Tag Archives: Fiction

Comprehension Questions – A to Z Mysteries The Canary Caper

The Canary Caper

by Ron Roy

Grades 2-5; Genre - Mystery; GRL N; AR pts: 1.0

C is for Canary...Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose get an urgent call from Mrs. Davis. Her canary is missing! The little bird has vanished without a trace, and he's not the only one!

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. What’s the mystery in this story? Mrs. Davis’s canary and Ruth Rose’s cat are missing p.5

Chapter 2

  1. What other animals are missing? A parrot and rabbit p.23
  2. What do you think happened to the pets? Listen to your child’s answer

Chapter 3

  1. What did Ruth Rose think was strange about the person returning the canary? She wondered how he knew to return the canary to p.33

Chapter 4

  1. Describe what was fishy about Fred Little? He was only at Mrs. Davis for a few minutes and had to use the restroom; didn’t take the reward; said he contacted Mrs. Wong, but the friends talked to her and she hadn’t heard anything p.38

Chapter 5

  1. What theory did the friends form that connected the lost pets to the burglaries? 1. The pets would get stolen. 2. When the pets were returned, the burglar would make an excuse to see the house. 3. The burglar would come back later to steal valuable items they saw p.48

Chapter 6

  1. Describe Ruth Rose’s mood and why she feels that way. Grumpy, sad; her cat is missing and she wants to solve the mystery so she can get her cat back p.62

Chapter 7

  1. Did the canary guy see the friends hiding in the bushes? Predict what will happen next! Listen to your child’s answer p.72

Chapter 8

  1. Was your prediction correct? Summarize what happened in this chapter. The friends stayed in the bushes; Fred Little used stilts to climb into a window on the second story; Mrs. Davis scared Fred little when he came into her room; when he was back outside on the ground, the police arrested Fred; Mrs. Davis came out of the house swinging a sword and the friends came out of the bushes p.73

Chapter 9

  1. Was Ruth Rose’s cat part of the burglar scheme? No p.86
  2. What happened to Ruth Rose’s cat, Tiger? She had been hiding under Rose’s bed, she had kittens p.87

Comprehension Questions – A to Z Mysteries The Absent Author

The Absent Author

by Ron Roy

Grades 2-5; Genre - Mystery; GRL N; AR pts: 1.0

Dink and his friends Josh and Ruth Rose investigate the disappearance of his favorite mystery author, Wallis Wallace.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Describe Wallis Wallace. He’s an author who writes mysteries. He’s from Maine and he lives in a castle. He’s coming to visit Green Lawn at Dink’s request p.1

Chapter 2

  1. Does Dink know for sure that Wallis Wallace has been kidnapped? No p.17
  2. What has drawn Dink to that conclusion? In the letter written by Wallis Wallace, it said that he would be at the Book Nook unless he’d been kidnapped p.9

Chapter 3

  1. Explain what an itinerary is. An itinerary is a plan of a trip, including the route and the places that you will visit.
  2. How will the friends be able to locate Wallis Wallace using the itinerary? They can reach out to each of the locations the author was expected to be at p.26

Chapter 4

  1. Summarize this chapter. The friends learned that Wallis Wallace flew into Connecticut and was picked up by a taxi and dropped off to the hotel in Green Lawn p.28

Chapter 5

  1. What did the kids find at the hotel that was suspicious? Someone had checked in right after Wallis Wallace, but the signature of the name was smudged p.46

Chapter 6

  1. Who are the suspects so far and why? The taxi driver and hotel manager; they might have kidnapped Wallis when they got to the hotel p.55

Chapter 7

  1. What does the phrase, “out of hot water” mean? To have successfully escaped a difficult situation p.64

Chapter 8

  1. What is a cliff hanger in a story? where a scene or chapter ends at a crucial, unresolved, or suspenseful moment to keep the audience engaged and compel them to continue reading or watching.
  2. How was the end of this chapter a cliff hanger? The kids heard the “help!”, but we won’t know what is going on until the next chapter p.71

Chapter 9

  1. How did Ruth Rose conclude that Mavis is Wallis Wallace? Listen to your child’s answer p.75

Chapter 10

  1. Were you correct in your assumption? Listen to your child’s answer
  2. What did you like the most about this story? Listen to your child’s answer

Dink and his friends Josh and Ruth Rose investigate the disappearance of his favorite mystery author, Wallis Wallace.

