Paul Holmes -
University
English Professor

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The Blueberry Pie Mystery

A detective solves the mystery of the missing blueberry pies and brings together a bear family and the town.

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In a small town called Berryville, there was a famous bakery named Sweet Delights. It was known for making the best blueberry pies that smelled so good, everyone wanted some. One day, all the pies went missing! Mrs. Baker, who owned the bakery, was very upset, and the townspeople were confused about who took them.

People in the town had different ideas about who took the pies. Some thought it was a group of sneaky squirrels, while some thought a competing bakery took them. But Mrs. Baker was smart and called a detective to find the real thief.

A smart detective named Detective Graspberry showed up. He used his magnifying glass to look for clues and found blueberry juice on the ground. He followed the juice drops all the way to a little house in the woods. He thought the thief might be there.

When Detective Graspberry looked inside the house, he saw a family of bears eating the pies! He knocked on their door, and the bears told him they found the pies and couldn’t stop eating them because they were so yummy.

The detective had a great idea. He told Mrs. Baker to let the bears pick blueberries for her, and in return, they could have some pies. Everyone thought this was a good solution. The bears became part of the team, and there was even a festival to celebrate. The town learned that it’s better to work together and be kind when solving problems. And while eating their tasty pies, they remembered the importance of friendship.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

1BerryvilleThe name of a small town
2bakeryA place where bread, cakes, and pastries are made or sold
3blueberryA small, round, sweet fruit that is often blue or purple
4detectiveA person whose job is to solve mysteries and find out who did something wrong
5magnifying glassA tool with a lens that makes things look bigger
6cluesHints or pieces of information that help solve a mystery
7thiefSomeone who takes things that don’t belong to them
8festivalA big party with music, food, and fun activities
9solutionA way to fix a problem
10celebrateTo have a party or do something special because something good has happened
11friendshipThe feeling of being very close and friendly with someone
12sneakyActing in a way that is quiet and careful to avoid being noticed or caught doing something wrong

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What was the name of the famous bakery in Berryville?
2. Why was Mrs. Baker upset?
3. Who did the townspeople think took the pies?
4. What did Detective Graspberry find on the ground?
5. Who did Detective Graspberry find eating the pies?
6. What was the solution to the problem of the missing pies?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In a small town called Berryville, there was a famous bakery named Sweet Delights. It was (1)______ for making the best blueberry (2)______ that smelled so good, everyone wanted some. One day, all the pies (3)______ missing! Mrs. Baker, who owned the bakery, was very upset, and the townspeople were confused about who took them.

People in the town had different ideas about who took the pies. Some thought it was a group of sneaky squirrels, while some thought a competing bakery took them. But Mrs. (4)______ was smart and called a (5)______ to find the real thief.

A smart detective named Detective Graspberry showed up. He used his magnifying glass to look for clues and found blueberry juice on the (6)______. He followed the juice drops all the way to a little house in the woods. He thought the thief might be there.

When Detective Graspberry looked inside the house, he saw a family of (7)______ eating the pies! He knocked on their door, and the bears (8)______ him they found the pies and couldn’t (9)______ eating them because they were so yummy.

The detective had a great idea. He told Mrs. Baker to let the bears (10)______ blueberries for her, and in return, they could have some pies. Everyone thought this was a (11)______ solution. The bears became part of the team, and there was even a festival to celebrate. The town learned that it’s (12)______ to work together and be kind when solving problems. And while eating their tasty pies, they remembered the importance of friendship.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is your favorite kind of pie? Why?
2. How would you feel if all the pies in your favorite bakery went missing?
3. Do you think it was fair for the bears to eat all the pies? Why or why not?
4. Have you ever had to work together with someone to solve a problem? What was it like?
5. What do you think about the detective’s idea to let the bears pick blueberries in exchange for pies?
6. How do you think the townspeople felt when they found out the bears were the ones who took the pies?
7. Do you like blueberries? Why or why not?
8. What do you think the town learned from this experience?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Berryville
2. bakery
3. blueberry
4. detective
5. magnifying glass
6. clues
7. thief
8. festival
9. solution
10. celebrate
11. friendship
12. sneaky

Meanings:
(A) A big party with music, food, and fun activities
(B) Hints or pieces of information that help solve a mystery
(C) A person whose job is to solve mysteries and find out who did something wrong
(D) A place where bread, cakes, and pastries are made or sold
(E) A small, round, sweet fruit that is often blue or purple
(F) The name of a small town
(G) Acting in a way that is quiet and careful to avoid being noticed or caught doing something wrong
(H) A way to fix a problem
(I) A tool with a lens that makes things look bigger
(J) Someone who takes things that don’t belong to them
(K) To have a party or do something special because something good has happened
(L) The feeling of being very close and friendly with someone
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the famous bakery in Berryville?
(a) Tasty Treats
(b) Sweet Delights
(c) Yummy Pastries
(d) Delicious Delicacies

