Text Leveling System

The Kidnapped King

RDQ:	820	Max Word/Sent	20	Total Words	3027		Diff Words	796
Lex	700	Ave Word/.Sent	6	Hi Freq occurs	2042	67.5%	Hi freq	364	45.7%
AR	3.3	Long Sentences	0	Low Freq occurs	97	3.2%	Low freq	58	7.3%

CHAPTER 1
"Done!" Dink said to himself, smiling.
He had solved the last problem on his
math paper. He wrote Donald D.
Duncan at the top, then glanced up at
the classroom clock: two-fifteen. In just
twenty minutes, spring vacation would
begin!
"Class, please get ready for DEAR
time," Mrs. Eagle said. "Take out your
books and find a cozy place to read
until the bell rings, please.]]
DEAR stood for Drop Everything and
Read. This was Dink's favorite time of
the day.
Dink was reading Kidnapped by
Robert Louis Stevenson. He had seen
the movie, but he still loved the story.
He took the book to the reading corner .
and flopped onto a beanbag chair.
Josh and Ruth Rose joined him,
sprawling on the carpet with their
books. The classroom grew quiet,
except for the clock's ticking and the
sound of pages being turned.
Suddenly, the room phone rang.
Mrs. Eagle answered it, then walked to
the reading corner. "Dink," she said
quietly, "you're wanted in Mr. Dillon's
office."
Josh grinned at Dink and raised his
eyebrows. "You're in trouble!" he said.
"Mr. Dillon wants me?" Dink asked.
"Why?"]]
Mrs. Eagle shrugged. "Hurry back,"
she whispered.
Dink put down his book and left the
room.
Walking down the quiet hall, Dink
tried to figure out why the principal
wanted to see him. He couldn't think of
anything he'd done wrong!
Outside Mr. Dillon's office, Dink
took a deep breath, then walked in.
Mrs. Waters, the principal's secretary,
was sitting at her desk outside his door.
She smiled. "Hi, Donald. You can go
right in. And don't look so scared!" she
said. "Mr. Dillon doesn't eat children!"
Dink grinned, then opened the door
to Mr. Dillon's office. The first person
he saw was his mother!
She patted the empty chair next to
hers, and Dink slid into it.
There were three other people in
the room: Mr. Dillon, a woman with ]]
yellow hair, and a kid about Dink' s age.
The kid was dressed like someone
in a movie. He had on a long dark blue
robe and sandals.
"Hi, Donald, Mr. Dillon said. Mr.
Dillon was shaped like a football. His
hair was cut short and his eyeglasses
gleamed under the lights.
Let me introduce my guests,  he
said. He nodded at the woman with yellow
hair. "This is Ms. Joan Klinker. And
this, he added, smiling at the boy, "is
Sammi Bin Oz.
Dink mumbled,  Hi,  then stared at
the boy.
He was about Dink's size and had
black hair and dark skin. His eyes were
the color of honey.
Sammi is from Costra," Mr. Dillon said, a small island country in the ]]
Indian Ocean. He's come to the United
States to learn English.
"I already speak English, the boy
said.
He had a soft voice and an accent.
Dink thought he looked and sounded
kind of sad.
"Actually, Sammi will live here for a
year," Joan Klinker said. "I am his tutor.
His parents want him to learn
American customs.
Mr. Dillon looked at Dink. "Sammi
will be in third grade with you. We
thought you might want to show him
around the school, he said.
Everyone looked at Dink. He felt
himself blushing. His mother gave his
hand a squeeze. "And Sammi will be
staying with us for a few weeks, Dink ,"
she explained.
"Your name is Dink?" Sammi asked. Dink nodded at the boy.]]
"Dink ," Sammi repeated. "That
rhymes with think and pink and stink!"
"Making rhymes helps Sammi
remember new words," his tutor
explained.
Sammi can have the spare room, 
Dink' s mother said. "With Daddy away
on business, it'll be nice to have a guest
in the house. I hope Sammi will be
friends with you and Josh and Ruth
Rose."
Sammi giggled. "Rose rhymes with
toes and nose!"
Dink grinned. Wait'll Josh and Ruth Rose meet him, he thought.]]
CHAPTER 2
Dink went back to class and handed a
note to Mrs. Eagle. Since school was
almost out, Mr. Dillon had given him
permission to leave early.
Dink filled his book bag, then whispered
what was going on to Josh and
Ruth Rose.
Dink's mother drove him and
Sammi home to Woody Street. Sammi was quiet in the car. He kept turning ]]
around and looking out the rear window.
"Ms. Klinker said she'd bring your
luggage over in a little while," Dink's
mother told Sammi. Dink will help you
get settled, then I'll make you both a
snack."
"Thank you very much, Mrs.
Duncan," Sammi said as Dink's mom
