Text Leveling System

Night Music

RDQ:	1042	Max Word/Sent	28	Total Words	3105		Diff Words	850
Lex	750	Ave Word/.Sent	7	Hi Freq occurs	2230	71.8%	Hi freq	385	45.3%
AR	3.7	Long Sentences	3.7	Low Freq occurs	139	4.5%	Low freq	101	11.9%

CHAPTER ONE
THE VIOLIN
The music raced on and on as the fiddler's
fingers danced along the strings. Benjie imagined
they were his own fingers flying, his own hands
coaxing the sweet sounds from the instrument.
In a swirling flurry of notes, the music and the
dream ended. Benjie sighed.
The old fiddler looked into the boy's eyes. He had
often seen the longing there. "If I had two violins,
Benjie Brinsky," he said, "one would be yours."
As the fiddler put away his violin, the boy turned
and ran toward home. Sometimes, at home, he had
dared to dream out loud.
"Ah, Benjie," his mother would say, "if money fell
from the sky, we would buy a violin. But for now,
maybe you will sing a little more. It's not so terrible."]]
As soon as he opened the door, Benjie knew what
he was having for supper. "Herring and potatoes,"
he sighed, taking off his jacket.
"What was that?" asked his mother.
Benjie switched to speaking Yiddish. "Herring
again, Mama?"
She gave him a hug. "It's good food, Benjie.
Never. .. "
"I know, I know, never complain about good
food."
Mama laughed and asked the usual questions.
"How was school?"
"Fine."
"Did you do your little mitzvah today?"
"Yes, today I. .. " Pausing, he racked his brains for
a good deed to relate. "I thought about sweeping the
floor for Jacob ... and ... " His face brightened. "And I
finished Wolfgang's arithmetic for him.
 "Oy gevait,. Benjie! Maybe tomorrow you could sit
at his desk and write his tests for him. Maybe next
week he won't even have to get out of bed." She
shook her head as she turned back to the stove.
After supper that evening, Benjie sat down at the
table with his books while Jacob and Rose, his
older brother and sister, set up the checkerboard.]]
Mrs. Brinsky hunched over her sewing machine.
Because she worked at home, she never escaped
the stacks of cloth waiting to be put together. This
time, the cutter from the clothing factory where
Rose worked had sent skirts for her to sew.
"So much to do," she said wearily, picking up
two pieces. She positioned the cloth under the needle,
gave the wheel of the sewing machine a spin,
and began to rock the treadle with her foot.
"Leave those till morning, Mama," said Rose.
"The light will be better then anyway."
Mrs. Brinsky hesitated, then shifted her gaze to
Benjie. The corners of her mouth began to twitch.
"I should wait until your schoolwork is done, but ... "
/\ huge smile lit up her face. She reached behind the
pile of skirts and brought out a burlap bag. "Aunt
Golda was here this afternoon,
and she left something for you."
Benjie took the bag from his
mother.
He caught his breath as he
looked inside. Slowly he
pulled out an old, battered
violin. Benjie held it as
though it were made of
pure gold.]]
"Aunt Golda knows how much you want to play
the violin, and she thought you should use Uncle
Yudel's," said Mrs. Brinsky, smiling. "Be careful
with it. It was the only thing he brought with him
when we fled from Russia. It belonged to his
father."
"But what will Uncle Yudel play?" asked Benjie.
Jacob laughed. "I think that was Aunt Golda's
plan."
Everyone knew Uncle Yudel had no talent for
playing the violin.
"Benjie," Mrs. Brinsky continued, "if you practice
every day, Uncle Yudel thinks you could become a
great violinist, maybe the greatest violinist in all of
Chicago. That would make him very happy."
"And Uncle Yudel thinks our Benjie can do anything,"
added Rose.
Benjie pulled the bow across the strings. Everyone
winced as the violin shrieked to life.
"Oy! Too much noise!" his family cried together.
"Practice in the other room."
Terrible screeches came from the bedroom all
evening. It wasn't long before there was a knock at
the apartment door. Mr. Levitsky from across the
hall had come to complain about the noise.]]
"But Mr. Levitsky,"' Mrs. Brinsky protested,
"Benjie has to practice. One day he may be the best
violinist in all of Chicago. Then you will be proud to
say you knew him when he was just a beginner."
"If I still have ears to listen with, Sophie
Brinsky," he said. That boy has less talent than his
Uncle Yudel. Please, for the sake of the neighborhood,
let him practice on a violin without strings."
He turned and left.
After Benjie had gone to bed, Jacob and Rose sat
down with their mother.
"I think Mr. Levitsky is right," said Jacob.
Mrs. Brinsky raised her eyebrows. "So the first
time you played checkers you were an expert? Give
your brother time."
"But how much time?" Rose pleaded. "I don't
know if I can stand it."]]
CHAPTER Two
PRACTICE, PRACTICE
In the morning, Benjie rushed to the market on
Jefferson Street to show the fiddler his violin.
"And what has brought you such good fortune?"
the old man asked.
"Not what, who?" answered Benjie. "It was Uncle
Yudel."
"Ah." The fiddler smiled. "He has given you his
violin. Good. I have heard him play."
The musician took the violin and examined it,
running his fingers along the neck and plucking the
strings. He quickly tuned it, then lifted it to his
shoulder. "May I?" He didn't wait for an answer. His
toe began to tap. "A dance? For celebration."
When the song was finished, he handed the
violin back. "A fine instrument. Play it well."
"I can already." Benjie played a few notes.]]
"No! No!" The fiddler Winced. "You are not saWing
wood. Do it like this." He drew the bow across the
strings.
Benjie tried to copy him.
"Eeee. Benjie! You have to listen to your violin!
Let your ear be your teacher. Just move your finger
along the string until the note sounds right."
Benjie tried again and again.
Finally the fiddler shook his head. "Go away and
practice, Benjie. Practice."
Benjie tried playing on the front stoop, but the
