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School begins again but Scout is still not enjoying herself. Jem suddenly tells Scout that when he retrieved his torn trousers from the Radley fence he found them roughly sewn and neatly folded as if waiting for him. More gifts continue to appear in the hole in the oak tree outside the Radley garden, including two images of a boy and a girl carved from soap. However, before long they discover that the hole has been filled with cement and Jem is particularly upset.

Unusually, the winter is particularly cold and it begins to snow. Scout has never seen snow before and the children try to build a snowman. That evening Miss Maudie’s house catches fire and is completely destroyed. Jem and Scout spend most of the night outside. Scout falls asleep and when she wakes she is surprised to find a blanket has been placed around her shoulders. Atticus suggests it was Boo Radley who probably placed it there and she is angry she missed an opportunity to glimpse him, You were so busy looking at the fire you didn’t know it when he put the blanket around you. Miss Maudie is forced to live with Miss Stephanie Crawford, the town gossip, until her new house is built.

Hot-headed Scout soon gets into more trouble at school for fighting. Cecil Jacobs teases her, claiming that her father defends black people. This is the readers’ first introduction to the court case which is central to the novel.

Christmas arrives and so too does Atticus’ brother Uncle Jack Finch. The children receive the air rifles they want but Atticus admits he ...merely bowed to the inevitable when he allowed them to have the rifles.

Christmas day is spent with Aunt Alexandra and her family. Scout despises her Aunt’s grandson Francis, especially when he teases her about the trial.

Chapters 10 to 12 - Jem reads to Mrs Dubose

Both Jem and Scout are embarrassed by the fact that Atticus is almost 50. They think he is unable to teach them how to shoot and he warns them, Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. This is central to the major theme of the novel.

Mockingbirds do nothing but sing for everyone’s pleasure so Atticus feels it is important that they are not purposefully harmed in any way. Similarly, there are characters in the novel who could also be described as mockingbird figures. Tom Robinson does nothing but try to help Mayella Ewell but is persecuted because he is black. Boo Radley is an innocent who takes pleasure in watching Jem and Scout enjoy their outdoor adventures yet he is persecuted by the town gossips who maintain he is a monster simply because he lives a reclusive lifestyle.

Jem and Scout are shocked when a mad dog appears in the street and Atticus is the one elected to shoot it. They discover that he was once an expert marksman and are puzzled that he has hidden this fact from them.

Following Jem’s twelfth birthday, he and Scout take a trip into town. They are accosted by Mrs Dubose, their elderly and sick neighbour who taunts them once again about Atticus defending a black man. Later, Jem loses control and uses Scout’s new twirling baton to behead her beloved camellia bushes. His punishment is to read daily to Mrs Dubose until she falls asleep. Scout keeps Jem company until one day she finally releases them. It is not until her death that Jem discovers he was reading to her to help her overcome her addiction to morphine.

Summer arrives but Dill does not, having decided to stay with his mother and new stepfather. Atticus has to go away so it is decided that Calpurnia, the Finch’s maid, will take Scout and Jem to the church she attends on Sunday. Here the children learn more about Tom Robinson, the man being defended by their father and are given a warm welcome by the congregation. The children begin to see for themselves how difficult life has been made for black people living in the community and how unjustly many of them have been treated.