pulled into the driveway on Woody
Street.
Dink climbed out of the car with his
book bag clunking against his shoulders.
 Your room is next to mine,  he told
Sammi, leading the way upstairs.
Dink took Sammi into the guest
room. There was a bed, a dresser, and a
braided rug on the floor. A reading
lamp stood on the table next to the bed.
Sammi looked at the room quietly. This is very nice,  he said. ]]
"Come on, I'll show you my room,"
Dink said. He and Sammi passed
through the bathroom. On the other
side was Dink' s bedroom.
As soon as Dink stepped into his
room, Loretta began squeaking and
running around in her cage.
"What is that?" Sammi shouted, hiding
behind Dink.
Just my guinea pig," Dink said.
Loretta's real friendly. You want to
hold her?"
"I am allergic to fur!" Sammi said,
peering into the cage. "Don't let it out!"
0kay, I won't, Dink said.
"Dink!  his mother called from
downstairs. "Are you and Sammi ready
for a snack?"
"Are you hungry?" Dink asked
Sammi.
Sammi wrinkled his nose. 'What
are we having?" Dink pretended to think, then said, ]]
Just the usual-rats ears on crackers."
Sammi stared at Dink. "You are joking?"
Yeah, I'm joking," Dink said.
Come on downstairs."
Dink' s mother put a plate of peanut
butter cookies and a quart of milk on
the counter. Sammi inspected the cookies,
then selected one.
"You're not allergic to cookies, are
you?" Dink asked.
Sammi shook his head and took a
small bite.
The doorbell rang, and Dink opened
the door. Josh and Ruth Rose stood on
the steps. Pal, Josh's basset hound, sat
at their feet.
We came to see if you and Sammi
want to come out and play, Ruth Rose
said. She held a purple Nerf football in
her hand. The ball matched her purple
 jeans and sweatshirt. "Hi, guys. Come on in, Dink said.]]
Josh made a beeline for the plate of
cookies. Pal padded along behind him.
His long pink tongue hung out of his
mouth.
Sammi jumped onto a chair. "Keep
it away !" he yelled. I am allergic!"
Dink's mother put her hand on Sammi's shoulder. "It's okay, Sammi.]]
Josh, can Pal wait on the porch?"
"Sure, Mrs. D. Come on, boy," Josh
said as he led Pal out of the room.
"Help yourselves, kids," Dink' s
mom said, pouring four glasses of milk.
Josh came back and grabbed two
cookies. "Why're you wearing your
bathrobe?" he asked Sammi.
"It is what we wear in my country, 
Sammi said, sipping his milk.
"I think it's beautiful," Ruth Rose
said. "I wish I had one."
The doorbell rang again. This time it
was Joan Klinker, Sammi's tutor. She had come in a taxi with Sammi's ]]
suitcases. Dink helped the driver carry
them into the hallway.
"Hi, Sammi," she said: "How do you
like this house?"
"There are animals here!" Sammi
said. "I am allergic, you know."
I'm afraid we have a guinea pig,"
Dink's mother said.
"Yes, and I saw the dog on the
porch," Joan Klinker said. "I hope
Sammi's allergies won't be too much
trouble."
Dink's mother smiled. "I'm sure
we'll make out fine," she said. "Dink,
why don't you kids take Sammi's luggage
up to his room before you go out
to play?"
"May I come, too?" Joan Klinker
asked. "I'd like to look at the room
where Sammi will stay. Do you mind?" "Not at all. Dink will show you the way."]]
Dink and Josh lugged the suitcases
up the stairs, then plopped them down
on Sammi's bed. Ruth Rose followed,
with Sammi and his tutor right behind.
Joan Klinker walked around the
room. She inspected the windows and
tested the locks. She rattled the handles
on the doors to the bathroom and hallway.
"Do these doors have locks?" she
asked Dink.
"Um, yeah, but we never use them,"
he answered.
"Is there a night-light?" she asked.
Dink pointed to a small blue light
sticking from a wall socket.
Joan Klinker nodded. "I guess this
will do," she said. "Now may I see
Sammi's bathroom?"
Dink showed Joan the bathroom he
and Sammi would share.
The woman checked out everything in the bathroom, then peeked into ]]
Dink' s room on the other side. "Who
sleeps in here?" she asked.
"Me," Dink said. "My parents' room
is downstairs."
"Do they have their own bathroom
down there?" Joan asked.
Dink nodded as they walked back
into Sammi' s room.
Joan Klinker smiled at Dink. "This
will be perfect!" she said. She patted
Sammi on the head. "I'll see you later,
okay?"
Sammi looked at her nervously.
"Where are you going?"
"To my hotel room," Joan said. "But
I'll come back after dinner for your
French lesson." She took one more look
