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WARNING: Spoilers Below
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FREE RESOURCES
- Chaser The Caser -
Kid Detective
Chapter 1 Summary
Chaser was a kid detective who earned the nickname "Chaser" from her grandpa, a former CIA agent whom she loved dearly. She had a pet betta fish named Speedy, who acted as her trained assistant detective, and together they were called the "Dynamic Duo." Chaser had been chasing cases to solve since she was a young girl and absolutely loved learning and designing helpful creations. One of these helpful creations was a portable fish tank backpack for Speedy, so she could take him everywhere for cases. Chaser tried to always have a backup plan. She learned from her mistakes and strived to always be prepared.
Chapter 1 Discussion
Chaser is a kid detective. Would you want to be a kid detective like Chaser? Why or why not?
Chaser’s assistant detective is a betta fish named Speedy. What kind of assistant detective would you have if you were a kid detective?
Chaser loves to learn about all sorts of new things. What are your favorite things to learn about and why?
Chaser likes to learn new things every day. Do you learn something new every day? Did you learn anything new today?
Chapter 2 Summary
Chaser was at home, spending the first day of her winter break with her five-year-old little brother, Pie Boy. Chaser and Pie Boy used their nicknames every day because they liked to be silly. Snow was their mom’s absolute favorite thing, and she loved playing in it with Chaser and Pie Boy. This year, on the first day of winter break, there was a huge snowstorm that lasted all day long, so Chaser couldn’t go out to play. Luckily, waiting one more day meant there would be even more snow outside the next day to build with and play in. It also gave Chaser more time to plan and prepare for what she wanted to do outside, which was her favorite part. Chaser spent the day at her drawing board, planning out the coolest snow fort she had ever imagined. While Pie Boy was looking out the front window, he spotted a family of snowmen in the middle of the cul-de-sac. Chaser would have to wait until the next day to investigate and discover who had built the snowman family during the storm. Those snowmen would give her a great case to chase during that winter break.
Chapter 2 Discussion
Chaser is a nickname, not her real name. Have you ever had a nickname? Who gave it to you and why?
Chaser loves the winter season because of all the snow and the holidays. What is your favorite time of the year and why?
Chaser loves to play all sorts of games in the snow. What kind of winter break activities do you like to do?
Chapter 3 Summary
On the second day of winter break, Chaser woke up eager to solve the mystery of who had built the family of snowmen and to get started on building her snow fort base. Mom had made her homemade cinnamon rolls and icing for breakfast that morning. Pie Boy was mashing his cinnamon roll with the face of his favorite toy dino. He always fed his toy dino first, then ate the smashed remains of his food, much like a baby bird with its mother. Sometimes, Chaser thought that because she and Pie Boy were so different, he must have been hatched at birth and left on their doorstep by a stork.
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Chaser dressed in her favorite black-and-white-checkered knee-high socks and prepared the aquarium backpack for Speedy, packing an extra temperature gauge in the side pocket and hand warmer packs—just in case the other one malfunctioned. She loved to always be prepared. Chaser and Pie Boy got dressed in their snow gear, and Mom helped Pie Boy pack Dino into a fanny pack so he could bring him outside too.
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Chaser and Pie Boy headed outside and found the perfect tree to build their snow fort next to. It had a clear sightline of the whole street and the front of the house, which was perfect for case observations. Together, they built a tall snow fort with windows. Pie Boy used sticks and rocks to make a fence around their snow fort. Chaser headed to the backyard to find some larger sticks for the roof of the snow fort. While in the backyard, Chaser thought she saw something move in the bushes next to her in the neighbor’s yard. But then, Pie Boy came running back, yelling that Mom had made hot chocolate and homemade marshmallows. Chaser dropped the bundle of sticks in front of their fort and hurried inside, eager to gulp down Mom’s chocolatey drink.
Chapter 3 Discussion
Chaser loves Mom’s homemade cinnamon rolls. Do you have a favorite breakfast food that your parents or guardians make in the morning? What is it?
Chaser loves her little brother, Pie Boy, even when he does funny things. Do you have any siblings? What kinds of things do they do that make you laugh?
Chaser loves to play in the snow. Do you like to play in the snow? What does your snow gear look like?
Chaser and Pie Boy work together to build a snow fort. If you built a snow fort, what kind of materials would you use? What would your snow fort look like? Can you draw it?