old women sitting in front of their doors covered
their ears, and children pelted him With garbage.
He tried the stable next door, but the horses reared
and whinnied. "Enough, already!" shouted Mr. Katz,
the stable owner.]]
One evening, in desperation, Benjie took his
violin and climbed up on the roof. At last he was
alone. He pulled his violin and bow out of the
burlap bag.
"What are you doing?" asked a voice from the
darkness.
Startled, Benjie blurted, "I was just going to play
my violin."
"Is it you who makes the horrible sound?" asked
the voice.
"Y-y-yes," responded Benjie. "Who are you?"
A figure stepped out of the shadows and into the
moonlight. He recognized the girl who had just
moved in behind them.
'I'm Hannah," she said.
"What are you doing on our roof?" Benjie
demanded.
"Ours is too steep," she replied, "and I like to
watch the stars. I hope you don't mind."
"Well .. ."' said Benjie.
"Just look!" said Hannah, pointing to the west.
"That bright star near the horizon, that's Venus.
And a bit above it, to the left, that's Jupiter."
She turned to the north and showed him the Big
Dipper, the Little Dipper, and Draco the Dragon.]]
Benjie had never met anyone who knew so much
about the night sky. Had all of those stars really
been there before?
"One day, Hannah said, "people will visit the
planets."
"What are they going to use, a big hot air balloon?"
Benjie laughed. "Don't be a meshuggeneh."
"No," she said defiantly. "They'll use some sort of
flying machine, like a trolley car with wings. Hey,
can I try your violin?"
Benjie, surprised, handed it to her. She gave him
her telescope, tucked the violin under her chin, and
dragged the bow across the strings. Squawk.
Benjie plugged his ears.
"No wonder you sound so bad," she giggled.
"You didn't do it right," said Benjie. He repositioned
the violin and the bow until she was holding them
just like the old fiddler. Hannah pushed and pulled
the bow back and forth. She sounded as bad as
Benjie. While she played, he looked up and tried to
remember the names of the constellations.
An hour passed before they heard Mrs. Brinsky's
voice. "Benjie, it's time to come in!"
Hannah put the violin down. "I must go home,
too. Will you be here tomorrow night?"]]
"Yes. I mean I guess so." said Benjie.
Hannah disappeared into the shadows. Benjie
picked up his violin and went inside.
"Well, Benjie," Jacob said, "it's still painful. but at
least you're not so close."
"Uh, thanks. Yes, I will," Benjie said, his mind a
million miles away.
Jacob looked at his mother.
Mrs. Brinsky felt Benjie's forehead. "Are you all
right?" she asked.
"I think I'll just go to bed, Mama," he said. "Good
night."]]
CHAPTER THREE
IN THE MARKET
The next day after school, Benjie found his friend
Dovid by his cart in the market.
"Benjie, what news do you have for me today?"
Dovid asked.
"'You haven't heard about my violin?" Benjie
began to tell Dovid all about it.
"Slower, slower," said Dovid. "You speak Yiddish
at home, so speak Yiddish to me. You know my
English is not so good."
Benjie took a deep breath and began again,
telling Dovid everything, except about Hannah.
At last he ran out of breath.]]
Dovid chuckled. "And your mother, how is she?"
"Tired," Benjie answered. "I helped Rose bring
home more work for her yesterday-about a
hundred skirts."
"Well," said Dovid, "you'll tell her I said hello. I
know how she feels."
"Yes, I will," replied Benjie. "Anything new?"
Dovid mussed Benjie's hair. "You want something
new from a secondhand cart? You might as well try
to get bacon from a kosher butcher!" Dovid
laughed. He knew what Benjie wanted. "Have a look
on the other side."
Benjie pushed aside some old shoes and uncovered
a small stack of books. He found one he liked,
sat down beside the cart, and began to read. Dovid
peeked over the cart and, seeing Benjie with his
nose buried in a book, slipped a few stalls down
and bought a couple of apples. "Benjie," he called
as he flipped the boy an apple. "Catch!"
Thank you," said Benjie.
"No. Thank you!" said Dovid. "You're the best
advertisement I can get."
Benjie ate his apple slowly, savoring every
mouthful. He looked through book after book and
no longer heard the noises of Jefferson Street.]]
At last it was time for
Dovid to gather with the
men for evening prayers.
"If you want a ride, hop
on, .. he said. Benjie sat
on the back of the cart
and read as Dovid pulled
him through the streets. "What is it that interests
you so?" asked Dovid.
Benjie looked up. 'This is a good book. Can I
keep it for a day or two?"
"A book that is not read is nothing more than a
pile of paper and ink," Dovid replied. "Bring it back
when you are finished with it ...
Dovid continued down the street, singing a
springtime song from his childhood. When they
came to the grocery store, Benjie jumped off and,
with a wave to Dovid, ran inside to see Jacob.
Benjie eased his way around the customers and
went behind the counter. "Hello, Jacob," he called.
His older brother looked up from the cone of
paper he was making. "How was school, Benjie?"
He carefully poured some sugar into the cone
and handed it to Mrs. Flanagan. "Are you looking
for something to do, Benjie? The floor needs
sweeping."]]
Benjie grinned. "No thank you. I have to finish
this book so I can give it back to Dovid."
Jacob reached out and pulled his brother's ears.
"You stuff too much in your head. One day your
brains will come spilling out."
'That's all right, .. said Benjie. 'Then you can have
some."
Everyone laughed.
"So Benjie, .. said Mr. Kessler, "you are becoming
a scholar like your Grandfather Brinsky ...
Jacob beamed. He was proud of his little brother.]]
CHAPTER FOUR
ON THE ROOFTOP
At supper, Benjie wolfed down his borscht. He
could hardly wait to go up to the roof. At last Jacob
finished his second bowl of the thick beet and cabbage
soup and said the blessing. Benjie grabbed his
