Zoobreak
by Gordon Korman
Grades 4-7; Genre - Fiction; GRL T; AR pts. 5.0
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.
Comprehension Questions
Chapter 1
- Describe Griffin. A man with a plan; determined; doesn’t like people to disagree with him; stands up for what he believes in p.2
- What does Savannah need help with? Her pet monkey is missing p.4
Chapter 2
- Describe Luthor. 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 p.6
- How are Luthor and Griffin similar in this chapter? They will lose their best friends p.11
Chapter 3
- How did Darren know about Griffin’s Dad’s top-secret invention? Darren’s mom is Griffin’s dad’s lawyer and she must have told him about it (even though it’s top-secret) p.15
Chapter 4
- Describe All Aboard Animals. A floating streamer with animals in cages p.22
- Why was Savannah outraged while going through the animal exhibits? The cages hadn’t been cleaned, water hadn’t been changed, there wasn’t enough warmth and the cages were too small p.24
- What animal do you predict is the newest addition to the zoo? Listen to your child’s answer p.25
Chapter 5
- Predict how Griffin will respond to his question at the end of this chapter. Listen to your child’s answer; he’s going to come up with a plan to get Savannah’s pet back p.31
Chapter 6
- Were you correct in your prediction? Listen to your child’s answer p.37
- What plan did Griffin come up with? Operation Zoobreak p.37
Chapter 7
- How did Griffin talk Ben into doing Operation Zoobreak? Convinced him this would be the last chance for them to work on a plan together since Ben was changing schools p.40
Chapter 8
- What do you think will be Griffin’s job on the team? 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 p.48
Chapter 9
- What was accomplished during the trip to the floating animal zoo? 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 p.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
- What did Logan do to accomplish the task he was given and what did he learn? 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 p.64
Chapter 11
- Summarize this chapter. 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 p.67
Chapter 12
- What do you think caused the webcam to go dark? Listen to your child’s answer p.78
- Explain why there could be a potential problem if Griffin doesn’t figure out why the webcam stopped working. 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 p.78
Chapter 13
- What helped Griffin come up with a way to get to the zoo since Darren didn’t show up? Ben fell asleep in a rowboat p.86
Chapter 14
- What was the first hiccup in their plan once they reached the boat? 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 p.92
Chapter 15
- Predict the danger Cleo is trying to warn Savannah about? Listen to your child’s answer p.97
Chapter 16
- List two hiccups to the plan that manifested during this chapter. 1) Savannah wouldn’t leave the boat without rescuing all the animals 2) the rowboat was gone, so they had no way to escape p.99
Chapter 17
- Describe the reunion between Cleo and Luther. They saw each other, jumped toward each other, and collided in midair; they were thrilled to see each other p.110
Chapter 18
- What’s the next plan Griffin is coming up with? What to do with the animals they stole from the zoo; the zookeeper they reached out to is out of town for two weeks p.116
Chapter 19
- Why is the new operation called Operation Houseguest? 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 p.119
Chapter 20
- Why doesn’t the team want Darren to know they stole the animals from the floating zoo? They don’t trust him; he stood them up when he told them he would help them p.135
Chapter 21
- Summarize this chapter in less than 30 words. Savannah and Griffin went to each team members’ home to check on the animals. Darren wanted to get in on the plan p.137
Chapter 22
- What proof does Klaus have that Mr. Nastase is a thief? He stole the lamp from a hotel p.152
Chapter 23
- Give an example of how the zookeeper is a hypocrite? 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 p.161
Chapter 24
- How did Darren’s plan backfire? 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 p.169
Chapter 25
- How can the lost paper with the plan turn their plan into a catastrophe? Listen to your child’s answer p.173
Chapter 26
- List two reasons why it was risky for the kids to take Griffin’s dad’s invention? If his dad found out, he’d call the police; the police might see them traveling to the zoo and stop them p.178
Chapter 27
- 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? Listen to your child’s answer p.187
Chapter 28
- Who are the two extra security guards wandering around the zoo? Klaus and Mr. Nastase p.195
Chapter 29
- Describe Klaus’s attitude towards his boss stealing more animals? He doesn’t like it; he has morals and values and doesn’t agree with stealing p.202
Chapter 30
- What brave thing did Klaus do to protect the boys? Jumped in front of the gun so he would get shot if Mr. Nastase shot it p.207
- Choose a word to describe how Klaus felt when his boss shot him with the tranquilizer gun? Hurt; betrayed p.208
Chapter 31
- The kids were arrested! Predict what you think will happen with them, the zoo, the floating zoo, Klaus and Mr. Nastase. Listen to your child’s answer p.213
Chapter 32
- 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
- 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? “Who’s on First” is a comedic routine Abbot and Costello did back in 1956 p.226
- How did Ben benefit from the Zoobreak? 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 p.228
- What did you like about this story? Listen to your child’s answer