Summary

Chapter 1 talks about how Hemlock Mountain got its name and how it’s not really a mountain but a big hill. Johnathan is introduced as well as his large family. Most aren’t named, but are listed just as a cousin or an aunt. Johnathan’s mother can cook well and always feeds her family and the extended family that wafts through. She wishes sometimes they wouldn’t just come through to eat.

Analysis

This the chapter where all the characters and the setting is put in place, and the author also establishes the mood of the story. From the start of the book the reader can tell the main character and narrator is a young child due to the lack of sophistication of the speech. Johnathan has a mother who cooks for all her family and anyone who drops by. She demonstrates the...