The Falcon's Feathers
by Ron Roy
Grades 2-5; Genre - Mystery; GRL N; AR 1.0
Josh and his two friends look for the person who stole a peregrine falcon from its nest.
Comprehension Questions
Chapter 1
- What did you learn about peregrine falcons in this first chapter? They are almost extinct; they have multiple eggs/babies at a time; they are private and don’t like to be disturbed; they build their nests in trees; if humans disturb their nests, the parents might abandon the babies; falcons have a mother and father that stay together to help them grow up p.4
Chapter 2
- What is Josh’s reasoning that an owl or snake didn’t take the falcon babies? Mother and father falcons are fierce and wouldn’t let an animal take their babies p.15
Chapter 3
- Who did the children see near the nest and why? A man named Curt; he’s from the Department of Environmental Protection; Josh spoke with him on the phone; he was checking out the nest and told the kids to stay away from the area p.19
Chapter 4
- Why did Ruth Rose name the baby falcon Flash? He moves so quickly p.25
- What’s the result of someone trimming Flash’s wings? He couldn’t fly p.27
Chapter 5
- What was suspicious about Grace watching them from the diner? She was reading a magazine about falcons p.38
Chapter 6
- Predict who you think took Flash out of his cage. Listen to your child’s answer p.44
Chapter 7
- Why is Grace at the top of Josh’s list as a suspect? Because of Grace’s suspicious behavior; Flash bit her; she could have busted the lock on the gate; she was reading the magazine about falcons p.48
Chapter 8
- Why did Josh and his friends look through a book about falcons? To learn more about them; to learn why someone wants to steal Flash and the other babies p.49
Chapter 9
- What clues were found in this chapter? The person who broke into the gate was wearing gloves; the falcon’s leg band had the letters and numbers GLKS-6-17 p.61
Chapter 10
- Summarize this chapter. Josh, Dink, and Ruth Rose went to Curt’s cabin and heard whistling; they went to the shed and climbed in through the window; there were at least a dozen falcons in the cages; Curt saw them in the shed and slammed the window closed so they couldn’t get out p.66
Chapter 11
- What puzzle did Rush Rose solve while they were trapped in the shed? GL stands for Green Lawn and KS stands for Kurt Striker (his name begins with a K, not a C)
Chapter 12
- Why was Grace so suspicious during this story? She’s an undercover agent sent to Green Lawn to protect the Falcon population p.83