Tag Archives: GRL N

Comprehension Questions – A to Z Mysteries The Invisible Island

The Invisible Island

by Ron Roy

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

I is for Island . . . It’s picnic time! Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose pack up a basket and wade out to Squall Island. Right away, they find a hundred-dollar bill in the sand! But when they come back the next day, the entire island has mysteriously disappeared. What is the secret of Squall Island?

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Where are the children exploring at the beginning of this story? Squaw Island p.1

Chapter 2

  1. Why should the children find the person who lost the $100 and give it back to him? It is the right thing to do p.14

Chapter 3

  1. Summarize this chapter. The children talk to Ron at the boat shop but still can’t figure out who the money could belong to. Ruth Rose writes a note to put on the bulletin board. They go get ice cream and then go see Officer Fallon. He puts the money in an envelope with Ruth Rose’s name on it and says that if no one claims the money in 30 days she can have it p.16

Chapter 4

  1. Why would someone put fake poison ivy on Squaw Island? To keep people away from it or to keep them from wandering around a certain part of the island p.34

Chapter 5

  1. Who do you think put the cement box and refrigerator on the island? Listen to your child’s answer p.40

Chapter 6

  1. Officer Fallon told the kids to stay away from the island. Would you have a hard time doing that? Why? Listen to your child’s answer p.48

Chapter 7

  1. Why does Ron make a good suspect? He owns boats; it’s easy for him to get to the island; he purchased calamine lotion at the store, so he probably has a rash from poison ivy; he had enough space at his shop to store a printing press

Chapter 8

  1. Summarize this chapter. The friends were spying on Ron and a man in a black car drove up and gave Ron a box that said Happy Heart Dog Food; Ron took the box into the shed then brought it back out and gave it back to the man in the black car p.56

Chapter 9

  1. What did the kids find in the Bent’s garage? Receipt for the calamine lotion, the Happy Heart Dog Food box, waders with boots, green paint p.67

Chapter 10

  1. Do you think the kids have enough evidence to catch the suspects? Listen to your child’s answer
  2. What will be the last piece of evidence? Catching the crook on Squaw Island where the counterfeit money is p.73

Chapter 11

  1. How did this mystery end? The Bents were captured and taken to prison and their dog was given to Josh; he was still thinking what name to call him p.78

Comprehension Questions – A to Z Mysteries The Deadly Dungeon

The Deadly Dungeon

by Ron Roy

Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose visit a castle in Maine and hear screams. They discover a hidden trap door leading to a secret tunnel and a dungeon, and must solve the mystery of who or what is making the noises, which might be a ghost.

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

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. What is the setting of this story and why are the friends there? Belfast, Maine; visiting the author they helped save in The Absent Author p.1

Chapter 2

  1. Describe Emory Scott and why was it unsettling to hear his ghost scream? The man who built the castle in the 1930’s; he died suddenly in the castle; Wallis said she hears the ghost; the kids heard a scream as they were leaving for a picnic p.13

Chapter 3

  1. Summarize this chapter. The friends had a picnic; they took a walk and met Rip; they discussed the ghost of Emory Scott p.19

Chapter 4

  1. Where did the friends go that creeped them out? An old playhouse and a cave with bats on the beach p.25

Chapter 5

  1. Who do you think is out near the playhouse? Listen to your child’s answer

Chapter 6

  1. Do you think the light in the woods was a firefly? Why or why not? Listen to your child’s answer p.41

Chapter 7

  1. How many green feathers have appeared throughout the story so far? 3 p.53
  2. What do you think they mean? Listen to your child’s answer

Chapter 8

  1. Summarize what the children found in this chapter. A trapdoor in the playhouse with stone stairs leading downward into darkness p.57
  2. Would you be brave enough to go down those stairs after hearing that scream? Listen to your child’s answer

Chapter 9

  1. What is scary about the friends being stuck in the tunnel with the parrots? The tide is coming in and will flood the tunnel; they could drown p.64

Chapter 10

  1. Do you agree with Dink? Is the person hiding the parrots Walker? Why, or why not? Listen to your child’s answer p.72

Chapter 11

  1. How is Ripley deceiving them all? He is driving Walker’s Jeep and leaving green feathers to make Walker look suspicious p.80

Chapter 12

  1. Why was Ripley’s boat always so clean? He never catches lobster; he acted like he did, but used his boat to pick up the parrots from other countries p.84
  2. What was the loud screech from the mudroom if the parrots had been taken by the police? Listen to your child’s answer p.86

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

by 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 #3 Secret of the Water Dragon

Secret of the Water Dragon

by Tracey West

Grades 3-5; Genre - Fantasy; GRL N; AR pts. 1.0

Someone is trying to steal the Dragon Stone. Drake soon discovers that the thief is his friend and fellow Dragon Master, Bo! Could the dark wizard somehow be behind this? The Dragon Masters must find a way to protect the Dragon Stone — and keep Bo's family out of danger.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Summarize the introduction to this story. The king’s crafters are making saddles for each of the dragons; Bo found a black feather on his pillow p.1

Chapter 2

  1. Explain how we know Bo is upset? He didn’t sleep, he didn’t eat breakfast, he says he’s excited but doesn’t sound like it p.7

Chapter 3

  1. Why is Griffith concerned about the Dragon Stone? A thief tried to steal it p.15

Chapter 4

  1. Who is trying to steal the Dragon Stone? Bo p.22
  2. Why do you think he wants it? Listen to your child’s answer

Chapter 5

  1. Summarize why Bo wanted to steal the stone. The Emperor put Bo’s family in prison and told Bo to bring the stone to him to save them p.-27
  2. Have you ever had a secret you needed to keep to protect someone? Explain. Listen to your child’s answer