Comprehension Questions – A to Z Mysteries The Bald Bandit

The Bald Bandit

by Ron Roy

Grades 2-5; Genre – Mystery; GRL N; AR pts: 1.0

There's a bank robber in Green Lawn! A red-haired kid took a video of the crime, but nobody can find him. Without the video, will the robber go free? Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose must track down that kid--before the bandit does!

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Explain why the friends are excited after the detective’s visit. If they can find the high schooler with the video of the bank robber, they will each get $100 p.8

Chapter 2

  1. How will the friends take advantage of Halloween? They will knock on doors looking for a tall red headed boy who has the video p.15

Chapter 3

  1. Explain how Operation Redhead went. Not well. The friends didn’t find him or anyone who knew of him; Josh wanted to give up, but Dink wouldn’t listen p.17

Chapter 4

  1. What information did Dink learn from the barber? The Redhead is now bald so the bandit doesn’t recognize him; he found out his name and where he lives p.35
  2. Why did the barber give the information to Dink? Dink said they would share the reward money with the Redhead p.33

Chapter 5

  1. Why won’t Lucky give his video tape to the detective? He doesn’t trust him p.42

Chapter 6

  1. What convinced Lucky to hand over the video tape? The friends wouldn’t give his name to the detective or anyone else p.45

Chapter 7

  1. Now that the friends know the detective is the bandit, predict what they will say to the detective. Listen to your child’s answer p.53

Chapter 8

  1. Summarize this chapter. Ruth Rose snuck out of the house and got the police; Dink and Josh let the bandit in and hid the real video tape and started to give him one of Dink playing soccer; the bandit was going to kidnap Ruth Rose but she started to yell really loud p.54

Chapter 9

  1. List a characteristic the friends demonstrated at the end of this book? Explain. Charity; kindness; selflessness; compassionate; they gave all the reward money to Lucky to help him pay for college p.69

Comprehension Questions – A to Z Mysteries The Falcon’s Feathers

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

  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

  1. 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

  1. 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 

  1. Why did Ruth Rose name the baby falcon Flash? He moves so quickly p.25
  2. What’s the result of someone trimming Flash’s wings? He couldn’t fly p.27

Chapter 5

  1. What was suspicious about Grace watching them from the diner? She was reading a magazine about falcons p.38

Chapter 6

  1. Predict who you think took Flash out of his cage. Listen to your child’s answer p.44

Chapter 7

  1. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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

  1. Why was Grace so suspicious during this story? She’s an undercover agent sent to Green Lawn to protect the Falcon population p.83

Comprehension Questions – A to Z Mysteries The Empty Envelope

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

  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

  1. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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

  1. Were you correct in your prediction? Listen to your child’s answer
  2. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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
  2. 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

Comprehension Questions – Dragon Masters #6 Flight of the Moon Dragon

Flight of the Moon Dragon

by Tracey West

Grades 1-3; Genre - Fantasy; GRL P; AR pts. 1.0

The Dragon Masters have to save the prime Dragon Stone -- or they will lose their connections to their dragons forever! The Dragon Masters travel to the Land of Pyramids in search of the secret Pyramid of the Seven Dragons. There are several puzzles they'll need to solve in order to reach the hidden stone. Will the Dragon Masters find the prime Dragon Stone in time?

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Why do the Dragon Masters wait to get approval from the king before doing anything? To be respectful to him; he’s in charge of them all p.4

Chapter 2

  1. Why are the Dragon Masters and their dragons going to the Land of the Pyramids? To find the prime Dragon Stone p.2

Chapter 3

  1. Summarize what needs to be done to find the prime Dragon Stone? A flying dragon must find the secret pyramid; six dragons need to enter the pyramid with their Dragon Masters to find the prime stone p.17

Chapter 4

  1. What set the secret pyramid apart from the other pyramids? It has a dragon drawn around the top like the scroll p.24
  2. Why didn’t Wati listen when Heru commanded him to go back? The Dragon Stone is causing their connection to weaken p.25