Chaser thought she saw something move in the bushes in the backyard. What do you think Chaser saw moving in the bushes in her backyard?
Chapter 4 Summary
Chaser and Pie Boy headed inside to enjoy Mom’s homemade marshmallows and hot chocolate. Afterward, they headed back outside to stack the branches on top of the snow fort to create the roof. Pie Boy got discouraged when he was not tall enough to throw the snow on top of the fort and fill the gaps between the sticks. Chaser lifted Pie Boy up, and together they filled the gaps between the branches with snow, finishing the snow fort. Once inside the fort, Chaser made a list of all the families with kids who lived on the street near the cul-de-sac where the snowman family had been built. She wrote down five names in total: the Addams family, the Lewis family, the Walker family, the Diaz family, and the Fox family. Chaser remembered that the Addams family was on winter vacation in Bermuda on a cruise, so she crossed them off. The Fox family was visiting their grandparents up north for the holidays, so she crossed them off as well. Chaser was left with a list of three names to start with and left the snow fort to go conduct some fieldwork.
Chapter 4 Discussion
Chaser loves Mom’s homemade hot chocolate and marshmallows. What is your favorite wintertime treat?
Pie Boy helped Chaser build their snow fort. Have you ever helped someone build something? What was it? How did you help them?
There are five families with kids that live in the cul-de-sac where Chaser lives. How many families with kids live on your street?
Chaser loves to play with her neighbors. Do you play with any of your neighbors? What kind of games do you play?
The Addams family is gone for the holidays on a cruise. Have you ever been on a cruise?
Some of the families in Chaser’s neighborhood are on vacation for the holidays. Does your family ever travel during winter vacation?
Chapter 5 Summary
Chaser walked to her next-door neighbor's house and ran into Mr. Lewis, the father of Kelly and Izzy. She asked him if either Kelly or Izzy had played outside last night. He told Chaser that the girls were at their grandma’s house for a sleepover last night and that their mom had picked them up earlier that morning. Next, Chaser crossed the street and headed to the Diaz family’s house. Mrs. Diaz answered the door and invited Chaser inside while she took cookies out of the oven for her four-year-old twin boys to decorate after their nap was over. Mrs. Diaz told Chaser that the boys were at karate last night, and Chaser left to go to the Walkers’ house. When Chaser arrived at the Walkers’ house, no one was home, and even their dog, Buster, who normally ran to the door when someone arrived, was nowhere to be found.
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Chaser left to return home for lunch and decided to check back with the Walkers later. Chaser was almost home when she looked toward the cul-de-sac where the snowman family had been and noticed that, unlike yesterday, some of the snowmen were missing their stick arms. She hurried over to investigate further to see if they had fallen and were lying around the snowmen on the ground. Chaser didn’t see any sticks, and the only snowman that still had stick arms was the tallest snowman, who looked like he might have been the “dad” snowman in the family.
Chapter 5 Discussion
Kelly was at dance class when Chaser went over to her house. Do you do any activities outside of school? What is your favorite and why? What activities do you wish you could try?
Mrs. Diaz has four-year-old twin boys. Do you know any twins?
No one in the Walker family was home when Chaser knocked on the door. Where do you think they went?
The Walkers have a dog named Buster. Do you have any pets?
Some of the snowmen were missing their stick arms. What do you think happened to them?
Chapter 6 Summary
Chaser walked inside her house, took off all her snow gear, and neatly placed it over the heating registers to dry, just like Mom had taught her. She rolled her eyes as she saw all of Pie Boy’s snow gear strewn all over the tile floor in the entryway. Mom was making grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. Chaser always laughed when Mom made grilled cheese because it reminded her of when Pie Boy was younger. He had thrown a huge fit and cried, telling Mom he didn’t want a “girl cheese” but a “boy cheese” instead, because he was a boy. Chaser and Pie Boy laughed at the “boy cheese” memory as they ate their lunch, while Mom helped Pie Boy wipe melted cheese off of Dino.
Chapter 6 Discussion
Chaser is very neat and organized, and Pie Boy is very messy and wild. Who do you think you are more like?
When Pie Boy was little, he thought grilled cheese sandwiches were called “girl cheese sandwiches.” When you were younger, did you ever call any food or anything else something funny?
Chaser and Pie Boy love to eat grilled cheese sandwiches. What’s your favorite food to eat for lunch?