violin and headed for the door.
"Where are you going in such a hurry?" asked his
mother.
"Sorry. Excuse me. Up to the roof to practice," he
called back through the closing door.
Hannah was waiting. "Hello, Benjie," she said.
'I'm sorry about last night. I realized I didn't let you
practice your violin."
'That's all right," Benjie replied. "No one could
tell anyway. Do you want to play my violin again?"
"Yes, please, if you don't mind," she said.
"Go ahead," said Benjie. "I can play it anytime."]]
Hannah picked up the instrument and dragged
the bow across the strings. The dreaded screech
rose into the night. Across the neighborhood,
windows slammed shut. "SHA! QUIET! STOP THAT
RACKET!"
Using his jacket as a pillow, Benjie lay back and
tried to shut out the sound of the fiddle.
The next morning on Jefferson Street, Mrs.
Rabinovitch confronted Benjie's mother. "Must your
son destroy the night with that horrible noise?"
"You'll change your tune when Benjie becomes
the best violinist in Chicago," Mrs. Brinsky answered.
"Then you'll be happy to say you knew
him when he was just beginning."
'I'll be happy when I get some sleep," snapped
Mrs. Rabinovitch, and she stomped down the
street and into the bakery.
"Benjie just needs practice,"
Mrs. Brinsky called after her.
"Give the boy time!"]]
As the evenings lengthened, the noise from the
roof became less and less painful. Soon people were
leaving their windows open once again. Sometimes
Hannah played songs she knew, and sometimes
she made up new ones. Benjie enjoyed them all as
he lay on the rooftop far above the noise and smells
of the street, looking at the stars.
But as Hannah sounded better and better, a little
knot of worry began to grow in Benjie's stomach.
What would the family say if they found out he
couldn't play at all, not even as well as Uncle
Yudel? Would Uncle Yudel take the violin back?]]
CHAPTER Five
SUMMER
"Benjie has really improved, Sophie," said Mr.
Levitsky in the hall one day. Mrs. Brinsky smiled all
the way to the market.
"So ... the boy's getting better," said Mrs.
Rabinovitch. "He's quite the violinist. I hope he
keeps it up." Other shoppers on Jefferson Street
nodded agreement.
The rabbi stopped her in front of a vegetable cart.
"Don't you think Benjie should be taking lessons to
develop his talent?" he asked.
"Rabbi," she said, "I have tried to get him to play
for his Aunt Golda and for me, but he won't. He will
only play on the rooftop."
The rabbi laughed. "Well, a monkey must learn to
climb in his own tree before he can climb his neighbor's. Let him play where his is comfortable. When he is ready, he will play for us.]]
The neighborhood changed that summer. When
the music started, dogs and cats stopped fighting,
babies stopped crying, and the dreams of children
were filled with the music that floated from the
rooftop.
Late one afternoon, Benjie met Rose at the factory
where she worked. Together they carried home piles
of pants to be finished. They passed the chicken
store, the blacksmith, the candy store, and the
horseradish man. All around them were the sounds
of buying and selling. People stopped Benjie and
told him how much they liked his playing. Rose
looked so proud. Benjie just blushed and thanked
them. But he began to feel sick.]]
The deception would have to end. "When winter
comes," he thought, "ii will be too cold to go out on
the roof. Maybe by spring they will have forgotten
about the music."
The stars moved toward their autumn positions,
and Benjie watched the changes. Hannah's music
continued to fill the air. People stopped what they
were doing and sat outside to listen to the free
concerts. Sometimes, after a particularly beautiful
piece, they applauded. At times like these, Benjie
wished the summer would never end.]]
CHAPTER SIX
CHANGES
On the last day of August, two strange men
appeared in the market. Everyone noticed them.
As the strangers walked down the street questioning
people, Benjie stopped reading and watched from
his perch on Dovid's cart. Then he saw someone
point at him. The men threaded their way through
the crowd toward the cart, keeping their eyes on
him. What could they want? Benjie's mouth felt
dry. When they called out his name, he dropped his
book and ran.
"Benjie, where are you going?" cried Dovid. "What
is the matter?"
The two men broke into a fast walk and began 
to follow Benjie. Just before he ducked around a
corner, Benjie saw Dovid step right in their way.]]
That evening Benjie crept back and forth across
the roof, peering over the edge, looking up and
down the street.
When Hannah came up the steps, she could see
he was upset. "What's the matter?" she asked.
Benjie told her about the men at the market and
how they had chased him. He worried that they
might have found out where he lived. But as night
fell, Benjie began to feel safe. He lay back to look at
the sky as Hannah picked up the violin and began
to play. A sweet melody filled the air, and he forgot
about the men.
Below on the street, the two strangers listened to
the music that floated down from the rooftop. They
moved toward the Brinskys' building.]]
CHAPTER SEVEN
DISCOVERED!
In the Brinsky apartment, Benjie's mother
answered a knock on the door. Two men filled the
doorway.
Then Dovid stepped from behind them. "Mrs.
Brinsky, these men want to meet your son the
violinist," he said in Yiddish. 'They have been trying
to find him all afternoon. This is Dr. Gossen, a
professor of science from the University of Chicago.
He has heard of your son's great gift and has
brought his friend Mr. Peters to see him. Mr. Peters
has played the violin on concert stages all over the
world."
Mr. Peters offered his hand. "Your son has
become quite famous, Mrs. Brinsky," he said in
English, "and we know why, now that we have
heard him. I would like to arrange to give him
lessons so that he can develop his talent.]]