Chapter 5

  1. How did the Dragon Masters critically think in this chapter? They couldn’t just walk into the pyramid, they needed to figure out how to get into the pyramid by touching their individual dragon’s power symbol all together p.31

Chapter 6

  1. What instructions were the Dragon Masters given? To find the stone, they must each solve a puzzle that goes with their dragon; that Dragon Master and dragon will be left behind until there is only one dragon and Master who find the stone p.34

Chapter 7

  1. Summarize how they escaped out of the room in this chapter? Shu sprayed water into a pipe which opened a door p.43

Chapter 8

  1. How did the Dragon Masters critically think in this chapter? Drake heard water dripping and they realized plants grow in pots; in addition to water, plants need sunlight p.46
  2. Predict how they will get past the vines? Listen to your child’s answer

Chapter 9

  1. How did Zera clear the path to the door? She sprayed poison on the vines and killed them p.52
  2. Were you correct in your prediction from the last chapter? Listen to your child’s answer 

Chapter 10

  1. Did Vulcan succeed at what Rori asked him to do? Why, or why not? No, he burned the ropes on the ceiling in addition to the rope he needed to p.58

Chapter 11

  1. Why is Drake worried to enter the next room? He will be alone with Worm and is worried about what he will need to face p.65

Chapter 12

  1. Did the Dragon Masters and their dragons go in the correct order? How do you know? Yes; when Drake put the stones in the correct order, the door opened p.70
  2. Why did the Dragon Masters need to accompany the dragons into the pyramid? Even though the dragons used their powers, they needed their Masters’ to tell them what to do p.70

Chapter 13

  1. Why do you think the golden egg is draining Worm and the prime stone? Listen to your child’s answer p.76
  2. Why is the pyramid called the Pyramid of the Seven Dragons? Six needed to go in, one will be hatched, making a total of seven dragons p.76

Chapter 14

  1. Why was the connection between the dragons and their Masters’ so weak before, but now it’s strong? The Lightning Dragon was draining the stone; it has hatched and left the pyramid p.82

Chapter 15

  1. Summarize the conclusion to the book? Drake and his friends learned that every ten thousand years the energy from the prime stone creates a Lightning Dragon; they know they need to find and help the baby dragon p.86

Comprehension Questions – Dragon Masters #5 Song of the Poison Dragon

Song of the Poison Dragon

by Tracey West

Grades 1-3; Genre - Fantasy; GRL P; AR pts. 1.0

The Dragon Masters are excited to meet the newest Dragon Master, Petra. But when she arrives at the castle, she doesn't fit in right away. She's a know-it-all, and she doesn't even try to connect with her four-headed dragon! Then something terrible happens to the king. Petra will have to work with the other Dragon Masters to save him before it's too late!

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Describe Petra. 8 years old, a girl, long blond curly hair, she wears a blue dress, is the newest Dragon Master p.2

Chapter 2

  1. Describe Petra in this chapter. Negative, asks a lot of questions without waiting for answers, know it all p.10

Chapter 3

  1. Describe Petra’s reaction when she saw her dragon? She didn’t want to name it or spend time with it p.18

Chapter 4

  1. Why does Drake feel like Petra doesn’t belong? She’s not interested in the food, her dragon, or being with the other Dragon Masters p.25

Chapter 5

  1. Why did King Roland get sprayed with poison? Petra didn’t listen to Drake and her dragon sprayed him p.32

Chapter 6

  1. Why did Petra need to connect with her dragon? The hydra will cure the king if told to p.38

Chapter 7

  1. Choose a word to describe Drake in this chapter. Why did you choose that word? Compassion, empathy, etc; listen to your child’s answer

Chapter 8

  1. How is Drake a good friend in this chapter? He is kind and patient with Petra; he teaches her how to be a Dragon Master p.46

Chapter 9

  1. Why is Petra upset in this chapter? The queen thought the Dragon Stone had chosen the wrong Dragon Master p.57

Chapter 10

  1. Do you agree that Griffith or Rori’s solution is better? Why? Griffith’s solution is to be peaceful, Rori’s is to scare the villagers; listen to your child’s answer p.62

