About
After a class trip to a floating zoo where animals are mistreated and Savannah's missing pet monkey is found in a cage, Long Island sixth-grader Griffin Bing and his band of misfits plan a rescue.
Read one section at a time, then discuss the questions to review understanding. These questions are a starting place for conversation, not a complete test of the chapter.
Chapter 1
Comprehension questions
Describe Griffin.
Page 2 — A man with a plan; determined; doesn’t like people to disagree with him; stands up for what he believes in
2
What does Savannah need help with?
Page 4 — Her pet monkey is missing
4
Chapter 2
Comprehension questions
Describe Luthor.
Page 6 — A dog owned by Savannah; he used to belong to the pawn shop owner in the first book, but he is in prison, so Luthor is with Savannah
6
How are Luthor and Griffin similar in this chapter?
Page 11 — They will lose their best friends
11
Chapter 3
Comprehension questions
How did Darren know about Griffin’s Dad’s top-secret invention?
Page 15 — Darren’s mom is Griffin’s dad’s lawyer and she must have told him about it (even though it’s top-secret)
15
Chapter 4
Comprehension questions
Describe All Aboard Animals.
Page 22 — A floating streamer with animals in cages
22
Why was Savannah outraged while going through the animal exhibits?
Page 24 — The cages hadn’t been cleaned, water hadn’t been changed, there wasn’t enough warmth and the cages were too small
24
What animal do you predict is the newest addition to the zoo?
Page 25 — Listen to your child’s answer
25
Chapter 5
Comprehension questions
Predict how Griffin will respond to his question at the end of this chapter.
Page 31 — Listen to your child’s answer; he’s going to come up with a plan to get Savannah’s pet back
31
Chapter 6
Comprehension questions
Were you correct in your prediction?
Page 37 — Listen to your child’s answer
37
What plan did Griffin come up with?
Page 37 — Operation Zoobreak
37
Chapter 7
Comprehension questions
How did Griffin talk Ben into doing Operation Zoobreak?
Page 40 — Convinced him this would be the last chance for them to work on a plan together since Ben was changing schools
40
Chapter 8
Comprehension questions
What do you think will be Griffin’s job on the team?
Page 48 — Listen to your child’s answer; ex. He’s the one who comes up with the plan, so he’ll be the one who adapts the plan if anything goes wrong
48
Chapter 9
Comprehension questions
What was accomplished during the trip to the floating animal zoo?
Page 50 — Melissa was able to put up the webcams; Pitch was able to explore the area; Ben and Griffin found another way onto the boat if it’s locked
50
Is the floating zoo a good business venture for the people who own it? Why or why not?
Listen to your child’s answer
Chapter 10
Comprehension questions
What did Logan do to accomplish the task he was given and what did he learn?
Page 64 — He fell into the water so Klaus would rescue him and drew the attention away from Griffin and Ben; he found out that Klaus sleeps on the boat and is a light sleeper
64
Chapter 11
Comprehension questions
Summarize this chapter.
Page 67 — Pitch was climbing and researching the climb in, with the conclusion that the team couldn’t do it; everyone gathered on the dock and Logan and Pitch reported their bad news: they can’t climb the fence to get into the preserve and Klaus is a light sleeper; Griffin got the idea to approach the boat by water
67
Chapter 12
Comprehension questions
What do you think caused the webcam to go dark?
Page 78 — Listen to your child’s answer
78
Explain why there could be a potential problem if Griffin doesn’t figure out why the webcam stopped working.
Page 78 — They don’t know what caused the webcam to go dark, so Klaus or Mr. Nasty could be onto them, and their plan may not work
78
Chapter 13
Comprehension questions
What helped Griffin come up with a way to get to the zoo since Darren didn’t show up?
Page 86 — Ben fell asleep in a rowboat
86
Chapter 14
Comprehension questions
What was the first hiccup in their plan once they reached the boat?
Page 92 — Klaus was sleeping beneath the vent in a compartment and Ben woke him up as he was climbing through the vent and shined the flashlight into his eyes
92
Chapter 15
Comprehension questions
Predict the danger Cleo is trying to warn Savannah about?
