Diary of a Frightened Pharoah
October 31
Dear Journal,
Tonight was supposed to be the greatest night of the entire century for me. It was Halloween! For three hundred and sixty-four days a year, I have to hide out in the quiet museum basement with my family, avoiding the tour groups and staying completely still whenever a guard walks past. But on Halloween, the world upside down becomes normal. Kids everywhere walk the streets wrapped in toilet paper, wearing plastic vampire fangs, or donning witches' hats. On this one evening, a real young mummy like me can walk right out into the neighborhood, and everyone just assumes I have the most realistic costume on the block.
Everything was going according to plan until the sun dipped below the horizon. My older brother, Ramses, tightened the linen wraps around my elbows and handed me an orange plastic bucket. He told me that tonight, we were going to conquer Maple Street and gather enough chocolate bars to last us until spring. I felt proud and excited. My linen strips were freshly brushed, my ancient gold amulet was glowing under the streetlamps, and the autumn air smelled crisp and sweet.
Then, catastrophe struck near the old oak tree at the end of the sidewalk.
- amulet:
- A small charm or ornament worn to protect a person from harm.
- catastrophe:
- A sudden, terrible disaster or unexpected misfortune.
- ceremonial:
- Relating to formal rituals or traditional grand events.
- unpredictable:
- Not able to be foreseen or guessed beforehand.
- authentic:
- Real, genuine, or true to original qualities.
- cower:
- To crouch down or shrink back in fear.
- horizon:
- The distant line where the earth's surface and the sky seem to meet.
One passage, many ways to practice
Reading-skill questions, word work and writing prompts — all built from this text.
Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Context Clues
Use clues in the passage to work out what words mean. A separate printable Vocabulary worksheet is also available.
Summarize
Select, organize, and restate the most important information without adding opinion.
Point of View
Identify who presents the text and analyze how perspective shapes what the reader receives.
Purpose
Analyze what the author aims to do and how choices serve audience and purpose.
Structure
Analyze how sections and organizational choices build the text's ideas or effects.
Language & Tone
Interpret nonliteral language and analyze how word choice shapes tone and meaning.
Writing Prompts
Use the passage as a springboard for short written responses, from personal reflection to evidence-based arguments.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1Why does Halloween give the narrator a unique opportunity compared to the other 364 days of the year?
- 2What detail from the passage explains why Tut was especially terrified of bats?
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About this diary entry passage for Upper Elementary
“Diary of a Frightened Pharoah” is a diary entry reading passage about Overcoming Fear, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 5 minutes to read (699 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.