The Pumpkin Patch Puzzle

By Carolyn Keene

Grades2-4; Genre - Fiction; GRL O; AR pts: 2.0

Nancy and her friends are excited about the Fall Festival and can't wait to enter the pumpkin decorating contest.   But right before the contest begins someone has created mischief in the pumpkin tent.  Nancy and the Clue Crew have to solve the mystery of who made the mess in the pumpkin tent before the end of the festival or there won't be a pumpkin decorating contest.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

1. What contest is Nancy and her friends entering during the Fall Festival?  Pumpkin decorating contest   p. 1
2. Who is the new girl in Nancy’s class at school?  Emma   p. 5
3. What does Emma think of the Fall Festival?  It’s stupid   p. 7

Chapter 2

1. Who is Audrey?  Emma’s little sister   p. 10
2. Who do Audrey and Emma live with?  Their aunt   p. 11
3. Why doesn’t Emma like the festival?  Her aunt’s in charge and never has time for her  p. 12

Chapter 3

1. What was Mr. Drew’s advice when Nancy told him about Emma and how rude she was?  Be patient and keep trying to be nice   p. 19
2. What did the girls turn in when they went downtown?  Entry forms for the contest   p. 20
3. What did the Clue Crew help Emma and Audrey carry out to the pumpkin tent?  Art supplies for the contest   p. 24

Chapter 4

1. What yummy traditional treat did the girls buy and eat at the Fall Festival?  Apple fritters   p. 31
2. Why did everyone want to win the pumpkin decorating contest?  So their pumpkin would be the design of the posters for next year’s Fall Festival   p. 35
3. When the Clue Crew went to go begin decorating their pumpkins, what did they find when they went into the pumpkin tent?   Paint spilled everywhere, some pumpkins had fallen onto the ground and split  p. 38

Chapter 5

1. After finding the pumpkin tent a mess, why was Aunt Claire upset the contest entries were gone?  She wouldn’t know who signed up for the contest   p. 40
2. When Nancy found the bracelet, why did she think it might belong to who messed up the tent?  It was covered in paint and was dropped accidentally   p. 45
3. Why did Aunt Claire think Emma and Nancy had made the mess?  They were in the tent before the festival began  p. 46

Chapter 6

1. What are the five W’s the Clue Crew used to help organize their case?  Who, what, when, where, why   p. 49
2. How did Nancy’s dad know she’s not lying when she said she didn’t mess up the pumpkin tent?  Her right eye twitches   p. 52
3. What did the Clue Crew rummage through to find the application for the art school Madison wanted to go to?  The garbage  can   p. 57

Chapter 7

1. Why was Madison’s application for the summer art school in the garbage?  She was upset the pumpkin decorating contest was canceled and ripped it up   p. 61
2. How does Aunt Claire feel about the Clue Crew helping out with the case?  Doesn’t like it/ wants them to let the adults handle it   p. 62
3. Who took the headband and thought it was theirs?  Deirdre  Shannon   p. 67

Chapter 8

1. How did Deirdre know the headband wasn’t hers?  It didn’t have the right shimmer  p. 69
2. Why did George want to win a stuffed animal at the festival?  To keep her other stuffed animal company   p. 71
3. Where did the sweet smell come from that Nancy smelled at lunch and at the festival?  Emma  p. 73

Chapter 9

1. Did Emma ruin the contest and take the design entries?   No    p. 74
2. How did Nancy know that Audrey messed up the pumpkin contest?  Her doll has the same bracelet that was found in the pumpkin tent   p. 78
3. What really happened to the pumpkin tent?  Audrey was mad she couldn’t enter the contest and wanted to still decorate a pumpkin, but the paint spilled and she knocked off the pumpkins   p. 79

Chapter 10

1. Who did Nancy notice was missing a gold headband like the one she’d found?  A dancer    p. 85
2. Who did the box of entry forms?  Tommy Sassano   p. 87
3. Why couldn’t Tommy enter the pumpkin decorating contest? He’s Rick’s nephew.  Family can’t enter the contest   p. 88