Chapter 6

  1. Summarize how the Raven Guard stole the stone. One used a magic charm on Rori and Ana that made them share where the stone is; he knocked out the guard and stole the stone p.31

Chapter 7

  1. Summarize this chapter. Griffith and the Dragon Masters (except Bo), went after the Raven Guard; Rori grabbed the bag with the stone; Vulcan blew fire on the guard just as he disappeared p.35

Chapter 8

  1. Name something positive that happened in this chapter. Shu spoke to Bo; they got the Dragon Stone back; Shu helped put out the fire p.46

Chapter 9

  1. Define the word trust. Firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.
  2. Why does Drake need to trust Bo right now? They are going to save the Emperor and Bo’s family; Drake doesn’t know if Bo will do anything dangerous to save his family p.53

Chapter 10

  1. Summarize this chapter. Bo and Drake go to Bo’s kingdom; they get captured by the Raven Guard p.55

Chapter 11

  1. Predict how the boys will be saved. Listen to your child’s answer p.68

Chapter 12

  1. Describe the Emperor’s reaction after the spell wore off. Thought Shu was a beautiful creature; he didn’t want his guards to hurt his guests; he is going to free Bo’s family, realized he’d been under a dark spell p.72

Chapter 13

  1. How has Bo made his kingdom proud? He helped free the kingdom from the dark magic p.82

Chapter 14

  1. Why do the Dragon Masters need to rise against Maldred? He is evil and wants to steal the dragons p.90

Comprehension Questions – Jigsaw Jones Mysteries #11 The Case of the Marshmallow Monster

The Case of the Marshmallow Monster

by James Preller

Grades 2-3; Genre - Mystery; GRL N; AR pts. 1.0

Jigsaw goes camping with family and friends and solves a monster mystery.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Summarize the introduction to this story. Jigsaw is going camping with his family and friends and will solve a mystery with marshmallows and a lake monster p.1

Chapter 2

  1. Have you ever gone camping? If you have, share your experience. If you haven’t, share a fun experience you’ve had in the out of doors. Listen to your child’s answer

Chapter 3

  1. List the steps to build a fire. 1) Place tinder in a pile in a fire pit; 2) Place kindling on top of the tinder in a pyramid; 3) after the kindling starts burning, put on larger pieces of wood p.16

Chapter 4

  1. Summarize this chapter. Mr. Hitchcock told a spooky story around the fire about a lake monster p.19

Chapter 5

  1. Should the children have left food out? Why, or why not? No; animals will come and cause trouble p.28

Chapter 6

  1. What convinced Jigsaw to take the case? He went swimming in the lake and became creeped out after something brushed his leg and his feet got stuck in the mud p.39

Chapter 7

  1. Why did Jigsaw stay back from the waterfall hike? He needed to work on the case p.43

Chapter 8

  1. How did Wingnut and Freddy become suspects? They have stomach aches, and it could have been from eating too many marshmallows p.51

Chapter 9

  1. Why did Jigsaw cross the boys off the suspect list? They were sick from eating candy not marshmallows p.56

Chapter 10

  1. Describe how Mila is a good friend to Jigsaw. She supports him and helps him p.64

Chapter 11

  1. Summarize the conclusion to this story. Mila and Jigsaw heard footsteps and saw something, they threw a rock at it, screamed and blew the whistle; it was Jigsaw’s dad; he put the marshmallows in the car p.66

Comprehension Questions – Jigsaw Jones Mysteries #8 The Case of the Great Sled Race

The Case of the Great Sled Race

by James Preller

Grades 2-3; Genre - Mystery; GRL N; AR pts. 1.0

Someone steals Bigs Maloney's sled two days before the Great Sled Race, and Jigsaw and Mila are on the case.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Describe Bigs. Roughest and toughest kid in 2nd grade; wants help getting his Velma back p.4

Chapter 2

  1. Who is Velma and why did Bigs name her that? A sled; the first part of Velocity and the first part of Machine p.10

Chapter 3

  1. What could be the motivation behind someone stealing the sled? Prevent Bigs from winning a sledding race p.18

Chapter 4

  1. Summarize this chapter. Jigsaw went to school the next day and learned that reading is like solving a mystery…answering who, what, when where and how p.20

Chapter 5

  1. What word is the root of the word motivation that explains why? Motive p.30

Chapter 6

  1. Why is Jigsaw the main character’s name? He likes to solve puzzles p.35

Chapter 7

  1. What is suspicious about the conversation with Jasper? He acted like he had a cold and didn’t open the door; he seemed nervous and asked if Bigs would really clobber someone p.43

Chapter 8

  1. Why does Jigsaw want to watch the video of Joey sledding? It’s filmed the same day and location the sled went missing; he might find a clue p.51

Chapter 9

  1. Predict what Jigsaw spotted on the video. Listen to your child’s answer

Chapter 10

  1. Are you correct in your prediction? Listen to your child’s answer; Jigsaw saw Lucy and Jasper take the sled p.66

Chapter 11

  1. Summarize the conclusion to this story. Jigsaw realized that Jasper just wanted to try the sled but didn’t return it before Bigs noticed it was gone; Lucy and Jasper were scared Bigs would hurt him, so they hid it; Jigsaw didn’t tell Bigs who took it and returned it to him; Bigs won the singles race and Mila and Jigsaw won the doubles race p.67