The Case of the Great Sled Race
by James Preller
Grades 2-3; Genre - Mystery; GRL N; AR pts. 1.0
Someone steals Bigs Maloney's sled two days before the Great Sled Race, and Jigsaw and Mila are on the case.
Comprehension Questions
Chapter 1
- Describe Bigs. Roughest and toughest kid in 2nd grade; wants help getting his Velma back p.4
Chapter 2
- Who is Velma and why did Bigs name her that? A sled; the first part of Velocity and the first part of Machine p.10
Chapter 3
- What could be the motivation behind someone stealing the sled? Prevent Bigs from winning a sledding race p.18
Chapter 4
- Summarize this chapter. Jigsaw went to school the next day and learned that reading is like solving a mystery…answering who, what, when where and how p.20
Chapter 5
- What word is the root of the word motivation that explains why? Motive p.30
Chapter 6
- Why is Jigsaw the main character’s name? He likes to solve puzzles p.35
Chapter 7
- What is suspicious about the conversation with Jasper? He acted like he had a cold and didn’t open the door; he seemed nervous and asked if Bigs would really clobber someone p.43
Chapter 8
- Why does Jigsaw want to watch the video of Joey sledding? It’s filmed the same day and location the sled went missing; he might find a clue p.51
Chapter 9
- Predict what Jigsaw spotted on the video. Listen to your child’s answer
Chapter 10
- Are you correct in your prediction? Listen to your child’s answer; Jigsaw saw Lucy and Jasper take the sled p.66
Chapter 11
- Summarize the conclusion to this story. Jigsaw realized that Jasper just wanted to try the sled but didn’t return it before Bigs noticed it was gone; Lucy and Jasper were scared Bigs would hurt him, so they hid it; Jigsaw didn’t tell Bigs who took it and returned it to him; Bigs won the singles race and Mila and Jigsaw won the doubles race p.67