Chaser likes to tease her brother about things she knows will make him laugh. Do you have siblings you tease or get teased by? What about? Is it silly teasing, or does it make you or them feel something different?
Chapter 7 Summary
After lunch, Chaser decided to go back to her desk to review and arrange her notes for the case. She transported Speedy back into his big aquarium tank in her room and sat down at her desk. Chaser thought that maybe Simon and one of his new high school friends had been out the day before and built the snowman family in the cul-de-sac. She called Simon using their home phone on the wall in the kitchen. But before she did that, she daydreamed about being Simon’s age and having more freedom to solve bigger cases, hoping to be featured in the Junior Detective’s Society monthly newsletter that she subscribed to. Chaser dreamed of one day having a case of her own featured in the editorial section.
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Chaser was ten years old, and her neighborhood friend Simon was fourteen years old. They had been friends since they were both little kids. Simon answered her call and told her that he and his mom had been out at the post office that morning mailing his grandma’s present. They had gotten her another cookbook, and his mom had made a huge album of all his water polo photos from that season. He told Chaser that his dad had gone ice fishing with his uncle for the week and that, the night before, he and his friend Jimmy had had a bet over who could stay out in the cold snow longer. They had gotten bored just standing there, so they had a contest to see who could make the most snowmen before the sun went down. Chaser walked back to her room with a smile on her face and circled the Walkers’ name on her small case-solving notepad. She had solved the case of who built all the snowmen in the cul-de-sac. Now she was just left wondering what could have happened to all their stick arms, so she sat down to brainstorm.
Chapter 7 Discussion
Chaser is ten years old and cannot wait to be a teenager so she can have more freedom. How old are you? What kinds of things will you do when you're older?
Chaser’s Mom always tells her, “Don't rush childhood away.” What do you think she means, and why would she say that?
Chaser subscribes to the Junior Detectives' Society's monthly newsletter. Do you subscribe to anything? What is your favorite hobby?
Chaser’s home phone hangs on the wall. This is called a landline. Does your family have a landline at home?
Chaser has memorized Kelly and Simon’s phone numbers. Do you have any phone numbers memorized?
Now that Chaser has solved the case of who built the snowman family, she wonders where the snowmen’s stick arms have gone. What do you think happened?
Chapter 8 Summary
It was the third day of winter break, and now the remaining questions were: where had the stick arms gone, and who had taken them? Chaser decided to have a stakeout. She would gather some new stick arms for the snowman family and rebuild them. Then, she would be able to use her snow fort home base—which had a perfect sightline view of the snowman family in the cul-de-sac—to conduct a stakeout. She would watch the snowman family from inside the snow fort to stay hidden, using the window hole she and Pie Boy had built. She gathered supplies for the stakeout, including her miniature telescope, binoculars, a blanket, a folding chair, some snacks, and Speedy in his portable tank backpack. On her way to pack some snacks, Chaser found Pie Boy ferociously licking a beater covered with brownie batter that Mom had given him. Mom was making Chaser’s favorite: jumbo chocolate chip brownies. Chaser snacked on some strawberries that Mom had cut up for her and told Mom and Pie Boy about her plans to conduct a stakeout in the snow fort home base.
Chapter 8 Discussion
Chaser loved getting the Junior Detectives' Society microscope set for Christmas last year. What’s the best Christmas present that you’ve ever received?
Chaser decided to bring along her binoculars and miniature telescope for this stakeout. What kind of detective tools would you bring along for this case?
Chaser plans to use her Junior Detectives' Society supplies for her stakeout. Have you ever used binoculars or a telescope? What did you use them for?
Mom is making Chaser’s favorite, jumbo chocolate chip brownies. What is your favorite treat?
Chaser’s favorite fruit to eat is strawberries. What is your favorite fruit?
Chaser decides that she needs to pack lots of snacks for her stakeout mission. What kind of snacks would you pack if you were going on a stakeout mission?
Chapter 9 Summary
Chaser dressed in her warmest snow gear, gathered her supplies and Speedy, and headed outside to set up her stakeout in her snow fort. She collected some sticks to replace the missing snowman arms. She would use those stick arms as bait to see if whoever had taken the original stick arms from the snowman would come back and take the new stick arms as well. Chaser needed to go searching for the perfect branches, so she headed to the other side of the house, where there were some flower shrubs and garden beds that they used in the warmer months to grow all sorts of fruits and vegetables. In the garden, Chaser saw rabbit tracks, tiny chipmunk tracks, what looked like bird footprints, and other animal tracks that looked much larger than the rabbit tracks. However, there were so many mixed together that she couldn't tell what kind they were.
