About
Sammy's penchant for speaking her mind gets her into trouble when she involves herself in the investigation of a robbery.
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
Summarize the introduction to this story.
Page 1 — Sammy is looking out of her apartment using binoculars and sees a thief stealing from someone’s purse through a hotel window. He sees her and now she’s worried he’s looking for her. She’s worried to tell her grandma because she will worry
1
Chapter 2
Comprehension questions
Describe Sammy.
Page 10 — Going into 7th grade. A good friend; Observant; Doesn’t like to be noticed
10
Chapter 3
Comprehension questions
What is Sammy honest about in this chapter and what does she lie about?
Page 18 — She’s honest about how she saw the burglary and the description of the man; she’s dishonest about where she lives
18
Why did Sammy lie about where she lives?
Page 23 — She lives with her grandma in a senior apartment building and it’s against the roles for her to live there
23
Chapter 4
Comprehension questions
Describe Sammy’s first day of school.
Page 27 — She met Marissa on the steps of the school and neither of them knew where to find their home room, so they approached a girl and she wasn’t very nice to them. The boy she was talking to helped them out. Turns out the girl is in the home room and as she was mocking Sammy during the Pledge of Allegiance, the teacher caught her and she got in trouble
27
Chapter 5
Comprehension questions
Why is Sammy feeling angry after school?
Page 34 — She is being treated unfairly. She hit Heather in the nose, but the fact that Heather picked her with a pin in the rearend is being ignored
34
Chapter 6
Comprehension questions
What did Marissa and Sammy learn about the woman whose money was stolen?
Page 43 — Her name is Madame Narisha and she owns the astrology store
43
Chapter 7
Comprehension questions
Why does Sammy go hang out with Hudson?
Page 52 — Mrs. Graybill accused Sammy of sleeping at Grams apartment, so to throw her off their trail, Sammy pretends to say good-bye for the day and is waiting until she can go back
52
What does Sammy learn at Hudson’s?
Page 54 — He has a new renter, and she recognizes him from the mall; there’s been another burglary in the neighborhood
54
Chapter 8
Comprehension questions
Predict how Rommel got the purse.
Page 59 — Listen to your child’s answer
59
Chapter 9
Comprehension questions
Summarize this chapter.
Page 64 — Marissa calls Sammy and tells her the police are at her house; Sammy runs over and pretends she’s getting out of the shower; they ask her to identify the thief but none of the photos match the person Sammy saw stealing in the hotel room; Grams tells Marissa that Sammy can’t stay over for the night; Sammy is crushed
64
Chapter 10
Comprehension questions
Why is Marissa upset in this chapter?
Page 73 — She isn’t happy with her home situation; her parents work all the time, and she doesn’t feel entirely supported by them
73
Chapter 11
Comprehension questions
After talking to Gina, predict what Sammy’s day is going to contain?
Page 87 — Listen to your child’s answer (ex. Finding her birth certificate; exploring the map to find the roof)
87
Chapter 12
Comprehension questions
Why was Grams not in the apartment for so long?
Page 91 — So, Sammy could understand what it meant to worry; she wanted to get to know Mr. Hudson
91
Grams and the police officer’s conversation were going well at the end of the chapter. Predict what could ruin Sammy and Grams ruse?
Page 96 — Listen to your child’s answer
96
Chapter 13
Comprehension questions
Was your prediction correct?
Page 97 — Listen to your child’s answer
97
What detective work did Sammy and Marissa do?
Page 104 — Go visit Gina and ask her questions. They also found a rolled-up napkin with Gina’s hotel number jamming open the fire escape door
104
Chapter 14
Comprehension questions
Why doesn’t Officer Bosch believe Sammy and still thinks she put the napkin under Mrs. Graybill’s door?
Page 114 — He doesn’t believe a child could be helpful and do a better job than he does. He thinks she is a troublemaker
114
Chapter 15
Comprehension questions
Why was it good for Sammy to learn how to knit?
Page 128 — It kept her out of trouble; gave her something purposeful to do; let her mind think
128
Chapter 16
Comprehension questions
How did Sammy set things straight with her peers when she went back to school?
Page 132 — She realized Heather was faking her broken nose. She called the doctor’s office pretending to be Heather and had the doctor call the vice principal. The vice principal made Heather take the bandages off her nose. Heather tried to hit Sammy and instead hit the vice principal. Heather was suspended for three days
132
Who do you think the hotel thief is?
Page 139 — Listen to your child’s answer
139
Chapter 17
Comprehension questions
How will Sammy catch a thief laying the $10 and $5 bill on the sidewalk?
Page 145 — Listen to your child’s answer
145
Chapter 18
Comprehension questions
Explain how Sammy’s plan worked?
Page 146 — Oscar has always acted like he is blind and deaf, but by putting the money on the sidewalk, she saw that he could easily see it when he saw it and picked it up. She also saw him changing and putting on his disguise
146
Chapter 19
Comprehension questions
How did this story wrap up?
Page 155 — Oscar gets arrested; the girls talk to officer Jacobsen in the police station; Sammy tells him that they are foster sisters; Officer Jacobsen is nice to Sammy and Marissa; he gets the napkins from Officer Borsch; the girls go to St. Mary’s to get Marissa’s bike and talk for a long time about people not always being who they appear to be
155
What did you like about this story?
Listen to your child’s answer
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