sibling as a Child Changed My Life”

• This article shares the author’s experiences with parentification and discusses the long-term impacts of being forced into this role as a child.
• This resource relates to the theme of The Vulnerability and Strength of Women.
• What is “parentification,” and what are some of the long-term impacts of being forced to take on adult responsibilities as a child? How does this relate to Sadie’s life?

CHAPTERS 7-18

Reading Check

1. What is Keith’s real name, according to Marlee?

2. Why does Sadie want to get to know Kendall Baker?

3. Why did Ruby find it strange that Sadie said she was looking for her father?

4. What does Sadie temporarily steal from Silas’s house?

5. Who assaults Sadie by smashing her face into her steering wheel?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What does May Beth blame for Mattie’s decision to get into the stranger’s truck?

2. Why does West question whether he wants to continue investigating Sadie’s disappearance?

3. How does Sadie feel about Montgomery?

4. How does Javi demonstrate genuine concern for Sadie at the diner?

5. How does Marlee obstruct West’s investigation?

Paired Resource

“How Poverty Can Follow Children Into Adulthood”

• This Frontline article discusses the long-term impacts of living in poverty as a child.
• This resource relates to the theme of The Effects of Poverty and Privilege.
• Which of the impacts of poverty do you see in Sadie’s life? Which impacts does she seem to have escaped? 

“Fast Car”

• This 4-minute video features Tracy Chapman performing “Fast Car,” a song about the desire to escape poverty. The lyrics can be found here.
• This resource relates to the theme of The Effects of Poverty and Privilege.
• What themes does “Fast Car” have in common with Sadie? What similarities and differences do you see in the characterization of the speaker in “Fast Car” and Sadie?

CHAPTERS 19-29

Reading Check

1. Why does Sadie turn off West’s podcast as soon as it comes on the car radio?

2. What does Cat find that alarms her enough to make her find a different ride?

3. Whom does West interview on his trip to Cold Creek in Chapter 25?

4. What does West ask to see when he talks to Joe Perkins?

5. What does West find half-hidden underneath a bed?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why was Keith May Beth’s favorite among Claire’s various partners?

2. What did May Beth encourage Sadie to do on the night before Mattie disappeared, and why does she regret it?

3. What scandal involving Silas erupts in Montgomery?

4. What lie does Sadie tell the owner of the Bluebird Motel when she asks about Darren?

5. What conclusion does Sadie draw from the clothing tags she finds in Darren’s room?

Paired Resource

“'Real People Keep Getting Re-traumatized.' The Human Cost of Binge-Watching True Crime Series”

• This Time article offers a deep dive into the pros and cons of true-crime infotainment.
• This resource relates to the theme of The Commodification of Female Suffering.
• What are the pros and cons that this article identifies in the true crime genre? Do the “cons” apply when the victim’s friends or family ask the media for coverage of a crime, as May Beth does? Who has benefitted from West’s investigation, so far?

“The Killer Question: Are True-Crime Podcasts Exploitative?”

• This brief article from The Guardian asks pointed questions about the possible misogyny of true-crime podcasts.
• This resource relates to the theme of The Commodification of Female Suffering.
• What concerns does this article raise about the exploitation of women by true-crime podcasts? Does Summers have similar concerns? What evidence from Sadie supports your opinion?

CHAPTERS 30-35

Reading Check

1. For about how many years did Sadie raise Mattie on her own after Claire left?

2. Who called 911 about Silas?

3. Who is Nell?

4. What does Claire accuse West of doing with his show?

5. What does Sadie show Ellis to convince him that Darren/Keith is a pedophile?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What sequence of events does Sadie believe led to Mattie’s death?

2. How does Sadie confirm her suspicions about what has happened to Nell?

3. What does Claire tell West that leads him to an important realization about the postcard Mattie received?

4. How does Amanda say that Christopher/Keith died?

5. Who suggests the name for West’s podcast, and why?

Recommended Next Reads 

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• Shared themes include The Vulnerability and Strength of Women and The Effects of Poverty and Privilege.
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Reader, I Murdered Him by Betsy Cornwell

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A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

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• A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder on SuperSummary