Name:____________________________________#: ___________ Date:___________________

The Boxcar Children: The Animal Shelter MysteryWritten By: Gertrude Chandler Warner

Directions: As you read, fill out the background and character information below and answer the questions from each chapter. Genre

Setting:

Conflict/Problem:

Character Who are they? Personality/Character TraitsUse evidence from the text!

Henry

Jessie

Violet

Benny

Written Response RubricR: Restate each questionA: Answer each question completelyP: use proof/evidence to support the answer

The Boxcar Children: The Animal Shelter MysteryWritten By: Gertrude Chandler Warner

Chapter 1: A Thump at the Window1. Who is Watch?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. How did Mr. Alden come into the children’s lives? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What is unique about Calico cats?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What clues tell us that the kitten’s appearance at the Alden’s house is not an accident?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. How do you think Watch feels about Patches? What makes you think that?_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 1 Vocabulary: Use context clues from the text to predict the meaning of the following words:

Word Sentence from the book predicted meaning

prowler (pg. 2)

boxcar (pg. 3)

locket (pg. 5)

Written Response RubricR: Restate each questionA: Answer each question completelyP: use proof/evidence to support the answer

Chapter 2: Missing Person1. How are the Alden’s awoken in the morning?_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What was Benny looking forward to doing when he finally woke up?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. How did they catch the cat to get it in the carrier?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4. Who does Patches belong to?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5. What lets you know that the children are anxious to get to Patches owner’s home

after finding out her identity?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Chapter 2 Vocabulary: Use context clues from the text to predict the meaning of the following words:

Word Sentence from the book predicted meaning

heap(pg. 10)

lumber(pg. 11)

meddle(pg. 17)

route(pg. 16 & 17)

puzzled(pg. 17)

Written Response RubricR: Restate each questionA: Answer each question completelyP: use proof/evidence to support the answer

Chapter 3: No Trespassing! 1. What did the author mean when she said “Jessie was twelve and not a bit put off by

the sign.”? What does “put off” mean? Why is she not “put off”?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2. What was mysterious about the truck that drove by Miss Newcombe’s house?________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What do the Boxcar (Alden) children and Mrs. O’Connor have in common?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What does Dr. Scott mean when she says “Why I haven’t even a matchbox to keep a mouse in!”?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Why is the chapter titled No Trespassing?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Chapter 3 Vocabulary:Use context clues from the text to predict the meaning of the following words:

Word Sentence from the book predicted meaning

trespassing(pg. 18)

peppered(pg. 21)

burrs(pg. 23)

eager(pg. 23)

shingles (pg. 23)

basin(pg. 31)

Written Response RubricR: Restate each questionA: Answer each question completelyP: use proof/evidence to support the answer

Chapter 4: The Hidden Notebooks1. What strange item did the mysterious men buy from Mr. Seed?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Why don’t the men want to sign the receipt book?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. They don’t want the animals packed like sardines. What does this mean?________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What interesting item did they find while fixing the shed?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Who did the items belong to?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Chapter 4 Vocabulary:Use context clues from the text to predict the meaning of the following words:

Word Sentence from the book predicted meaning

lining(pg. 35)

demanding(pg. 41)impatient(pg. 41)

muster(pg. 43)

Written Response RubricR: Restate each questionA: Answer each question completely

P: use proof/evidence to support the answer

Chapter 5: Boxcar Days1. What accomplishment does this chapter begin with?_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Why do the children believe they are closing the animal shelter?_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Who is Silas Newcombe? What was deeded to him? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. How do they know the man Dr. Scott talked to was not telling the truth about Miss Newcombe’s whereabouts?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. What land is the deed specifically for? What land does it include?________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Chapter 5 Vocabulary:Use context clues from the text to predict the meaning of the following words:

Word Sentence from the book predicted meaning

spacious(pg. 51)

dog run(pg. 51 & 52)

deed(pg. 54, 55, & 59)

document(pg. 55 & 59)

mending(pg.57)

caretaker(pg. 58)

Written Response RubricR: Restate each questionA: Answer each question completelyP: use proof/evidence to support the

answer

Chapter 6:Raining Cats and Dogs1. What did Violet discover when she went to check on the animals in the boxcar? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What had the dogs all riled up?_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What did the children find when they arrived at Miss Newcombe’s house? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What happened when the children went to the door? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. According to the men’s truck, what do the children think they are here for? Do you agree with the Boxcar children?

________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Chapter 6 Vocabulary:Use context clues from the text to predict the meaning of the following words:

Word Sentence from the book predicted meaning

peaked(pg.65)

demolition(pg. 77)

Written Response RubricR: Restate each questionA: Answer each question completelyP: use proof/evidence to support the answer

Chapter 7: A Good Deed1. Why does Benny say they are doing a good deed?_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2. What happened to Mr. Alden’s car?_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3. Do you think what happened to Mr. Alden’s car was an act of sabotage?________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Who had made it to the records room before the Alden’s? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. How were the men able to take Miss Newcombe’s land? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 7 Vocabulary:Use context clues from the text to predict the meaning of the following words:

Word Sentence from the book predicted meaning

record(pg.90)

preliminary(pg. 90)

valid(pg. 90)

developers(pg. 93)

Written Response RubricR: Restate each questionA: Answer each question completelyP: use proof/evidence to support the answer

Chapter 8: Lost and Found1. Why were the children thinking that Miss Newcombe was discouraged or too

frightened to return to Greenfield? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Who left the animals with the Aldens? Why?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Who is the mysterious person who donated land for the animal shelter (the founder)?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Why is this chapter titled Lost and Found?________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Chapter 8 Vocabulary:Use context clues from the text to predict the meaning of the following words:

Word Sentence from the book predicted meaning

litter(pg.102)

kettle(pg. 104)

indeed(pg.109)

Written Response RubricR: Restate each questionA: Answer each question completelyP: use proof/evidence to support the answer

Chapter 9: Moving Day1. What did Jessie notice when she woke up?_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What did Jessie do after seeing the men?_______________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Why did Miss Newcombe’s cheeks turn pink?_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What do you think happened after the book ended?_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. If you could change one thing about the story, what would you change? What would you have done differently?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 9 Vocabulary:Use context clues from the text to predict the meaning of the following words:

Word Sentence from the book predicted meaning

commotion(pg.113)