Masterminds Comprehension Questions & Reading Journal
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Masterminds has 30 chapters · 336 pages
Book 1 of the Masterminds series
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Inside the journal: 30 chapter pages, one question each · 3 example answers · a cover for your reader’s name
Written for this book Questions about this story, good after any chapter.
Based on what you have read so far, how would you describe Serenity, New Mexico? Use two details that help you picture the town.See all 30 questions ↓
About the book
Eli Frieden lives in the most perfect town in the world: Serenity, New Mexico. Honesty and integrity are valued above all else. The thirty kids who live there never lie—they know it’s a short leap from that to the awful problems of other, less fortunate places.
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Masterminds questions by chapter
We know the book, its characters, setting and story, but not what happens in each chapter. So every question is written for this book, and any of them works wherever your reader has just stopped. One question per chapter, across all 30 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.
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Chapter 1
Based on what you have read so far, how would you describe Serenity, New Mexico? Use two details that help you picture the town.
Example answer: I would describe Serenity as peaceful but unusual. Eli sees it as a good place to grow up, and the town seems very safe. It is also away from other towns, which makes me picture a small community set apart from the outside world. Those details make me wonder whether living there feels comfortable or limiting.
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Chapter 2
What have you learned about Eli Frieden so far? Explain which detail tells you the most about him.
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Chapter 3
Which event in your latest chapter seems most important to understanding life in Serenity? Explain what it helps you understand.
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Chapter 4
Choose one of the young characters you have met so far in Masterminds. How does that character respond to a problem or a question?
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Chapter 5
How do the adults you have met so far shape life for the children in Serenity? Give an example from your reading.
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Chapter 6
What do you predict Eli will want to learn next? Use a clue from what you have read, without looking ahead.
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Chapter 7
If you could ask someone in Serenity one question right now, whom would you ask, and what would you want to know? Explain your choice.
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Chapter 8
Pick a word from your latest chapter that describes a place, person, or feeling. What do you think it means, and which nearby words help you understand it?
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Chapter 9
Which detail about Serenity seems ordinary, and which seems unusual? Explain why you put each detail in that group.
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Chapter 10
Think about a choice made by a character in your latest chapter. What other choice could that person have made, and how might it have changed the situation?
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Chapter 11
What does your reading so far suggest about curiosity? Explain whether asking questions seems helpful, risky, or both in Serenity.
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Chapter 12
Among the young characters you have met so far, who would you choose as a partner for solving a mystery? Support your choice with something that character has said or done.
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Chapter 13
Summarize your latest chapter in three important points. How does each point add to your understanding of the people or problems in Serenity?
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Chapter 14
Which character's feelings were easiest for you to understand in your latest chapter? Explain what helped you connect with that person.
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Chapter 15
Find a word or phrase in your latest chapter that makes Serenity or its people seem a certain way. What picture or feeling does it create for you?
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Chapter 16
What might happen if a character in Serenity shares an important question or worry with someone else? Base your prediction on what you know so far.
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Chapter 17
How is a friendship in Masterminds developing so far? Describe something that seems to strengthen it or put it under pressure.
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Chapter 18
Which piece of information from your latest chapter would you add to a detective's notebook about Serenity? Explain why it deserves attention.
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Chapter 19
Where do you notice a difference between what someone says and what someone does, if any? Explain what that difference—or agreement—suggests about the character.
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Chapter 20
Would you want to live in Serenity, based only on what you know right now? Describe one thing that appeals to you and one thing you would want to ask about.
Example answer: I would enjoy living somewhere that seems safe and friendly like Serenity. I would like knowing the people around me instead of feeling lost in a huge city. Still, I would want to ask what life is like outside the town. I would not decide to move there until I understood how much freedom I would have.
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Chapter 21
What does your latest chapter suggest about trust? Explain how a character decides, or might decide, whom to believe.
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Chapter 22
Choose a conversation from your latest chapter. What does it reveal about the relationship between the people speaking?
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Chapter 23
How has your opinion of Eli or another character changed since you first met that person? If it has not changed, explain which details have kept your opinion steady.
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Chapter 24
What unanswered question about Serenity interests you most right now? Explain which details made you wonder about it.
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Chapter 25
Notice how Gordon Korman ends your latest chapter. How does that ending make you feel, and what does it make you want to find out?
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Chapter 26
Select a word you would use to describe Serenity at this point in the story. Define the word in your own language and explain why it fits.
Example answer: I would choose the word isolated to describe Serenity. To me, isolated means separated from other places or people. Serenity is away from other towns, so the word fits its location. I think that distance could make the town feel peaceful, but it could also make learning about the outside world harder.
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Chapter 27
What does a character's behavior so far suggest about being brave? Explain whether bravery always has to look bold or fearless.
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Chapter 28
Compare two young characters you have met in Masterminds. How do their different personalities affect the way they handle what happens around them?
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Chapter 29
Which moment from your latest chapter would you most want to discuss with another reader? Explain what makes it surprising, confusing, funny, or important.
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Chapter 30
Looking only at what you have read so far, what lesson might Masterminds be building about making your own choices? Connect your idea to a character's actions.
Discussion questions for after Masterminds
Bigger questions for when the book is finished, each printed on its own ruled page at the end of the booklet.
- Choose Eli or another major young character in Masterminds. How does that character change from the beginning of the book to the end? Explain what the character first believes, which experiences challenge those beliefs, and how the character's later choices show growth. Use details from different parts of the story.
- What do you think Masterminds is really saying about trust and making your own choices? Explain how life in Serenity helps develop those ideas, and discuss how the characters' relationships affect their decisions. Then connect the story's message to a situation a reader your age might face.
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How to use this Masterminds 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, 30 chapters, so it doubles as the reading log for Masterminds. 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
Questions about this story, good after any chapter. We know the book, its characters, setting and story, but not what happens in each chapter. So every question is written for this book, and any of them works wherever your reader has just stopped. 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 Gordon Korman