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Chaser found some sticks and crossed the street to the cul-de-sac to quickly reassemble the shorter snowmen by attaching their new stick arms. Only the smaller, shorter snowmen had missing arms. Chaser wondered if that meant the stick arm thief had to be short, and maybe they couldn't reach the stick arms in the tallest snowman. Chaser walked back to her front yard and found Pie Boy eagerly waiting for her with a big smile and Dino clutched tightly in his mitten-covered grasp. Chaser and Pie Boy went inside the snow fort to set up a blanket, a chair, and a miniature telescope for the stakeout. Then, they ate the brownies that Mom had sent outside with Pie Boy.
Chapter 9 Discussion
Chaser has a pet fish that often entertains her. If you have a pet, what kinds of things do they do that entertain you?
Chaser lives in a ranch-style house. That means her house only has one level above ground. Do you have a basement or an upstairs in your home? What do you use them for?
Chaser’s family has a garden. Have you ever planted a garden? What did you plant? If you’ve never gardened, what kinds of things would you like to plant someday?
Chaser thinks that the snowman stick arm thief must be short because the tallest snowman still had its original arms. What do you think? Who do you think stole the snowman stick arms?
Chapter 10 Summary
A few hours had already passed since the stakeout had begun, and Pie Boy had left to go inside for a brownie-induced nap. Chaser steadily kept an eye out for any changes to the snowman and general activity in the cul-de-sac. So far, she had seen Kelly and Izzy leave with their mom for dance class, and Grandma Diaz arrive to watch the twins so Mrs. Diaz could go do some Christmas shopping—Chaser guessed. She spent some time in the snow fort fantasizing that she was the sixty member of Mystery Incorporated from Scooby-Doo.
She heard an audible crunch of twigs coming from the cul-de-sac and whipped her head around to the telescope with excitement. She guessed that maybe one or both of the Diaz twins had been taking the snowman stick arms, since they were the shortest kids that lived in the cul-de-sac. The snowman stick arm thief had one of the snowman’s stick arms clamped down between his teeth and was wagging it around in excitement. It was Buster—the Walkers’ dog! He was not a very large dog, so he could only reach the shorter snowmen’s arms; that explained why the tallest snowman still had its original stick arms intact. Chaser wondered how Buster got all the way over to the cul-de-sac by himself. Mr. Walker wasn’t out taking Buster for a walk; he was gone on an ice fishing trip with Simon’s uncle. Chaser had also seen Simon and Mrs. Walker drive out of their neighborhood about twenty minutes ago, and they hadn’t returned yet.
Chapter 10 Discussion
Pie Boy ate too many brownies and got a stomachache. Have you ever had a stomachache when you ate too much of something? What was it?
Chaser wishes that she could be a member of the Scooby-Doo Gang, called Mystery Inc. Have you ever seen Scooby-Doo? If so, who is your favorite character?
Chaser wishes to be featured in the Junior Detectives' Society Newsletter someday. Do you think Chaser will ever be featured in the Junior Detectives' Society Newsletter? What for? Have you ever read any magazines? What were they called and what were they about?
Chaser discovers that Buster, the dog, was the one stealing the stick arms from the snowmen. Have you ever seen a dog do anything silly? What did they do?
Chapter 11 Summary
Chaser hurried through the snow, got to the sidewalk, and looked both ways before crossing the street to reach the cul-de-sac. Buster turned to see who it was and wiggled his tail in excitement when he saw his friend Chaser. He ran over to her with the stick in his mouth and jumped up, putting his front paws on her waist. Chaser grabbed some sticks and used them to make Buster follow her back to the Walkers’ house. Once they arrived at the Walker house, Chaser rang the doorbell, just in case she had missed seeing Simon and his mom return. She waited for a bit, but no one answered.
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After some investigation, she reached a giant snow pile on both sides of the fence near the house, where it looked like snow had repeatedly fallen off the roof and piled up. Things started to make sense. Chaser threw the stick over the fence and into the Walkers’ backyard. As she did, Buster ran over to the pile of snow near the outside of the fence, which was sloped up so high it almost reached the top of the fence. He climbed up the pile on the outside, ran down the pile of snow on the other side of the fence inside the backyard, retrieved the stick with his mouth, and wagged his tail with glee. Chaser threw all the sticks into Buster’s backyard so he would stay there until the Walkers got home, then headed home for dinner.
