Stone Fox

By John Reynolds Gardiner

Grades 4-5; Genre - Fiction; GRL P; AR pts: 1.0

Grandfather is sick and ten year old Little Willie is left to care for the farm and find a way to pay the taxes.  His only hope to keep the farm is to win a dog sled race, but the legendary dog sled racer, Stone Fox, has also entered the race. 

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

1. Who takes care of little Willie?  His grandfather  p. 3
2. What is little Willie’s dog’s name?  Searchlight  p. 5
3. Why did little Willie go get Doc Smith?  Grandfather wouldn’t get out of bed  p. 5
4. What was wrong with Grandfather? He gave up living  p. 9

Chapter 2

1. How old is little Willie?  Ten  p. 11
2. How does Grandfather speak to little Willie?  With his hand/ hand signals  p. 14
3. What do Grandfather and little Willie grow on their farm?  Potatoes   p.  11
4. Who helped little Willie harvest the potatoes?  Searchlight  p. 19

Chapter 3

1. How did little Willie help Grandfather eat? Fed him a spoonful at a time  p. 24
2. How much money does little Willie have in the bank for college?  $50  p. 25
3. What do little Willie and Searchlight do every evening when the clock BONGS at six o’clock?  Race home using the dog sled   p. 26
4. Why wasn’t little Willie scared to race like this at night?  Searchlight had done it so many times, she knew how to get them home safe   p.  28

Chapter 4

1. What did Clifford Snyder point at Searchlight when she barked at him?  a gun  p. 30
2. Why was Clifford Snyder at little Willie’s home?  He’d come to collect the taxes on the farm   p. 34
3. How much money does Grandfather owe in taxes?  $500   p. 36
4. What will happen if Grandfather doesn’t pay the taxes?  Snyder will take the farm and sell it  p. 37

Chapter 5

1. What is making Grandfather sick?  owing $500 in taxes    p. 40
2. Where did little Willie go in his blue suit and tie?  To the bank   p. 40
3. What did Grandfather say when little Willie asked if he should sell the farm?  Didn’t answer   p. 44
4. How does little Willie think he can earn the money?  A dog sled race   p. 46

Chapter 6

1. How much money did it cost little Willie to enter the race?  $50   p. 48
2. How did little Willie pay for the race?   His college money   p. 49
3. Tell me about Stone Fox.   Giant, Indian, never talks, his face as hard as stone    p. 51
4. What does Stone Fox do with the money he wins from dog sled races?  Buys farms for his people   p. 54

Chapter 7

1. What did little Willie go get in the night from Lester at the general store?  Medicine for Grandfather   p. 57
2. What was in the old deserted barn?  Stone Fox’s five white dogs   p. 60
3. Why did Stone Fox hit little Willie in the barn?  Little Willie was going to pet his dogs  p. 60
4. Why wasn’t little Willie able to sleep the night before the race?  His eye was killing him  p. 62

Chapter 8

1. Why wasn’t little Willie able to see out of his eye?  It was swollen shut   p. 64
2. Why didn’t little Willie like to hunt?  He loves animals too much  p. 65
3. How many men were competing in the race?  Nine   p. 68
4. What did little Willie tell the townspeople about how he got hurt?  Bumped his eye when he got up  p. 68

Chapter 9

1. Who was winning the race at the beginning?  Little Willie   p. 71
2. What place was Stone Fox in at the beginning?  Last   p. 71
3. When little Willie passed Grandfather’s farm, who did he see looking out the window?  Grandfather  p. 74
4. Why was Stone Fox able to creep up on little Willie?  Little Willie was thinking about Grandfather   p. 76

Chapter 10

1. How did Searchlight die? Her heart burst/she gave it everything she had   p. 79
2. Why did Stone Fox put his hand on Searchlight’s chest?To see if she was alive  p. 82
3. What did Stone Fox draw in the snow?A line   p. 83
4. What did little Willie do after Stone Fox stopped all of the other racers?  Carried Searchlight over the finish line  p. 83