The Empty Envelope
Ron Roy
Grades 2-5; Genre – Mystery; GRL N; AR pts: 1.0
Dink and his friends unearth the mysterious truth behind the envelopes incorrectly delivered to his house.
Comprehension Questions
Chapter 1
- Summarize what happens in this chapter. Dink has received four letters from someone he doesn’t know. He lives in Connecticut, but the address on the envelope is to Colorado p.1
Chapter 2
- Describe Ms. Duncan. Tall, black hair, dark squinty eyes, strong, demanding, from Colorado, she claims the letters belong to her, visiting Connecticut, anxious to get her letters, her mom died last month p.12
Chapter 3
- Why do the friends think there is a secret message in the letters? The name in the letters doesn’t match up with Ms. Duncan’s name and the date is not consistent with when her mom died; they think Ms. Duncan is lying to them; they found pinholes in specific alphabet letters p.22
Chapter 4
- What message did the kids find in the letters? The words, Jenny hidden on fifth envelope”. Predict what you think it means. Listen to your child’s answer p.30
Chapter 5
- Were you correct in your prediction? Listen to your child’s answer
- How would you feel if you came across a stamp worth as much money as the kids had? Listen to your child’s answer p.41
Chapter 6
- Who do you think the kids should talk to? What should they do with the man and Ms. Duncan parked in front of Dink’s house? Listen to your child’s answer p.51
Chapter 7
- Summarize Ruth Rose’s plan. She called the hotel and spoke with Ms. Duncan; she told her she knew about the stamp and said she has it; she’ll meet Ms. Duncan and sell it to her for $500 the next day; Ruth Rose is working with the ppolice,so the criminals get arrested p.60
Chapter 8
- Did the plan work? What happened? The kids waited at the library; the boys were in the office and Ruth Rose waited at a table; the criminals came in and when they gave the money for the stamp to Ruth Rose she hollered at Officer Fallon and he arrested the criminals p.64
Chapter 9
- Who was the old woman reading about in the newspaper in the library? Clementine Painter: the woman who the stamp had been stolen from p.72
- What’s the mistake Otto Bird made that caused the letters to get sent to Connecticut? He lost his glasses and couldn’t see very well, so he copied down the wrong zip code p.73