Subjective Criteria

Illustrations: No support

Dialog: Multiple speakers

Vocabulary: More decoding/definition issues

Language: Many descriptive words

Sentences: Multiple phrases

Text structure: Story/Poem

Table of Contents

Glossary

Chapters

Headings

Features

Integral Setting - Historical

Simple Plot

Difficult names

Topic

Learning

Behaviors

Lying

Talents

*Music

Performing

Low Frequency Words

advertisement	applauded	blurted	borscht	burlap
butcher	concert	concerts	confronted	constellations
customers	deception	defiantly	desperation	dovid
dovid's	draco	dreaded	eased	escaped
flanagan	flurry	fortune	golda	golda's
gossen	grocery	herring	hesitated	horizon
horseradish	hunched	imagined	improved	interests
kessler	kosher	lengthened	levitsky	longing
meshuggeneh	mitzvah	moonlight	mouthful	musician
mussed	neighbor's	neighborhood	particularly	pausing
peering	pelted	perch	pleaded	plucking
positioned	positions	prayers	pure	rabbi
rabinovitch	racked	racket	reared	recognized
repositioned	responded	rooftop	sake	savoring
sawing	schoolwork	science	screech	secondhand
sha	spilling	springtime	stable	stages
stalls	startled	stoop	swirling	threaded
treadle	trolley	tuned	twitch	uncovered
venus	violin	violinist	violins	wearily
whinnied	winced	wolfed	yiddish	yudel
yudel's