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Two Mysteries, One Lesson

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Two Mysteries, One Lesson

Compare how two mysteries handle the same theme.

Read Story 1

Both stories on this sheet are mysteries. Read Story 1 first.

Story 1: The Missing Solo

1Our youth orchestra had one week left before the spring concert, and on Tuesday my solo music disappeared. During the break, I had left it in my black folder on my music stand. When I came back from the water fountain, the folder was gone.

2I looked around the room, and my eyes landed on Wendell. He sat right behind me, and everyone knew he had wanted the solo too. After tryouts, he had told me, a little too loudly, that he could play it faster than I could. It all seemed to fit. "Wendell took my music," I told our conductor, Ms. Abara. "He wanted my solo, and now it's gone."

3Wendell's face turned red. "I never touched your folder," he said quietly. "Lucia, we need more than a guess," Ms. Abara said calmly. Then she asked everyone to check the folders on their stands.

4A minute later, a small voice came from the back row. Priya, a new violinist, was holding up a black folder with my name inside the cover. Ms. Abara had told her to take a spare folder from the front, and she had grabbed mine by mistake. Every folder in the orchestra was plain black.

5My face burned hotter than Wendell's had. I had been so sure, and I had been completely wrong. After rehearsal, I found Wendell packing up his violin. "I'm sorry," I said. "I blamed you because it was easy, not because I had proof." He nodded slowly, then smiled a little. Now, before I point a finger, I look for real evidence.

1.
In Story 1, why does Lucia think Wendell took her music?
Question 1 options
2.
Read paragraph 5 of Story 1. Underline the sentence that tells what Lucia does differently now.

Read Story 2

Now read Story 2.

Story 2: The Runaway Recipe

1Every Saturday, Hana helped her aunt run the noodle truck at the soccer fields. Aunt Mei's peanut sauce was famous, and the recipe was written on one small card clipped above the counter. That Saturday, just before lunch, Aunt Mei reached for the card and gasped. The clip was empty.

2"It must be Marcus," Aunt Mei said, frowning at the smoothie truck parked next door. "Last week he asked me how I make my sauce." Hana had seen Marcus slicing bananas at his window all morning. Blaming him would be easy, she thought, but easy was not the same as true. "Let's look for clues first," she said.

3Hana studied the truck. The big front window was propped open, and the wind had been gusting all morning. As she watched, a paper napkin slid across the counter and fluttered out the window. She hopped down and walked around the truck. A trail of napkins lay across the grass, all blown in the same direction.

4Hana followed the trail straight to the smoothie truck. Something white was stuck against one of its tires. It was the recipe card, damp and smudged but easy to read.

5For a moment, it looked bad for Marcus. Then Hana pointed at the napkins. "The wind carried the card here, just like it carried the napkins," she said. "And Marcus hasn't left his window all morning." Aunt Mei's cheeks turned pink. She thanked Hana and carried a bowl of noodles over to Marcus.

3.
In Story 2, why does Aunt Mei suspect Marcus?
Question 3 options
4.
In paragraph 3 of Story 2, why is the napkin that flutters out the window an important clue?
Question 4 options

Compare the mysteries

Use both stories to answer the questions.

5.
Sort each detail by the story it comes from. Some details are in both stories.
6.
What theme do both stories share?
Question 6 options
7.
How do the two stories approach this theme differently?
Question 7 options
8.
How are the endings of the two stories alike?
Question 8 options
9.
How is each mystery solved? Write a word from the word bank in each blank.

In Story 1, the folder turns up after Ms. Abara asks everyone to check their . In Story 2, Hana finds the card by following a trail of .

10.
Both stories are mysteries about blaming someone without proof. Explain one way the stories handle this theme in the same way and one way they handle it differently. Use a detail from each story.