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Cover of Baxter (the Puppy Place #19)

Baxter (the Puppy Place #19) Comprehension Questions & Reading Journal

By Ellen Miles

Baxter (the Puppy Place #19) has 10 chapters · 87 pages

Book 19 of the the Puppy Place series

Lizzie needs to train Baxter, a Portuguese water dog puppy, to behave, but Baxter gets into trouble whenever he's left alone. Will she be able to get Baxter ready for a forever home?

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Inside the journal: 10 chapter pages, one question each · 3 example answers · a cover for your reader’s name

Open-ended Thought-provoking questions for any chapter book.

Chapter 1 question
What is the most important thing that happens in this chapter? Explain how it affects a character or changes the situation.
See all 10 questions ↓

About the book

Lizzie needs to train Baxter, a Portuguese water dog puppy, to behave, but Baxter gets into trouble whenever he's left alone. Will she be able to get Baxter ready for a forever home?

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Baxter (the Puppy Place #19) questions by chapter

We don’t know this book well enough to ask about its story, so these are open-ended prompts that get a reader thinking about the chapter they just finished: what happened, who changed, what they would do. One question per chapter, across all 10 chapters, and every one is editable before you print. The example answers under 3 of the chapters are the ones printed at the front of the booklet.

  1. Chapter 1

    What is the most important thing that happens in this chapter? Explain how it affects a character or changes the situation.

  2. Chapter 2

    Which action or line of dialogue tells you something about a character's personality? Explain what it helps you understand.

  3. Chapter 3

    Based on the chapter you just read, what do you predict a character will do next? Use a clue from the chapter to explain your thinking.

    Example answer: I predict that the main character will try a different way to handle the problem. My clue would be whether the character seems satisfied or frustrated at the end of this chapter. If the character is still frustrated, that would support my prediction. I would keep reading to see whether the next choice is different.

  4. Chapter 4

    Where does this chapter take place, and how does that setting affect what the characters can do?

  5. Chapter 5

    Choose a word from this chapter that is unfamiliar or especially interesting. What do you think it means, and which nearby words or details help you figure it out?

  6. Chapter 6

    What does this chapter suggest about how people should treat others? Explain your idea using a character's words or actions.

  7. Chapter 7

    Describe a problem a character faces in this chapter. What does the character try, and how well does that response work so far?

  8. Chapter 8

    If you could ask one character a question about this chapter, what would you ask? Explain why the answer would help you understand the character better.

    Example answer: I would ask the main character, "What do you wish other people understood about you?" I think the answer could explain feelings that the character does not say out loud. I would compare the answer with the character's actions to see whether I understood the character correctly.

  9. Chapter 9

    Which moment in this chapter gave you the strongest feeling? Name the feeling and explain which details caused it.

  10. Chapter 10

    Would you want to read more about these characters after this chapter? Explain what interests you or what you would still like to understand.

    Example answer: I would want to read more because I like discovering why characters make their choices. I would especially want to know whether the main character learns something that changes a later decision. Finding that out would help me decide whether my first impression of the character was fair.

Would you use a digital version of this journal? Would you like AI to review the answers?

Discussion questions for after Baxter (the Puppy Place #19)

Bigger questions for when the book is finished, each printed on its own ruled page at the end of the booklet.

  1. How does an important character change from the beginning of the book to the end? Describe the character at both points, and explain which experiences or relationships help cause the change. Use details from different parts of the story.
  2. What do you think this book is really about beyond the events of the plot? Explain one important message, discuss at least two moments that support your idea, and describe how that message might matter in someone's life.

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How to use this Baxter (the Puppy Place #19) reading journal

At home, as a discussion guide

After each chapter your reader writes a few lines on that chapter’s question. Read the answer together at bedtime: it shows what they understood and gives you something real to talk about, without a quiz.

In class, as a novel study

Print a class set (booklets fold from plain letter paper) and use one question per chapter as the reading-response or literature-circle prompt. The example answers at the front show what a full answer looks like.

Homeschool

One booklet covers the whole book, 10 chapters, so it doubles as the reading log for Baxter (the Puppy Place #19). Reword any question before printing to match your reader.

Printing

The booklet PDF prints on ordinary 8.5 × 11 paper: print double-sided (flip on the short edge) at 100%, fold the stack in half and staple on the fold. There is also a one-page-per-sheet PDF and A5 binder pages.

Where the questions come from

Thought-provoking questions for any chapter book. We don’t know this book well enough to ask about its story, so these are open-ended prompts that get a reader thinking about the chapter they just finished: what happened, who changed, what they would do. The questions were drafted with AI from what is known about the book and checked before publishing; every one is editable before you print.

Browse: All books by Ellen Miles