The Runaway Racehorse

by Ron Roy

Grades 3-5; Genre - Mystery; GRL N; AR pts: 1.0

And they're off! Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose are excited to see Uncle Warren's new racehorse, Whirlaway, in action. But the night before the big race, the horse disappears! He shows up just in time to lose the race. Why is Whirlaway suddenly so slow? Can the kids figure it out- or is Whirlaway out of the winner's circle for good?

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

1. Where are Dink, Josh and Ruth Rose going?
   To Larchmont, New York to see a racehorse p.1
2. How did they travel to get there? By
   train p.1
3. What was missing when the kids went
   to see Whirlaway? Whirlaway p.11

Chapter 2

1. Where does Forest think Whirlaway has
   disappeared to? Over to visit his mother p.13
2. Why did Ruth Rose and Josh have so
   much fun in the back of the pickup? The road was bumpy p.15
3. Was Whirlaway visiting his mom? No
   p.19

Chapter 3

1. What did Whirlaway look like when he
   returned to the barn? Muddy p.26
2. What did the kids find on Whirlaway
   when they were washing him? A mark like a stamp p.28

Chapter 4

1. Why did Whirlaway refuse to go with
   Ruth Rose? He was spooked from being out in the storm and coming home to
   strangers p.31
2. Who else was Whirlaway scared of? Sunny
   p.32
3. What did Ruth Rose observe about Sunny
   after reading her book about horses? Sunny and she doesn’t have Whirlaway’s
   trust and scares him p.36

Chapter 5

1. Where did the kids and adults travel
   to and why? Saratoga Springs; a horse race p.39
2. Why does Sunny wear goggles during
   the race? The horses in front kick up mud, so it protects her eyes p.44
3. How did Whirlaway react to Sunny when
   Ruth Rose wanted a picture? Scared; upset p.44

Chapter 6

1. Where did the kids get to sit during
   the horse races? Forest’s private box p.45
2. Who won the first horse race? Merry
   Mary p.49
3. Why did Forest conclude that
   something was wrong with Whirlaway after the race? He had never run so badly
   before p.53

Chapter 7

1. What did Sunny say about Whirlaway’s
   performance? She said he ran like a different horse p.55
2. What can make a horse run slower? Their
   jockey p.56
3. Who did Ruth Rose take a picture of? Josh,
   Dink and Dancer p.58

Chapter 8

1. What did Josh find on his collar? A
   dark smudge p.62
2. Why did Ruth Rose want to get her film
   developed so quickly? So she could see if the man in the cowboy hat was Mr.
   Bunks p.63
3. If it is Mr. Bunks, what’s the
   problem? He said he wasn’t into racing horses anymore; he lied p.64

Chapter 9

1. What was on Josh’s collar? Shoe polish
   p.69
2. How did the shoe polish get there? From
   Dancer, the horse who nudged him from behind, it had shoe polish on its forehead
   covering up the white mark p.71
3. How was Josh going to prove their
   horse wasn’t Whirlaway? Offer it a sugar cube, if the horse eats it, it’s
   not Whirlaway p.73

Chapter 10

1. What was on Josh’s fingers after
   touching Dancer’s forehead? Shoe polish p.77
2. Who’s responsible for trading the
   horses? Mr. Bunks p.78
3. Why did it take Sunny so long to get
   home from the race? She stopped at the vet p.84