Question

handful of spoons. \thank goodness you girls are all right.\ she says. \apparently, the whole citys out of power. its quiet as a library around here.\ she hands us each a spoon. \anyway,\ she says, \dig in.\ \ice - cream for dinner?\ i ask.
o rules during blackouts,\ mom says, smiling. even though the sun is setting, its still too hot to go inside. so we stay on the sidewalk with our neighbors, sharing food and telling stories until the sky clears and darkness sets in. when i finally gaze up into the sky, my jaw drops. above us, a gazillion stars shine as brilliantly as diamonds. \i see the big dipper!\ i shout. \and the little dipper!\ maria yells. fill in the blanks to explain what the girls see when they look up into the night sky. when the sun goes down, the sky becomes dark. thats because there is no ▲ in the city. as a res electricity line as brilliantly as dia rain eans they activity ause of the ▼, the girls can see more stars than they usually see.

Explanation:

The city is out of power, so there is no artificial light (electricity) interfering with the view of the night - sky. This lack of light pollution allows the girls to see more stars than usual.

Answer:

First blank: electricity
Second blank: lack of light pollution