Chapter two showed the reader that the babysitter's phone battery had already died. Now Priya texts her mother, "Don't worry, I'll just call if anything comes up." What does the reader's extra knowledge create here?

Earlier the reader watched the cat knock the broom over in the kitchen. Now Dev grips a flashlight and whispers, "Someone is in there. Stay behind me." Why does Dev's whisper read as funny rather than frightening?

Stage direction: [The audience sees Tomas slide a forged letter under the door.] Two scenes later Ana reads it aloud and says, "At last, proof that he is honest." What does that stage direction do for the audience?

The reader saw Nia's family hide the cake and switch off the lamps. Nia now drops her bag and sighs, "Not one person remembered my birthday. I'll just go read." What effect does the reader's knowledge give her complaint?

The reader knows the huge prints in the mud came from the Alvarez family's dog. Ravi measures one and announces, "Nothing that size lives around here. We should build a trap tonight." The gap in knowledge makes Ravi's plan

The first paragraph told the reader the ice was thin past the dock. Now Ben ties his skates and calls back, "I'm heading for the middle, where it's smooth." What does the author gain by giving the reader the ice first?

The passage reads: "The letter arrived Tuesday. Sam tossed the envelope out unopened. The warning inside named the flooded road. On Friday Sam took the shortcut." Which sentence gives the reader knowledge Sam never gets?

In scene one the reader hears Coach tell an assistant that Jae has already been chosen for the team. In scene two Jae paces and mutters, "They will never pick me." What does the gap between reader and character do here?

The opening line tells the reader the ladder is cracked. Iris climbs it, humming. Suppose the author cut that opening line and let the crack appear only when the ladder snapped. What would the story lose?

For three chapters the reader has known the treasure map is a fake, while Owen has not. In chapter four Owen finally spots the printer's mark in the corner. What happens to the effect the gap was creating?

The author shows the reader the trap door in scene one, though Lena does not find it until scene five. Why put that information in front of the reader first?

The reader watched the guard change the storeroom lock this morning. Otto pats his pocket and says, "One key, one door, no trouble." What does Otto's line do, given what the reader knows?

Cal writes, "Rosa smiled the whole time I sang, so I must have been good." The passage also prints Rosa's note to her brother: "I bit my cheek to keep from laughing." What lets the reader see what Cal misses?

Ada hides in the shed, sure that Theo is still at school. Theo waits at school, sure that Ada has gone home. The reader has watched both of them. What does the reader hold that neither character has?

The reader was shown that the station clock runs twenty minutes slow. Mira glances up at it and says, "Plenty of time. I'll stop for tea first." What does the earlier detail about the clock do here?

As written, chapter one tells the reader the village well is dry before Jonas walks two miles uphill with his empty buckets. Which change would remove the effect that chapter creates?

The reader watched Sam's grandmother leave for the airport. Sam now stands at her door rehearsing: "I'm sorry about the vase. Please open up. I know you're in there." Why is the scene funny?

For two chapters the reader has known that the letter under the rug names Dana as the thief. Character after character walks across that rug. What does the author's choice make the reader do while reading?

The reader heard Uncle Ray arrange to sell his boat on Saturday. On the phone he tells Kip, "Nothing has changed. She's yours in June." What does the reader's knowledge do to Ray's promise?

The reader knows the new neighbor is the school principal; Tariq has never met her. He leans over the fence and says, "Don't send your kids to my school. The principal is a dragon." Why is the moment funny?