Tag Archives: mystery

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 – 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

Comprehension Questions – Jigsaw Jones Mysteries #30 The Case of the Kidnapped Candy

The Case of the Kidnapped Candy

by James Preller

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

When the class's candy stash disappears, it's up to Jigsaw and Mila to figure out who stole it. There's more than one person with a sweet tooth in Ms. Gleason's classroom, so solving the mystery won't be easy.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. What is love poetry? Why do you think Jigsaw doesn’t like love poetry? Poetry about love; Listen to your child’s answer. 
  2. Do you like love poetry? Listen to your child’s answer

Chapter 2

  1. Summarize this chapter. The class reviews what a poem is; each class member is to write their own poem about something they love; Ms. Gleason has a surprise for the class when their poems are finished p.5

Chapter 3

  1. Predict what Jigsaw’s poem is about? Listen to your child’s answer

Chapter 4 

  1. Were you correct in your prediction? Listen to your child’s answer
  2. What’s missing at the end of the chapter? Whatever was in the gum ball machine p.20

Chapter 5

  1. What evidence did they find in the chapter? Two candy wrappers; a paper with a note and chocolate on it; one wrapper was under Ms. Gleason’s desk and one near Mike’s cubby; one student bragged about knowing what was inside the gum ball machine and another loves candy p.23

Chapter 6

  1. What evidence suggests the boys were lying? Interrupting each other; stating one didn’t like chocolate; covering for each other p.29

Chapter 7

  1. Why do Jigsaw and Mila think Lucy took the chocolate? The writing in her poem matches a writing on paper that has a chocolate smudge p.38

Chapter 8

  1. Have you made music before? How? Listen to your child’s answer; clapping, humming, an instrument, tapping toe p.47

Chapter 9

  1. Why did it seem like the kids in Jigsaw’s class didn’t remember how to tell the truth? Several have lied about eating the candy and liking chocolate p.54

Chapter 10

  1. Summarize this chapter. Jigsaw and Mila found out that a significant number of kids knew about the kisses in the gum ball machine and snuck a candy; it started with a student watching Ms. Gleason sneaking a candy from under the sheet; Jigsaw was confused since everyone seemed to be lying p.55

Chapter 11

  1. Predict who you think stole the candy? Listen to your child’s answer

Chapter 12

  1. On page 71, the author states that, “Ms.Gleason was happy there wasn’t a thief in Room 201.” Do you agree with that statement? Why, or why not? Listen to your child’s answer; if most everyone in the class took a candy during the week before they were given permission, then they were dishonest and stole it 

Comprehension Questions – Jigsaw Jones Mysteries #26 The Case of the Double Trouble Detectives

The Case of the Double Trouble Detectives

by James Preller

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

Jigsaw Jones finds himself in competition with Reggie for the title of the best detective in town. Reggie relies on technology and charm to solve mysteries. Can Jigsaw prove that he is better?

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Summarize this introduction. Jigsaw’s eating dinner with his family; his sister is mad at her friends for telling a boy she thinks he is cute, but she found out the boy thinks she’s cute too p.1

Chapter 2

  1. Why is Mila worried about Reginald? He started his own detective agency, and she doesn’t think he can handle it p.11

Chapter 3

  1. Describe Reginald. 8 years old; wealthy; wears glasses; short; nice; lonely p.20

Chapter 4

  1. Describe Reginald’s office? Clean and large; leather armchairs and oak desk; thick carpeting; phones and other gadgets; four television screens on the wall p.26

Chapter 5

  1. Why was it difficult for Jigsaw to walk out of the room? He knows he can solve the mystery and wants to help Reg p.35

Chapter 6

  1. Define homophone. Give an example not listed in the story. Two words that sound the same, but have different definitions; listen to your child’s answer (ie. hole/whole; tail/tale; roll; role) p.41

Chapter 7

  1. Summarize this chapter. Jigsaw and Mila went to stake out Athena’s house and found Reg stuck in a tree; Jigsaw climbed up and helped him, but Reg grabbed a dead branch and he fell down into a bush p.46

Chapter 8

  1. Why do they need to find the socks? The war rings could be attached to them p.58

Chapter 9

  1. What mystery does Jigsaw’s dad want him to solve? Why his mom is mad at him p.63

Chapter 10

  1. Why do married people fight sometimes? Listen to your child’s answer 

Chapter 11

  1. Why did Reginald stop by Jigsaw’s house? To let him know he’s not cut out to be a detective and to tell them thanks for watching out for him p.72

Chapter 12

  1. Why is it such a big deal Jigsaw’s father forgot his wedding anniversary? Wedding anniversaries are special and are a time to celebrate a marriage p.78

Comprehension Questions – Jigsaw Jones Mysteries #13 The Case of the Detective in Diguise

The Case of the Detective in Disguise

by James Preller

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

Someone is stealing brownies from the sandwich shop, and Jigsaw goes undercover to catch the brownie bandit.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. What’s the definition of “disguise”? To change your appearance to hide who you are.
  2. Why are Jigsaw and Mila making a poster? They want to solve mysteries and hope to receive business at the sandwich shop Jigsaw goes to after school p.5

Chapter 2

  1. Describe Ben. 5th grader; Jigsaw’s buddy; likes sports; received a football fort his birthday; nice to Jigsaw; not nice to Bobby p.7

Chapter 3

  1. Have you ever felt like you didn’t need a baby sitter but had to have one anyway? Listen to your child’s answer
  2. Is Jigsaw going to find a mystery to solve at the sandwich shop? Explain. Yes, the people baby sitting him have had problems p.17

Chapter 4

  1. Summarize the case Jigsaw has been asked to figure out and how is he going to solve it? Brownies are disappearing after school; putting on a disguise so his friends don’t recognize him p.19

Chapter 5

  1. Summarize this chapter. The students are learning about Martin Luther King Jr. and are decorating the halls in his honor; Jigsaw wrote Mila a secret code; something is wrong with Ben p.25

Chapter 6

  1. What does the phrase “stone in my shoe” mean? Use it in a sentence. Always been a problem; listen to your child’s answer p.36

Chapter 7

  1. Do you agree that Red Cap did the right thing to tell on Jigsaw shopping in the back? Why, or why not? Yes; to help the owners of the store p.43

Chapter 8

  1. Describe Solofsky. In 2nd grade with Jigsaw; wants to be a detective; calls Jigsaw by his first name, Theodore; mean p.50

Chapter 9

  1. Predict what Jigsaw asked Marc to do. Listen to your child’s answer

Chapter 10

  1. Summarize this chapter. Ben got his football back and Solofsky claimed to have found it; Mike said he saw the thieves and got the ball back, but Mila doesn’t believe him p.59

Chapter11

  1. What is the outcome of the two mysteries? Solofsky has Mike take the football so he could pretend to solve the case; the owner was sneaking brownies and eating them when he took out the trash p.67
  2. Were you correct in your prediction of how Marc helped Jigsaw? Explain. Listen to your child’s answer; Marc watched Mike from his window and saw he was eating brownies p.68