About
Its spring break and the Alden children head to the zoo for a special tour and photo contest. One of their friend’s cameras goes missing and the children are stumped as they try to find out where it disappeared to.
Read one section at a time, then discuss the questions to review understanding. These questions are a starting place for conversation, not a complete test of the chapter.
Chapter 1
Comprehension questions
Where did the children go for the day?
Page 1 — To the zoo
1
What kind of contest is the zoo having?
Page 7 — Photo
7
How many cameras did Blake buy?
Page 11 — Two
11
Who asked Blake if she could have one of his cameras?
Page 14 — Sophie
14
Chapter 2
Comprehension questions
Why is Annika upset that Blake has two cameras?
Page 18 — She feels its cheating
18
Who did Violet make a promise to about taking the first picture on their camera?
Page 19 — Benny
19
Why is Sophie sad?
Page 20 — She doesn’t have any money to buy a camera.
20
Who did the Alden’s share their lunch with?
Page 23 — Nico
23
Chapter 3
Comprehension questions
Whose camera went missing?
Page 29 — Blake’s
29
What does he think happened to it?
Page 30 — He thought someone took it.
30
What did everyone do to help find it?
Page 32 — They split up and searched the zoo.
32
Who kept disappearing?
Page 35 — Sophie
35
Chapter 4
Comprehension questions
What Annika do with her pockets and purse?
Page 41 — Dumped them out
41
What did the monkey open?
Page 41 — His cage door
41
What did the children use to lure the monkey back into its cage?
Page 46 — fruit
46
Did anyone find Blake’s missing camera?
Page 50 — No
50
Chapter 5
Comprehension questions
Tell me some of the kids on the Alden’s suspect list?
Page 53 — Sophie, Annika, Nico, Griffin
53
What did Benny and Jessie find in the lost and found?
Page 58 — A bracelet
58
Why doesn’t Sophie like giraffes?
Page 63 — She had a stuffed giraffe that looked creepy at night.
63
Does Jessie still think Sophie took the camera?
Page 64 — No
64
Chapter 6
Comprehension questions
What did Simio do after Mr. Newton let him off the leash?
Page 72 — He grabbed student’s things and put them in a pile.
72
Who didn’t label their cameras with their first names?
Page 74 — The twins/ Griffon & Matthew
74
Who did the Alden’s think could have taken Blake’s camera?
Page 75 — Simio
75
Chapter 7
Comprehension questions
What did Mr. Newton find in Simio’s pile?
Page 81 — His tennis shoe
81
Was the camera in Simio’s pile?
Page 82 — No
82
How did Annika act when Jessie asked her if she had two cameras?
Page 84 — frustrated
84
What did Jessie do with their list of suspects for the first time?
Page 85 — Cross them all off
85
Chapter 8
Comprehension questions
Who got to have the first slice of pizza?
Page 87 — Benny
87
Who won third place?
Page 90 — Griffin
90
What did Violet get for second place?
Page 92 — A supersize popcorn bucket
92
What did Blake do for Annika when she won first place?
Page 93 — He made her a photographer for the newspaper
93
Chapter 9
Comprehension questions
How many pictures of each animal did Blake take?
Page 99 — One
99
How many pictures did Annika like to take of each animal?
Page 99 — Multiple
99
Who really won the contest?
Page 101 — Blake
101
Chapter 10
Comprehension questions
What was the new mystery the Alden’s needed to solve?
Page 103 — Who took Annika’s camera
103
What animal did Sophie take a lot of pictures of?
Page 105 — Giraffes
105
Whose camera did Sophie try to take?
Page 108 — Blake’s
108
What was Sophie’s consequence for taking the camera?
Page 112 — She needed to help at the zoo.
112
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