The Intrepid Canadian Expedition

Created by Jeff Brown & Written by Sara Pennypacker

Grades 3-5; Genre - Fiction; GRL Q; AR pts: 1.0

Stanley’s family is on a ski vacation in Canada on the way to a wedding.  Stanley meets a new friend and they literally get carried over the mountains to where the Inuit live.  The boys learn to be a team and what it really means to be a good friend.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

1. What made skiing hard for Stanley?  The wind  p. 1
2. How does Stanley’s brother treat him now that he’s flat?  Teases him about it  p. 2
3. Why does Stanley feel lonely now that he’s flat?  Didn’t have much in common with other people  p. 5
4. When Arthur wrecked, why did the boy tell Stanley not to move him?  he may have broken bone  p. 8

Chapter 2

1. What did Arthur’s ankle look like after his accident?  A cantaloupe  p. 12
2. Why can’t Arthur go to the snowboarding championships?  Has to heal   p. 14
3. Who did Arthur want Stanley to give his ticket to?  Nick/ the boy who helped him  p. 16
4. Why was Stanley happy to go with Nick to the competition?  Needed to make a new friend  p. 17

Chapter 3

1. What does it mean to brag?  To be boastful, talk about yourself like your better than everyone else  p. 20
2. What did Stanley become so Nick could join the snowboarding competition?  A snowboard p. 21
3. What did Nick yell to his dad when he was stuck in the air with Stanley?  “We’re going to fall!”  p. 28
4. What did Stanley do to help Nick calm down when they were stuck in the air?  talked to him about other things  p. 30

Chapter 4

1. What did Stanley become that gave him and Nick a soft crash landing when they fell out of the sky?   a parachute  p. 36
2. What is an Inuit?  Native person to the land of Canada  p. 37
3. What kind of house does Tulugaq live in?  little wooden house  p. 38
4.  Where did the shaman tell Stanley and Nick to go?  Niagara Falls  p. 45

Chapter 5

1. How did Stanley and Nick travel to Calgary?  Dog sled  p. 49
2. What does Mountie Martin do for a living?  He’s a police officer  p. 55
3. What is Canada’s national sport?  Hockey  p. 58
4. When Mountie Martin found out Stanley had never been to a hockey game, where did he take the boys?  A hockey game  p. 62

Chapter 6

1. What two things did Stanley fold himself into at the hockey game?  A maple leaf and hockey puck p. 68
2. What did the boys win at the hockey game?  Two plane tickets and two hockey tickets to the next game in Toronto p. 66
3. Why did the boys want to win the tickets and go to Toronto?  It got them closer to Niagara Falls  p. 70

Chapter 7

1. How many gallons of water go over Niagara Falls every second?  150 gallons  p. 74
2. What struck Stanley and almost blew him into the falls?  The wind  p. 74
3. What did Stanley make around Nick as his friend slipped and fell into the waterfalls?  A barrel  p.75
4. Have you ever been to Niagara Falls?  If not, tell me what you think it would be like. Listen to your child's explanation.

Chapter 8

1. Why did Stanley’s and Nick’s parents come to Niagara Falls? They thought Nick was yelling, “We’re going to the Falls.”  P. 79
2. What did Dr. Dave think was the cause for Stanley’s flatness? Falling into the crushing falls  p. 80
3. Where was the wedding that both families were going to? Niagara Falls  p. 82
4. How did Arthur feel about how he’s treated Stanley? Bad  p. 87