around Sammi's room, then left.
"Do you play Nerf ball in your country?"
Ruth Rose asked Sammi. Sammi shook his head. "What is Nerf?"]]
"This," Josh said, tossing the foam
ball to Sammi. It bounced off him and
fell to the floor.
"Um, do you want to change?" Dink
asked Sammi.
Sammi stared at his suitcase. "Your
mother said she'd unpack for me," he
said.
"She will," Dink said. "But for now,
you can wear some of my stuff. Come
on in my room."
The four kids trooped through the
bathroom and into Dink' s room.
Loretta began running around her cage.
Dink found a pair of sweatpants and
a sweatshirt in his closet. "These should
fit," he told Sammi.
Sammi looked at the clothes but
didn't take them from Dink. "Who is going to dress me?" he asked.]]
CHAPTER 3
Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose stared at
Sammi.
"Um, what do you mean, who's
gonna dress you?" Dink asked.
"In my country, my servants dress
me and undress me, Sammi said.
"Yeah, right," Josh said, grinning. And
my servants do my homework for me!"
 Do you really have servants?" Ruth Rose asked Sammi.]]
Sammi nodded. I have five servants
of my own. My father has twenty!"
Twenty servants!" Josh yelled. "Are
you guys rich?"
Sammi sat on Dink' s bed. "We are
very rich," he said. "My father is ... "
Sammi didn't finish what he was
going to say. Instead, he burst into tears.
"Great, Josh, you made him cry!"
Dink said.
I did not! I just asked him if he was
rich!"
Ruth Rose sat next to Sammi. "Why
are you crying?" she asked.
Sammi didn't answer. Big tears
rolled down his cheeks.
Dink tossed the sweat clothes onto
the bed. Then he ran into his bathroom
and came out with a wad of tissues.
"Here," he said. Sammi took the tissues and wiped his eyes.]]
"Do you miss your mom and dad?"
Ruth Rose asked Sammi. "Is that why
you're crying?"
Sammi took a deep breath and
wiped at his tears. "I don't know where
my parents are, he said. "They were
kidnapped last week."
"KIDNAPPED!" the three other kids yelled. Sammi nodded. "My father's enemies]]
snuck into the palace and took
him and my mother. 
"Palace?" Josh said. "You live in a
palace? What are you, a prince or something?"
Sammi nodded. "Yes. My father is
the king of Costra. I am Prince Samir Bin Oz. I will be king someday."]]
Sammi started crying again.
No one said anything. Even Loretta
stopped running around in her cage.
Dink stared at Sammi.You're a
prince? he finally asked. "Does my
mom know all this, Sammi? I mean,
about your folks being kidnapped and
everything?
The boy shook his head. "Only my
tutor knows, he said. "My parents
were kidnapped at night. I was sleeping.
The next day I was snuck out of the
palace and sent here so I would be
safe. Safe from what?' Ruth Rose asked.
Sammi looked at her. His eyes were
red and his nose dripped. "From the
kidnappers, he said.
Just then, Pal started barking from
the front porch.
"They' re here!" Sammi cried. He jumped off the bed and ran into the bathroom.]]
Dink looked out the window. Pal
was barking at a car. It was a taxi. Dink
watched it turn the corner and disappear.
"Come on out, Sammi, Dink said.
"It was just your tutor leaving."
Sammi stepped out of the bathroom.
His eyes looked scared. I am sorry, he
whispered.
"No problem," Dink said. "Why
don't we go down and play?
He pointed to the sweat clothes on
the bed.
Do you really need help getting
dressed?"
Sammi took a deep breath and
grinned. "No. I am in America now. I
will learn to dress myself.
While Sammi changed, the other
kids went outside and tossed the Nerf
ball in Dink' s backyard.
"It must be so cool to be a prince!
Josh said. Just imagine ordering all those servants around! ]]
Dink bopped him with the Nerf
ball.
"Josh, Sammi doesn't care about all
that stuff, he said. He misses his parents.
"I know," Josh said,. but still, just
think. He could get ice cream in the
middle of the night by snapping his fingers!
Sammi came out dressed in Dink's
sweat clothes.
Pal, tied to a tree, tried to lick
Sammi's foot as he walked by.
Sammi jumped out of reach. "Is he
trying to bite me?" he asked.
Josh laughed. "Naw, he's just saying
hi, he said. Pal wouldn't hurt a flea.
Go ahead, pet him. 
Sammi stepped closer and gave Pal a 
pat on his head. Then he sneezed. ! like him, Sammi said. "But I am still allergic.]]
The kids taught Sammi the rules of
touch football. They played until Dink' s
mother called them in to eat.
