Who Is Stealing the Twelve Days of Christmas by Martha Freeman

Who Is Stealing the 12 Days of Christmas
by Martha Freeman
Parent and Child Book Discussion
Grades 4 and 5
December 2008

Questions by Julie Moran

snack: candy canes, cookies, and hot cocoa (or chocolate milk)

1. Thumbs up/thumbs down. General thoughts about the book.

2. Do you enjoy mysteries? What other mysteries have you enjoyed reading?

3. Tell us about a time when you had to solve a mystery or do detective work of your own.

4. Do you think Alex and Yasmeen act smart and safe during their detecting? Why or why not?

5. What did you think about the holiday decorations in this book? Do you decorate your house? What is your favorite kind of decoration/favorite house too look at?

6. Alex has a dad that stays home. Do any of you have a dad that stays home and a mom that works outside the home full time? Do you think there are any differences between a stay-at-home dad and a stay-at-home mom?

7. What do you think about Alex and Yasmeen's friendship? They seem to be annoyed with each other most of the time (did anyone else notice this?) They even suspect each other of stealing the birds at one point. Why do you think they are friends, and do you think they will stay friends?

8. In the story, the "HOT" toy of the year is Super Macho Military Mice. What is the toy that everyone wants at your school right now (Webkinz, Star Wars figures, etc.)

9. Mr. and Mrs. Jensen do not allow their children to play with toy weapons. Do you think kids should be allowed to have toy weapons? Why or why not?

10. During the story, who were the characters you suspected and why did you suspect them?
(Michael Jensen: wanted the clue that Alex and Yasmeen found) (Mrs. Miggins: might have been performing an insurance scam) (Mike: he really, really likes mice. How did he get all those mice, anyway?) (Bub: Doesn't seem to care about Christmas decor) (Grandma Jensen: Mrs. Miggins thought she recognized her) (Al: a piece of cardboard from Al's Delivery Service was found under one of the ducks)

11. What role did Luau play in the story.
(Mention that the author loves cats and often gives them major roles in her other books.)

12. Were you surprised when you discovered Grandma Jensen was the culprit? What are some of the clues the author gave us that led to her capture?
(Grandpa owned a lock shop; Mrs. Miggins recognized Grandma and thought she changed her hair color; the dog in the store seemed familiar with Grandma and knew she had dog biscuits in her pocket.)
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Martha Freeman's website: http://www.marthafreeman.com/home.html

An interesting article by Associated Content about the 12 Days of Christmas traditions:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1206569/how_to_celebrate_the_twelve_days_of.html?cat=22

Piggie Christmas by Howard Fine-- This is a fun picture book with the Twelve Days of Christmas illustrated in a fun way, two turtle doves are turtles with peace signs, five golden rings are onion rings, etc.