2. Who owned the bakery?
(a) Mrs. Baker
(b) Mr. Smith
(c) Miss Johnson
(d) Mr. Anderson

3. What went missing from the bakery?
(a) Chocolate cakes
(b) Vanilla cookies
(c) Blueberry pies
(d) Strawberry tarts

4. Who did the townspeople think took the pies?
(a) Mischievous monkeys
(b) Tricky turtles
(c) Clever cats
(d) Sneaky squirrels

5. What did Detective Graspberry find on the ground?
(a) Blueberry juice
(b) Chocolate crumbs
(c) Vanilla frosting
(d) Strawberry sauce

6. Where did the detective follow the juice drops to?
(a) A big mansion in town
(b) A little house in the woods
(c) A hidden cave by the river
(d) A tall tower on the hill

7. Who did Detective Graspberry find inside the house?
(a) A group of squirrels
(b) A team of bakers
(c) A gang of cats
(d) A family of bears

8. What did the detective suggest Mrs. Baker do with the bears?
(a) Give them more pies to eat
(b) Chase them out of town
(c) Let them pick blueberries for her
(d) Lock them up in a cage

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The town dismissed the importance of working together and being kind while solving problems, and ignored the thought of celebrating with a festival.
2. Inside the house, he discovered a family of bears eating the stolen pies.
3. There is an infamous bakery in a small town called Berryville that makes the worst blueberry pies.
4. Detective Graspberry found a clue, banana juice, on the ground and followed it to a little house in the woods.
5. The detective came up with a solution where the bears would pick blueberries for Mrs. Baker in exchange for some pies.
6. One day, all the blueberry pies from the bakery went missing, causing Mrs. Baker, the owner, to be upset.
7. Mrs. Baker called a detective named Detective Graspberry to find the real thief.
8. The people in the town had the same ideas about who took the pies, with everyone suspecting sneaky squirrels and no one suspecting a competing bakery.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this story in two sentences. Here are some hints:
Who are the main characters?
What happens in the story?

Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What was the name of the famous bakery in Berryville?
The name of the famous bakery in Berryville was Sweet Delights.

2. Why was Mrs. Baker upset?
Mrs. Baker was upset because all the pies from her bakery went missing.

3. Who did the townspeople think took the pies?
Some townspeople thought a group of sneaky squirrels took the pies, while others thought a competing bakery took them.

4. What did Detective Graspberry find on the ground?
Detective Graspberry found blueberry juice on the ground.

5. Who did Detective Graspberry find eating the pies?
Detective Graspberry found a family of bears eating the pies.

6. What was the solution to the problem of the missing pies?
The solution to the problem of the missing pies was to let the bears pick blueberries for Mrs. Baker, and in return, they could have some pies.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) known
(2) pies
(3) went
(4) Baker
(5) detective
(6) ground
(7) bears
(8) told
(9) stop
(10) pick
(11) good
(12) better
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Berryville
Answer: (F) The name of a small town

2. bakery
Answer: (D) A place where bread, cakes, and pastries are made or sold

3. blueberry
Answer: (E) A small, round, sweet fruit that is often blue or purple

4. detective
Answer: (C) A person whose job is to solve mysteries and find out who did something wrong

5. magnifying glass
Answer: (I) A tool with a lens that makes things look bigger

6. clues
Answer: (B) Hints or pieces of information that help solve a mystery

7. thief
Answer: (J) Someone who takes things that don’t belong to them

8. festival
Answer: (A) A big party with music, food, and fun activities

9. solution
Answer: (H) A way to fix a problem

10. celebrate
Answer: (K) To have a party or do something special because something good has happened

11. friendship
Answer: (L) The feeling of being very close and friendly with someone

12. sneaky
Answer: (G) Acting in a way that is quiet and careful to avoid being noticed or caught doing something wrong
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the famous bakery in Berryville?
Answer: (b) Sweet Delights

2. Who owned the bakery?
Answer: (a) Mrs. Baker

3. What went missing from the bakery?
Answer: (c) Blueberry pies

4. Who did the townspeople think took the pies?
Answer: (d) Sneaky squirrels

5. What did Detective Graspberry find on the ground?
Answer: (a) Blueberry juice

6. Where did the detective follow the juice drops to?
Answer: (b) A little house in the woods

7. Who did Detective Graspberry find inside the house?
Answer: (d) A family of bears

8. What did the detective suggest Mrs. Baker do with the bears?
Answer: (c) Let them pick blueberries for her
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The town dismissed the importance of working together and being kind while solving problems, and ignored the thought of celebrating with a festival. (Answer: False)
2. Inside the house, he discovered a family of bears eating the stolen pies. (Answer: True)
3. There is an infamous bakery in a small town called Berryville that makes the worst blueberry pies. (Answer: False)
4. Detective Graspberry found a clue, banana juice, on the ground and followed it to a little house in the woods. (Answer: False)
5. The detective came up with a solution where the bears would pick blueberries for Mrs. Baker in exchange for some pies. (Answer: True)
6. One day, all the blueberry pies from the bakery went missing, causing Mrs. Baker, the owner, to be upset. (Answer: True)
7. Mrs. Baker called a detective named Detective Graspberry to find the real thief. (Answer: True)
8. The people in the town had the same ideas about who took the pies, with everyone suspecting sneaky squirrels and no one suspecting a competing bakery. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧

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