Natalie
Babbitt
Summary
by
Ian,
Hannah,
and Will
L.
Literature
Circle
Group 2
Prologue
The main characters are Miles, Jesse,
Mae Tuck, Winnie Foster, and the stranger
at the Foster’s gate. Mae Tuck sets off to
go meet her two sons as she did every ten
years. Winnie Foster decides to think
about running away. The man in the
yellow suit (TMITYS) appears at the front
door of the Fosters. This all happens in
one day. The Foster family owns the
Treegap.
Chapter 1
• Cows had trodden a road.
• Winnie Foster lives in a cottage with a
“touch me not” appearance.
• The cows are the ones that kept everyone
out of the Treegap wood.
• Treegap does not belong to the cows
anymore.
Chapter 2
• Mae Tuck gets ready to set out and find
her sons.
• She wakes up Tuck.
• Tuck had a wonderful dream about being
in heaven.
• The Tucks had looked the same for 87
years.
Chapter 3
• Winnie talks to a toad.
• Winnie tells the toad she is going to run
away.
• She started throwing pebbles at the toad
but did not hit it.
• Her grandmother calls her in because she
could get dirty.
Chapter 4
• A stranger appears at the Foster’s gate
• He talks to Winnie.
• Her grandmother comes out.
• They heard music that they thought were
the “Elves”.
Chapter 5
• Winnie goes into the Treegap wood.
• Winnie finds Jesse Tuck.
• She starts asking about the spring.
• Mae Tuck and Miles find Winnie and Jesse.
Chapter 6
• Winnie got kidnapped.
• She didn’t picture being kidnapped like
this; she thought the kidnappers would be
mean and burly.
• Mae Tuck tries to comfort her.
• Winnie finds out the elves music was a
music box.
Chapter 7
• It was the strangest story Winnie has ever
heard.
• The Tucks drank from the magic spring.
• The spring makes you live forever.
• Tuck tried to shoot himself but he didn’t
get hurt.
Chapter 8
• Winnie decided it was okay and she would
go with the Tucks.
• The Tucks made Winnie feel special.
• They ate breakfast on the way.
• Winnie decided the Tucks were her
friends.
Chapter 9
• The Tucks and Winnie arrived at the
Tucks’ house.
• Jesse and Miles immediately jumped into
the pond.
• Jesse was excited to be home.
• Winnie meets Angus Tuck.
Chapter 10
• Miles and Jesse dash up the stairs while
they are soaking wet.
• Winnie gets a tour of the house.
• There were things scattered everywhere
in the Tucks’ house.
• Winnie starts to wonder why their house is
so messy.
Chapter 11
• They had bacon, bread, flapjacks, and
applesauce.
• Winnie thinks the Tucks are criminals.
• Winnie says she wants to go home.
• Tuck says he will take Winnie on the row
boat.
Chapter 12
• A bullfrog talked to another frog in a deep
voice.
• Tuck and Winnie talk about the wheel of
life.
• The boat gets stuck.
• The Tuck’s horse gets stolen.
Chapter 13
• TMITYS appeared at the Foster’s gate
again.
• TMITYS is the one who stole the horse.
• He walks up to the door of the Foster’s
house.
• He says that he knows where Winnie is.
Chapter 14
• Winnie couldn’t fall asleep because the couch
•
•
•
was lumpy and her pillow was a chair cushion.
Mae comes to comfort her and keep her
company.
Tuck comes in and gives her a kiss.
Jesse wants her to drink the water when she is
seventeen so they could get married.
Chapter 15
• TMITYS comes to the Fosters’ house.
• He says that he knows where Winnie is.
• He bargains with the Fosters for their
wood.
• They agree.
Chapter 16
• The constable was fat and sleepy.
• A constable is a police officer.
• The constable goes to the Tucks’ house.
• TMITYS goes ahead of the constable.
Chapter 17
• Winnie wakes up early.
• Miles takes her fishing.
• Winnie gets a bite on the hook.
• Miles caught a fish but let it go.
Chapter 18
• They eat breakfast.
• There's a knock on the door.
• Mae answers the door.
• It was TMITYS.
Chapter 19
• TMITYS comes in.
• He explains how he knows about them.
• Miles hears his daughter Anna mentioned.
• Mae whacked TMITYS with Angus’
shotgun.
Chapter 20
• The constable says that TMITYS is not
dead yet.
• Then he says that if TMITYS dies Mae will
be hung.
• The Tucks take TMITYS inside to care for
him.
• The constable leaves with Mae and
Winnie.
Chapter 21
• Winnie gets home.
• She sees heat lightning.
• The doctor says TMITYS died.
• Mae is about to go to the gallows.
Chapter 22
• The temperature is very high.
• Winnie sees the toad.
• Jesse comes and says that his family is
leaving.
• He gives Winnie a bottle of the spring
water because he wants her to drink it
when she’s 17.
Chapter 23
• Winnie waits to help save Mae.
• She gets bored.
• There is nothing to do.
• She falls asleep in her bed.
Chapter 24
• Winnie barely wakes up in time.
• She goes to the gate to meet the Tucks.
• They go to the jailhouse.
• Miles takes out the window of the cell.
• They switch out Winnie for Mae.
Chapter 25
• Nobody found Mae after she escaped.
• Winnie wouldn’t sleep because she might
give herself away.
• When the constable found her, he said
what she did was a crime.
• Winnie got home.
• Winnie gave the magic spring water to the
toad.
Epilogue
The Tucks see that the Treegap wood
is gone. Winnie’s cottage is gone too.
They stop to get coffee to ask the guy at
the desk what happened to the wood and
the cottage. Tuck goes to the graveyard
and sees that Winnie died at 78 years of
age.
Credits
Writers
Hannah Shull
Will Layman
With a tad bit of Ian Crail
Typing people
Mostly Ian Crail
Will Layman
With about ½ slide by Hannah Shull
Fancy stuff designer
Ian Crail
with suggestions from Will Layman
and Hannah Shull