No Way Out
No Way Out
The homework was easy enough-write a report about a human rights leader. Jack decided
on Gandhi. He headed to the library after school. The library was new. It was full of stacks of
books, like the old library. It also had rows and rows of workstations. The steps were stainless
steel. The windows had blinds that opened and closed with the sun. Plants were in every
corner. Dozens were carefully placed along the tops of the shelves, like an overhead garden.
In the center was a glass elevator. It was shaped like a spaceship. It reminded Jack of old
episodes of Star Trek.
"Beam me up, Scotty," he said to himself as he pushed a button. He rode to the top floor.
There was a video room, with viewing stations. There was even a cafeteria.
Jack didn't really like to read. It surprised him that the library felt like a cool place to be. He
walked through the stacks. He took a few books from the shelves. They weren't about
Gandhi. Those were probably in another section. These were about aircraft. He read captions
under pictures of bi-planes. He learned about the early fliers, called barnstormers. He read
whole chapters about how planes lifted off.
He didn't notice the growing quiet. The noise in his stomach interrupted his concentration. He
was hungry. He realized that dinnertime had passed. He headed toward the elevator. It was
shut off for the night. The only light was coming from the street lamps outside the window. It
cast a silver glow on the place. He was there alone. And there seemed to be no way to get
out.
ReadWorks.org
Copyright © 2007 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Used by permission.Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation.
ReadWorks Vocabulary
Vocabulary
chapter
noun
definition:
Spanish:
A chapter is a part of a book. Picture books don't have chapters, but books that tell a
long story often do. Each chapter is a few pages long. Big books usually have longer
chapters.
My mom is reading a book to my little sister. She reads one chapter to her every night,
but sometimes my sister falls asleep before the end of the chapter.
capítulo
episode
noun
definition:
If you're watching a show that continues its story over a number of days or weeks, each
part of the show is called an episode.
Marcus was upset that he had to miss yesterday's episode of the show he was
watching.
section
noun
definition:
Spanish:
any part of a whole, or a part that can be seen as distinct in some way from the whole.
Put the book back in the top section of the bookcase.
This section of the city is fun to visit.
sección
ReadWorks.org · © 2021 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Definitions and sample sentences within definitions are provided by Wordsmyth. © 2015 Wordsmyth. All rights reserved.
No Way Out - Setting Questions
Name: ___________________________________ Date: _______________
1. At first, Jack was pleased to find that the library was particularly
A. welcoming.
B. "high tech."
C. intimidating.
D. threatening.
2. The second and third paragraphs together make the library sound like a
A. comfortable living room.
B. strange foreign hotel.
C. vehicle in outer space.
D. torture chamber.
3. Jack probably lost track of time because
A. the library closed early.
B. his report was taking such a long time to complete.
C. he was interested in what he was reading.
D. he was bored with all the reading.
4. Which adjective best describes Jack?
A. hostile
B. depressed
C. independent
D. distracted
5. Write a short description of the library to tell how scary it might seem from the inside
at night.
ReadWorks.org · © 2021 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.