Chapter 11 Discussion
Chaser found the stick thief to be Buster, the dog. What would you do if you found Buster stealing the stick arms from the snowman?
Buster is sneaky and playful. He also doesn't always need a leash. Do you know any dogs that remind you of Buster?
Buster used the snow pile hills to escape from his fenced-in backyard. What kinds of things do you like to do when it snows a lot?
Chaser’s original hunch was wrong. It was not the Diaz twins who had taken the snowmen’s stick arms. However, she was not upset by this because she had learned it was instead Buster. Instead of being upset, Chaser was glad that she had a learning opportunity. Have you ever had a guess about something that turned out to be wrong? How did that make you feel? What was your guess about?
Chapter 12 Summary
Chaser arrived home and told Mom and Pie Boy how she had solved the case. First, she discovered that Simon and his friend Jimmy had built the snowmen in the cul-de-sac. Then, the stakeout revealed that it had been Buster, the Walkers’ dog, who had been stealing the snowmen’s stick arms. Finally, further investigation revealed how Buster had been managing to escape their backyard. Mr. Walker had been away on an ice fishing trip, so Buster had free-range access to go outside to the backyard using his doggy door on the back porch. During winter break, Simon and his mom hadn’t been home a lot because they had been busy doing errands, so it made sense that Buster had a lot of unsupervised free time to escape the backyard. Buster also knew where there were lots of sticks to go play with in the cul-de-sac, and sticks were his favorite. Chaser also remembered that she had thought she saw and heard something moving in the bushes in her backyard when she had been collecting big sticks for the roof of the snow fort. It had been Buster. They all sat down and had chicken noodle soup for dinner together in celebration of another case solved.
Chapter 12 Discussion
Chaser has a bench in the entryway of her house that has a compartment to store extra winter gear inside it when you lift the seat up. Do you have a special place to store all your family’s winter gear in your house? Where?
Chaser enjoyed conducting a stakeout, getting to use detective tools, and investigating different areas for clues. What do you think your favorite part of a case would be?
Mom and Pie Boy made chicken noodle soup for dinner. What is your favorite kind of soup? Have you ever helped make dinner? How did you help?
Pie Boy’s favorite toy to bring with him everywhere is his toy dinosaur. Do you have a favorite toy or something you like to bring with you most places? If so, what is it, and why is it your favorite?
Chapter 13 Summary
After dinner, Chaser helped dry the dishes on the rack while Mom, Pie Boy, and Dino washed them in the big, soap-filled sink. Pie Boy told Chaser that next time she had a stakeout for a case, he was going to stay there with her the whole time because he wanted to solve a case too… like the Scooby Gang. Chaser told Pie Boy that the two most important things to have during a stakeout were patience and a friend. Pie Boy smiled and asked Chaser if she wanted to build a blanket fort in the living room and watch Chill Out, Scooby-Doo with him. Chaser told Pie Boy that that sounded great, but first, she had to call Simon quickly to tell him about Buster.
Chaser called Simon and told him that she had solved another case. Chaser told Simon that Buster had been stealing the stick arms. Then, Chaser told Simon that she had walked Buster home, and because no one was home, she thought maybe he had escaped the backyard somehow. She found huge snow piles that Buster had been using to climb up and get over the fence with. Simon laughed and thanked her, saying he would go fix the piles to make sure Buster couldn’t escape again. Then, Simon told his friend Chaser that she had done a great job solving the case. Chaser smiled to herself as she hung up the phone, ready to join Pie Boy in the living room for the movie. She thought that it had been a great job indeed—another case solved.
Chapter 13 Discussion
Chaser and Pie Boy help Mom do the dishes. Do you ever help clean up after dinner? Would you rather wash or dry dishes?
Pie Boy says that he wants to be a good case solver like Chaser. What do you want to be when you grow up and why?
Chaser says that patience and a friend are the best part of a stakeout. Why do you think she said this? What do you think she means?
Chaser and Pie Boy love making forts in the living room to watch movies. Have you ever done this? If so, what supplies did you use to make your fort?
Simon told Chaser she did a great job solving the case. Have you ever had a friend tell you that you did great at something? If so, what was it for? How did it make you feel?