Page 97 — Listen to your child’s answer
97
Chapter 16
Comprehension questions
List two hiccups to the plan that manifested during this chapter.
Page 99 — 1) Savannah wouldn’t leave the boat without rescuing all the animals 2) the rowboat was gone, so they had no way to escape
99
Chapter 17
Comprehension questions
Describe the reunion between Cleo and Luther.
Page 110 — They saw each other, jumped toward each other, and collided in midair; they were thrilled to see each other
110
Chapter 18
Comprehension questions
What’s the next plan Griffin is coming up with?
Page 116 — What to do with the animals they stole from the zoo; the zookeeper they reached out to is out of town for two weeks
116
Chapter 19
Comprehension questions
Why is the new operation called Operation Houseguest?
Page 119 — They were dividing up the animals from the floating zoo, and each member of the team will house a few of them; the animals will be houseguests at each team member’s home
119
Chapter 20
Comprehension questions
Why doesn’t the team want Darren to know they stole the animals from the floating zoo?
Page 135 — They don’t trust him; he stood them up when he told them he would help them
135
Chapter 21
Comprehension questions
Summarize this chapter in less than 30 words.
Page 137 — Savannah and Griffin went to each team members’ home to check on the animals. Darren wanted to get in on the plan
137
Chapter 22
Comprehension questions
What proof does Klaus have that Mr. Nastase is a thief?
Page 152 — He stole the lamp from a hotel
152
Chapter 23
Comprehension questions
Give an example of how the zookeeper is a hypocrite?
Page 161 — He said he knew everything there was to know about animals, yet he didn’t recognize his own loon in the pond next to Savannah’s house and called it a pigeon
161
Chapter 24
Comprehension questions
How did Darren’s plan backfire?
Page 169 — Darren caught the owl and wanted to sell the owl back to the zookeeper, but the zookeeper told him to find out where his animals are, or he’ll tell the police Darren stole them
169
Chapter 25
Comprehension questions
How can the lost paper with the plan turn their plan into a catastrophe?
Page 173 — Listen to your child’s answer
173
Chapter 26
Comprehension questions
List two reasons why it was risky for the kids to take Griffin’s dad’s invention?
Page 178 — If his dad found out, he’d call the police; the police might see them traveling to the zoo and stop them
178
Chapter 27
Comprehension questions
When Darren’s parents found out about the plan putting the animals in the zoo, they were concerned for the safety of the six kids. How would your parents have reacted?
Page 187 — Listen to your child’s answer
187
Chapter 28
Comprehension questions
Who are the two extra security guards wandering around the zoo?
Page 195 — Klaus and Mr. Nastase
195
Chapter 29
Comprehension questions
Describe Klaus’s attitude towards his boss stealing more animals?
Page 202 — He doesn’t like it; he has morals and values and doesn’t agree with stealing
202
Chapter 30
Comprehension questions
What brave thing did Klaus do to protect the boys?
Page 207 — Jumped in front of the gun so he would get shot if Mr. Nastase shot it
207
Choose a word to describe how Klaus felt when his boss shot him with the tranquilizer gun?
Page 208 — Hurt; betrayed
208
Chapter 31
Comprehension questions
The kids were arrested! Predict what you think will happen with them, the zoo, the floating zoo, Klaus and Mr. Nastase.
Page 213 — Listen to your child’s answer
213
Chapter 32
Comprehension questions
Choose a character and describe how they have grown in this book?
Listen to your child’s answer p.223 examples: Melissa: growing in confidence; Darren: growing in compassion; Griffin: realizing he needs to be careful with his plans
Chapter 33
Comprehension questions
This question is for parents: In explaining where the animals ended up, he described the owl making his home in a bell tower at a church on First Avenue. Why is his comment “Hoo was on First” so funny?
Page 226 — “Who’s on First” is a comedic routine Abbot and Costello did back in 1956
226
How did Ben benefit from the Zoobreak?
Page 228 — The ferret that they freed from the floating zoo was an animal Ben took care of during the “Houseguest” plan. The ferret kept him awake in the day which led to him sleeping better at night. He didn’t need to go to the special school for narcolepsy if he always had the ferret with him, so his parents let him keep Ferret Face
228
What did you like about this story?
Listen to your child’s answer
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