The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

by Alan Bradley

Contains infrequent mild swearing.

Grades 6-8; Genre - Mystery; GRL Z; AR pts. 16.0

Eleven-year-old Flavia loves chemistry puzzles and taking chances, so when a dead snipe is left at her kitchen door and a body is discovered in the garden, she is determined to get to the bottom of it.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

1. Describe Flavia. She’s 11 years old; has two older sisters, Ophelia 17 and Daphne 13; her mother died from a mountaineering accident when she was 1; her father seems like a grumpy man; she and her sisters fight and are mean to each other; she stole from Ophelia and experimented with her lipstick; she loves chemistry and working in her lab; she has glasses, but only uses them in her lab to protect her eyes or when she wants sympathy p.1

Chapter 2

1. Recount the events in this chapter. Flavia saw Dogger in the garden and helped him; she partially overheard a conversation her father had with a stranger during the night in his study about murdering someone; Dogger caught her and sent her away; she awoke early and went to the garden; she tripped and found a body in the cucumber plants; before dying the man said “vale”; she smelled something on his breath that was familiar but she couldn’t place it p.16

Chapter 3

1. Who’s the dead man in the cucumber bushes? The man who was in the study the night before
2. Describe how people are responding to the situation? Her sisters pretended indifference, no one has told her father, the cook is hiding in the kitchen, Dogger acts like nothing happened the night before p.34

Chapter 4

1. Do you think Flavia’s father is guilty of the murder? Explain. Listen to your child’s answer. 

Chapter 5

1. What did Flavia learn in this chapter? Twining was a housemaster at the school her father attended; he jumped off the clock tower and died; he shouted “vale” before he fell; the same stamp that was in the bird’s beak was also missing, but was reported as unrelated to his death; Ms. Mountjoy is Twining’s niece p.66

Chapter 6

1. Predict who Flavia wants to talk to and what she’s searching for. Listen to your child’s answer p.80

Chapter 7

1. What did Flavia find out? Ned didn’t leave the dead bird; the man staying at the inn has red hair and is Mr. Sanders; he was the one who had grabbed Mary and told her to be quiet; he’s a diabetic p.83

Chapter 8

1. What did Flavia find in the trash and why is it significant? Crust of a pie and the feather of a snipe; she thinks Sanders brought the dead bird in a pie to get it across customs in Norway p.93
2. What else did she find at the inn? Two stamps just like the one they found on the bird’s beak; she saw Sanders’ name in the register and he put he’s from London p.97

Chapter 9

1. How do you think Mrs. Hulett’s pie plays into the mystery? Listen to your child’s answer p.112

Chapter 10

1. Were you correct in your assumption of the pie? Explain. Listen to your child’s answer; Flavia thinks the stranger who died ate the piece of pie and it killed him p.123
2. Who did Flavia meet during the rainstorm? Why did he want to meet Flavia? Frank Pemberton; he’s writing a book on stately homes in England and wants to ask her father about their historic home p.126

Chapter 11

1. Recount what Ms. Mountjoy said to Flavia. her father had been one of the boys that murdered her uncle; her father gave evidence at the inquest and he denied taking the stamp; the man with the red hair is Horace Bonepenny p.139

Chapter 12

1. Where did Flavia find the stamp and what did the letters on the bottom of it mean? In the clock; B one penny H = bonepenny and the H = Horace; it was a warning for her father since her father’s nickname was Jacko and the dead bird was a Jack snipe p.155

Chapter 13

1. Summarize this chapter. Flavia rides her bike to see her father in jail; she sees her sister’s old piano teacher on the way; she talked to the detective and he wouldn’t let her see her father; her bike was stolen; Flavia admitted she had murdered Horace Bonepenny p.157

Chapter 14

1. How did Flavia accomplish talking to her father privately? Due to her confession; before she gave the inspector more details, she told him she needed to speak with her father p.172
2. Who does Flavia’s father think is the murderer. Listen to your child’s answer; Dogger p.178

Chapter 15

1. Summarize this interaction between Flavia and her father. He’s telling her of his school days and interactions with Horace Bonepenny p.179
2. Describe Flavia and her father’s relationship. Not close; he is distant and barks orders; never talk with one another; only now in the prison cell is he opening up to her and she feels like they’re having a real conversation p.191

Chapter 16

1. Recount how the orange stamps came into origination? It was a plot against the Royal Family; one sheet of orange stamps were made to serve as a signal to cause personal attacks against them p.198
2. Why did Flavia’s father call her Harriet? He’d been thinking of his late wife as he told this story; telling the story reminded him of sharing it with his late wife; listen to your child’s answer p.199

Chapter 17

1. What advice did Flavia’s father give during this chapter and why? Silence is sometimes the most costly of commodities; if he hadn’t stayed silent when he knew Horace stole the stamp, Dr. Twining would still be alive p.219
2. Do you think this advice applies to Flavia? Explain. Listen to your child’s answer

Chapter 18

1. Why did Flavia conclude Dr. Twining didn’t jump to his death? Someone else had been on the roof; she found a school cap and gown in a tile on the roof of the building with the tower p.240

Chapter 19

1. Summarize Dogger’s story of the night Horace Bonepenny was murdered. He heard shouting in the study so came to see who it was, saw Flavia and sent her away, hid when Horace came out of the study, followed him to the garden, there were fireworks (he got hit with a shoe), woke up on the grass later p.254
2. Who do you think hit Dogger? Listen to your child’s answer

Chapter 20

1. Why is Flavia’s father in jail? He’s taking the blame for Dogger p.265
2. If Mrs. M knew the de Luce’s didn’t like her pie, why do you think she asked Flavia how she enjoyed it? Listen to your child’s answer

Chapter 21

1. Summarize this chapter. Flavia called to find Mr. Pemberton and he wasn’t at the inn; Flavia found Dr. Kissing; he knew she was coming to see him and that she had the stamp; he asked for it and she gave him the envelope with both stamps; he took his stamp out and gave back the other; he burned his stamp with his cigarette and said that the other stamp (it belongs to the king) was worth double now that it was the only one p.272

Chapter 22

1. How do you think Frank Pemberton was involved in Twining’s and Bonepenny’s deaths? Do you think Flavia is correct? Why, or why not? Listen to your child’s answer

Chapter 23

1. Why is Flavia worried she is going to die? Pemberton tied her up and left her in the pit of The Pit Shed p.309

Chapter 24

1. Describe Flavia’s experience in the pit? She tried to explore the pit tied up, but exhausted herself; she fell asleep and dreamed, then awoke to a rat crawling over her feet; she’s trying to stay calm and not freak out p.313

Chapter 25

1. What do you think Pemberton will do since he probably found the false stamp? Predict what will happen to Flavia. Listen to your child’s answer p.336

Chapter 26

1. Summarize the rescue. Before Pemberton could inject the poison into Flavia, a car came crashing into The Pit Shed, Pemberton tried to climb out but Dogger knocked him down, Ophelia came to Flavia and helped her out; Dogger saw Pemberton at the house and followed him p.344

Chapter 27

1. Summarize the conclusion of this story. Flavia told the inspector everything; he agreed to let her father have the stamp for 24 hours; she tried to give it to her father, but he refused saying she needed to give it to the king; Flavia wrote a letter and mailed it to the king and he responded with a thank you note p.351
2. What did you enjoy about this book? Listen to your child’s answer
3. Were you correct in any of your predictions or assumptions? Listen to your child’s answer