Promising to come over the next
morning, Josh untied Pal and headed
for home.
Bye, Sammi! Ruth Rose said. She
cut through the hedge to her house next
door.
Your friends are nice, Sammi said.
 Do you play together every day?
Sure,", Dink said. Don't you play
with your friends in Co .. .in that place
you come from?"
Sammi shook his head. I have no
friends. I stay in the palace and study
with my tutors.
No friends? Dink stared at Sammi.
He couldn't imagine not having Josh
and Ruth Rose to hang out with.
We better go wash up," Dink said, looking at his dirty hands. I hope you ]]
like burgers and fries."
Burgersandfries? Sammi said.
 What is burgersandfries?"
Dink grinned. Hamburgers and
French fries. French fries are skinny little
potato slices. You dip them in
ketchup.
Sammi let out a sigh. 0kay, I will
try your food. Who will taste it for me?
Taste it? Dink asked. "Why?"
 In my country," Sammi explained,
my father's enemies sometimes try to
poison him. He has a servant taste our
food to make sure it is safe.
Dink grinned at Sammi.  My mom's
a real good cook. She doesn't use much
poison at all! 
Sammi's eyes bugged out. "You are
making a joke, right?"
Yeah, Dink said. "But we have to
tell her the truth about you, okay? Why? Sammi asked. ]]
"Because it's the way we do things,"
Dink said. Don't worry. You're safe here. Nobody will get you in Green Lawn."]]
CHAPTER 4
During supper, Dink and Sammi told
Dink's mom the real reason why
Sammi was in the United States.
Oh Sammi,  Dink's mom said. 
I am so sorry. Thank you for telling me.
After they all had some ice cream,
Dink and his mother helped Sammi
unpack. Dink' s mother held up a long
wooden box decorated
 with gold. "This is heavy, Sammi. What's inside?" she asked.]]
Sammi opened the lid and took out
a shiny kaleidoscope. Its golden sides
were encrusted with jewels.
"This kaleidoscope has been in my
family for many years, Sammi
explained. It belonged to my grandfather's
grandfather and his grandfather!
Now it is my father's."
"What a lovely idea!" Dink's mother
said. "Will the kaleidoscope belong to you someday?"]]
On my fifteenth birthday, my
father will give this to me, Sammi said.
He frowned. "At least he would have,
but now .. .l don't know what will happen."
Dink felt badly for Sammi. He
couldn't imagine what he would feel
like if his parents ever got kidnapped.
Dink 's mother sat on the bed next
to Sammi. She took his hand. "Sammi,
I'm sure your parents will be found
soon," she said. "Didn't you tell us that
your father's friends are searching
every corner of your country?
Sammi nodded. "But his enemies
are clever, he said. They may have
taken my parents far away from Costra."
Dink's mother gave Sammi a hug.
Then she laid his pajamas and slippers
on his bed. The pj's were red silk, and
the slippers were purple velvet with floppy gold tassels.]]
"Pretty snazzy, Dink said, grinning
at Sammi. I usually sleep in an old
T-shirt and shorts!
Just then, the front doorbell rang.
Dink' s mother left the room.
"Watch, Sammi said, kneeling on
the floor. He unscrewed the large end of
the kaleidoscope and poured out all the
pieces of glass. They made a red, yellow,
and blue mound on the rug.
It comes apart! Dink said. He
picked up some of the glass. The thin
pieces felt smooth in his fingers.
A knock came at the door to
Sammi's room. Joan Klinker poked her
head in. "Hi, Sammi, she said.
Sammi smiled and scooped up the
glass. "I'm showing Dink my kaleidoscope,
he said. Dink helped Sammi put
the kaleidoscope back in its box.
Fine, Sammi,  Joan said, looking at
her watch. It's almost eight. How
about a short French lesson?]]

Subjective Criteria

Illustrations: No support

Vocabulary: Few decoding/definition issues

Language: Few descriptive words

Sentences: Multiple phrases

Text structure: Story/Poem

Features

Topic

Fears

Problem Solving

Foreign Country

Crime

Kings/Queens

*Feelings, Behaviors

Low Frequency Words

accent	allergic	allergies	basset	burgersandfries
clock's	costra	duncan	encrusted	gonna
guinea	hedge	inspected	introduce	jeans
jewels	kaleidoscope	kidnapped	kidnappers	klinker
kneeling	loretta's	luggage	lugged	mound
naw	nervously	peering	permission	pouring
quart	rhymes	samir	sandals	secretary
selected	servant	servants	shrugged	sipping
snazzy	socket	sprawling	suitcases	sweat
sweatpants	sweatshirt	tassels	tissues	tutor
unscrewed	velvet	wad	wait'll	why're
woody	wrinkled	yourselves