Chapter 11

  1. What is the hydra’s response to Petra grabbing its tail? It shot poison at Drake p.70

Chapter 12

  1. How did the hydra heal Drake? The four heads sang a song of healing p.73

Chapter 13

  1. Summarize this chapter. Worm teleported Drake, Petra and the hydra to the king’s chamber; the hydra sang the healing song; the king is still very sick, but Queen Rose thought he had improved a little; Griffith thinks the healing will take longer since the king has been sick longer p.76

Chapter 14

  1. What did Petra name her dragon? Why? Zera; the dragon purrs when she pets it like her pet kitten Zera, back home p.86

Chapter 15

  1. What’s the conclusion to this story? Heru comes to the Dragon Masters seeking help to find the Prime Dragon Stone, it is dying; if the stone dies, the Dragon Masters will lose their connection to their dragons p.90

Comprehension Questions – Dragon Masters #4 Power of the Fire Dragon

Power of the Fire Dragon

by Tracey West

Grades 1-3; Genre - Fantasy; GRL P; AR pts. 1.0

When evil wizard Maldred, riding a giant four-headed dragon that spits poison, attacks the castle, Rori and Drake are forced to defend the castle by themselves.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Do you think it’s wise for the dragons to be shown in public? Why or why not? Listen to your child’s answer p.6 
  2. What emotion do you think Rori is feeling when on page 8, her face turns red and she looks away? Why? Embarrassed; angry; listen to your child’s answer

Chapter 2

  1. Why are the Dragon Masters showing the dragon’s powers to the king? So, the king can know what they do and how powerful they are p.11

Chapter 3

  1. Why is the king only taking two dragons to the summer festival? He only liked what two dragons showed him p.19

Chapter 4

  1. Why did Diego bring a crystal ball with him? To check to see if there was any sign of Maldred p.27
  2. Was there any sign of him? No

Chapter 5 

  1. Why is Drake uncomfortable with having fun? He’s too worried about Worm’s message p.35 

Chapter 6

  1. What instructions did Diego give to Rori and Drake? To get inside the castle if they saw any danger p.37

Chapter 7

  1. Did Rori follow the instructions? No p.43
  2. What did Drake do when Rori went to fight Maldred? He called to Worm to help bring Diego p.44

Chapter 8

  1. What did Maldred mean when he said, “Worm is mine now!” He cast a spell so Worm will be under his control p.54

Chapter 9

  1. Why did Maldred think he could make kingdoms bow down to him if he could control Worm? Worm has such strong powers that other kingdoms will be terrified p.59

Chapter 10

  1. What did Maldred do to Vulcan? He froze him in midair so the hydra could attack him p.64

Chapter 11

  1. How did Vulcan heal from the dark magic? Shu’s breath healed him p.68

Chapter 12

  1. How did they defeat Maldred? Drake knocked the stone away from him; Worm used his powers to take him off the hydra and hold him in the air; the wizards sent him to Wizard’s Council Prison p.72

Chapter 13

  1. Summarize this chapter. Worm teleported everyone to Queen Rose’s castle; Rori connected with Vulcan, and she could hear him p.78

Chapter 14

  1. Summarize the conclusion of this story. The king is throwing a feast to celebrate the dragons defeating Maldred; a new Dragon Master will be chosen for the hydra p.83

Comprehension Questions – Dragon Masters #2 Saving the Sun Dragon

Saving the Sun Dragon

by Tracey West

Grades 1-3; Genre - Fantasy; GRL P; AR pts. 1.0

Ana's dragon, Kepri, is sick. The wizard tries to make her feel better, but his potions are not working. Drake's dragon, Worm, must use his special powers to take the Dragon Masters across the world in search of a cure.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Summarize the introduction to this story. Drake is a dragon master; the dragons and their master’s were reviewed; Kepri started falling when she was in the sky p.1

Chapter 2

  1. Why did Kepri fall out of the sky? She grew tired and wasn’t able to fly; the red orb was dark magic and can make sun dragons sick p.15

Chapter 3

  1. Share two reasons why Griffith and the Dragon Masters need to act quickly to save Kepri. She is sick and needs to get better; the king is angry and will fire Griffith if he doesn’t heal her p.22

