Cape Mermaid Mystery
By Carolyn Keene
Grades 1-4; Genre- Fiction; AR pts: 2.0
The Clue Crew travels with Nancy's dad and Hannah to Cape Mermaid, New Jersey. Nancy's cousin, Tessie, reveals a mystery for Nancy and her friends of a ghost who used to live in Cape Mermaid. Nancy and her crew take on the challenge, but she wonders why Tessie behaves so strange about it all.
Comprehension Questions
Chapter 1
- Where do Nancy and her friends get to go in this story? The beach, Cape Mermaid, New Jersey p. 3
- What was Tessie holding when Nancy and the group got to the front door? A purple video camera p. 4
- How old is Tessie? 10 years What about Amanda? 6 years p. 3
- What are the names of Tessie’s friends? Michaela and Emma p. 8
- What was written on the wall in the attic? Help Me p. 11
Chapter 2
- Who did Tessie think wrote the message on the attic wall? Rowena Ellison/ ghost p. 12
- Tell me about Rowena Ellison. Lived a long time ago, artist, hade a family, lived in Mermaid Cape p. 20
- What role does Tessie play when she turns on her video Camera? Journalist/ reporter p. 21
Chapter 3
- How did Mrs. Bishop respond when Tessie asked her about Rowena the ghost? Angry p. 23
- How did Mrs. Yamada the librarian feel about Rowena Ellison? Dramatic, said she’d seen and felt her p. 26
- What did Nancy think of Mrs. Yamada’s stories about Rowena? Exaggerated and didn’t sound ghostly p. 28
Chapter 4
- How did Julio and Henry scare Nancy at the candy shop? Touched her with a cold hand and whispered they were Rowena’s ghost p. 31
- When the girls were at the beach, what did Tessie use to record their conversation on the ghost case? Her Kidcam p. 34
- Why did Tessie tell the Clue Crew they didn’t need a list of suspects? Rowena’s ghost is real p. 35
Chapter 5
- Where did Emma and Michaela see Rowena’s ghost? At Rowena’s cottage in the window p. 38
- Why did Bess offer to stay at the beach and watch their stuff when everyone else wanted to check out the cottage for the ghost? She was scared and didn’t want to see the ghost p. 39
- What did Nancy find in the sand behind the cottage? A coin with a mermaid on one side and train or bus on the other p. 44
Chapter 6
- Why did the girls think Julio or Henry couldn’t have been the ghost in the window? she had long hair and was a girl p. 47
- Why was Amanda upset she couldn’t have a sleep over with the girls? She wanted to be a big girl too/ they were telling ghost stories p. 49
- What did Nancy and Tessie hear that night after everyone else went to sleep? Noises in the attic p. 51
Chapter 7
- Who did Nancy and Tessie find in the attic when they went to check out the noises? Amanda p. 53
- What did Amanda do to make the bump noises Tessie and Nancy heard? Bounce a ball p. 53
- Why did Bess think Amanda couldn’t have written “Help me” on the attic wall? Not old enough to write neatly p. 57
Chapter 8
- What did the Clue Crew realize was the picture on the gold coin? A trolley p. 60
- What did the trolley use to take as payment when people wanted a ride? The tokens p. 62
- What’s Mrs. Bishop’s first name? Rowena p. 64
Chapter 9
- Why was Mrs. Bishop at her grandmother’s old cottage when Michaela and Emma walked by it? She was making a list of things that need to be done to fix up the cottage p. 68
- Why didn’t Mrs. Bishop want the girls to talk about Rowena’s ghost? It’s hurting her efforts to raise money to fix up the cottage p. 70
- Why did Nancy accuse Michaela of being the ghost? She saw the Michaela had practiced writing Help Me in her notebook before she let Nancy borrow it p. 75
Chapter 10
- Why did Tessie and her friends pretend there was a ghost? They wanted to enter a film competition p. 79
- How did Tessie and her friends make it up to the Clue Crew for lying to them? Take them out for ice cream p. 81
- What was Tessie and her friends’ consequence for deceiving the town? Couldn’t their computers or watch television for the rest of the month p. 82
- What did Tessie’s parents want her to make a film about for the competition? Rowena Ellison’s life and her cottage p. 82