The Lions' Run Comprehension Questions & Reading Journal
The Lions' Run has 32 chapters · Grades 3–5 · 288 pages
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Inside the journal: 32 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.
What have you learned so far about Lucas Dubois and the way other boys at the orphanage see him?See all 32 questions ↓
About the book
Petit éclair. That's what the other boys at the orphanage call Lucas Dubois. Lucas is tired of his cowardly reputation, just as he's tired of the war and the Nazi occupation of his little French village. He longs to show how brave he can be. He gets the chance when he saves a litter of kittens from cruel boys and brings them to an abandoned stable to care for them. There he comes upon a stranger who is none too happy to see him: Alice, the daughter of a horse trainer, who is hiding her filly from German soldiers.
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The Lions' Run 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 32 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
What have you learned so far about Lucas Dubois and the way other boys at the orphanage see him?
Example answer: I have learned that Lucas does not feel respected by the other boys at the orphanage. They call him “Petit éclair,” and it seems like the nickname makes him feel small and embarrassed. I think Lucas wants people to see that he is not a coward. This helps me understand why proving his bravery matters so much to him.
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Chapter 2
How does the setting of a French village during the Nazi occupation affect the mood of the story so far?
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Chapter 3
What clues does the author give about Lucas wanting to prove he is brave?
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Chapter 4
Which moment in this chapter seemed most important to Lucas, and why?
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Chapter 5
So far, how do the kittens change what Lucas thinks or does?
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Chapter 6
What does the nickname “Petit éclair” seem to mean for Lucas’s feelings about himself?
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Chapter 7
Describe one danger Lucas faces or worries about in the story so far. How does he respond?
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Chapter 8
What do you notice about Alice from what you have read so far? Use details from the text.
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Chapter 9
How does the abandoned stable feel as a setting? What words would you use to describe it?
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Chapter 10
What is one choice Lucas makes that shows either fear, courage, or both?
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Chapter 11
So far, how are animals important to the plot and to the characters?
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Chapter 12
What question do you have about Alice’s filly, and why are you curious about it?
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Chapter 13
How does the war change everyday life for people in Lucas’s village?
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Chapter 14
Choose one word or phrase from this chapter that helped you picture the scene. What did it make you imagine?
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Chapter 15
What do Lucas and Alice seem to have in common, even if they do not always agree?
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Chapter 16
How does keeping a secret affect the characters in the story so far?
Example answer: Keeping a secret makes the characters act carefully because the village is not a safe place. Lucas and Alice cannot just tell everyone what they know or what they are protecting. I think secrets make the story more suspenseful because one mistake could cause trouble. It also shows that the characters have to be brave in quiet ways.
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Chapter 17
What prediction can you make about how Lucas’s actions might change how others see him?
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Chapter 18
Which character do you understand better after this chapter, and what helped you understand them?
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Chapter 19
What is one example of cruelty or kindness you noticed, and what does it show about the story’s themes?
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Chapter 20
How does Sara Pennypacker build suspense in the chapter you just read?
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Chapter 21
So far, what does the story suggest about the difference between wanting to be brave and actually being brave?
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Chapter 22
What detail about the German soldiers or the occupation made the situation feel serious?
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Chapter 23
How do Lucas’s feelings about himself seem to be changing as the story continues?
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Chapter 24
What do you think the stable, the kittens, or the filly might symbolize in Lucas’s life?
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Chapter 25
Which part of this chapter made you feel the strongest emotion? Explain what you felt and why.
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Chapter 26
What lesson might Lucas be learning about helping others, even when it is risky?
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Chapter 27
How does Alice’s need to protect her filly connect to the larger problems in the village?
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Chapter 28
What is one conflict in the story so far: person vs. person, person vs. self, or person vs. society? Explain it.
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Chapter 29
If you could give Lucas advice at this point in the story, what would you tell him?
Example answer: I would tell Lucas that being brave does not mean never being scared. It means doing the right thing even when he is worried. I would also tell him to think before he acts, because the war makes everything more dangerous. Lucas should trust people carefully and remember that helping others can be a kind of courage.
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Chapter 30
How has your opinion of Lucas changed since the beginning of the book?
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Chapter 31
What do you think the title The Lions’ Run might mean based on what you have read so far?
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Chapter 32
What is the biggest unanswered question you have after this chapter, and what details make you wonder about it?
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How to use this The Lions' Run 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, 32 chapters, so it doubles as the reading log for The Lions' Run. 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.
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