Chapter 4

  1. Describe how the Dragon Masters worked as a team in this chapter. They all listened to Griffith and did as he said; each person had a job to do and did it p.25

Chapter 5

  1. Summarize this chapter. The Dragon Masters eat; Kepri isn’t getting better; Drake and Ana are homesick; Drake goes to bed and wakes up to his Crystal glowing, Worm tells him to come to him p.33

Chapter 6

  1. Predict what you think will happen as the kids touch Worm. Listen to your child’s answer p.45

Chapter 7

  1. Where did Worm take them and why? To Kepri and Ana’s home country; to find the sun dragon’s twin to heal Kepri p.50

Chapter 8

  1. Describe Heru. He’s a boy who saved the Dragon Masters from the robbers on the pyramid; he has black hair and dark skin like Ana; his father gave him a Dragon Stone and he has a dragon

Chapter 9

  1. What do you think the rainbow light did in this chapter? Healed Kepri p.62

Chapter 10

  1. Choose a word that describes Ana in this chapter? Why? Listen to your child’s answer; brave, courageous, determined; she loves Kepri and courageously protected her p.66

Chapter 11

  1. List the powers you know Worm has so far. Teleport people wherever he wants them to go; can stop and lift things with his mind; talk to Drake p.67

Chapter 12

  1. Why is Ana sad in this chapter? She thinks Kepri is happier with Wati; she thinks should say goodbye to Kepri p.76

Chapter 13

  1. What convinced Ana that Kepri wanted to come home with her? Kepri talked to Ana with the stone and told her p.79

Chapter 14

  1. Why didn’t Drake want to tell the king the truth about how Kepri was healed? He knew the king would be mad and possibly take Worm away p.88
  • Do you agree with Drake’s decision? Listen to your child’s answer

Comprehension Questions – Jigsaw Jones Mysteries #27 The Case of the Frog-jumping Contest

The Case of the Frog-jumping Contest

by James Preller

Grades 2-5; Genre - Mystery; GRL M; AR pts. 1.0

Jigsaw Jones investigates when the champion frog in a frog-jumping contest mysteriously disappears.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Summarize the introduction to this story? Stringbean is missing his frog and needs it back by Sunday for a frog-jumping contest p.1

Chapter 2

  1. Why do you think Stringbean’s frog went missing? Because of the construction going on in his house; it’s causing the frogs to go crazy p.11

Chapter 3

  1. Why does Mila think someone stole the frog? A lot of friends were over that day and whoever stole the frog wanted to win $20 from the frog-jumping contest p.21

Chapter 4

  1. What is The plan to find the missing frog? Put up fliers, talk to suspects; take Rags to smell out the frog p.28

Chapter 5

  1. Summarize Jigsaw’s conversation with Eddie. Eddie had been over to Stringbean’s house, but didn’t know Adonis was missing and thought to place his bet on another frog who belongs to the new girl named Sasha p.33

Chapter 6

  1. Summarize the interaction Jigsaw had with Sasha and Lucy? The girls did a hand rhyme; they had been at Stringbean’s, and thought the carpenter was strange; Sasha said there were a lot of workers going in and out; they wanted to help look for Adoni; Sasha told Jigsaw he should enter the contest p.38

Chapter 7

  1. Why is Slim all muddy? From going into the lake to catch frogs p.49

Chapter 8

  1. Why does Jigsaw want to enter the contest? To keep an eye on the race to see if anyone stole the frog p.54

Chapter 9

  1. Why is Jigsaw feeling down? He hasn’t found the frog and only has a couple of hours until the race p.61

Chapter 10

  1. Why does Jigsaw think the carpenter has Adonis? Tom was in the room with the frogs and has his equipment with him; Jigsaw thinks Adonis jumped into Tom’s tools p.65

Chapter 11

  1. How do we know Stringbean really cared for Adonis his frog? Adonis was sick from not having water, so Stringbean took him home and was going to take care of him; he didn’t care about the race, just his frog p.70

Chapter 12

  1. Summarize the conclusion of this story. Jigsaw’s frog didn’t jump in the contest; Slim won; they took the frogs back to Twin Lakes p.72