Lindy Blues
The Big Scoop
by Dorian Cirrone
illustrated by Liza Woodruff
About the book:
Lindy Blues, Your Nose for News, is stumped when she hears about the missing ice-cream shop. How could Mr. Hoop’s Super Scoop go missing and then mysteriously reappear? But the news tip came from one of Lindy’s best news sources, Joshua and Amy Becker- and Lindy’s news sources are very important to her. Plus, Lindy knows the Beckers would never lie about ice cream.
As Lindy sniffs around the neighborhood for clues, she realizes that this might be her toughest scoop yet! Time is running out for her Saturday night news program, and all Lindy has is a story about flowers and their biological clocks. Will she crack the case of the missing ice-cream store in time for the LBN newscast? Tune in and find out!
About the author:
Like Lindy Blues, Dorian Cirrone once worked as a journalist, but her job wasn’t as exciting as Lindy’s. She is the author of the novel Dancing in Red Shoes Will Kill You, a story in the anthology Sports Shorts, and more. She lives with her husband and two children in South Florida, where she’s working on another Lindy Blues mystery. Visit heart www.doriancirrone.com
Pre-reading:
Have you ever lost something or had it disappear? What did you do?
Can you tell time? How do you know what time of day it is without a clock? Can animals do this too? What about plants?
Ch. 1
- Who is one of Lindy’s best news sources? What does this mean? What qualities do you think would make a great new source?
- Why must Lindy go to school on teacher work day? What types of clothes does she like to wear when she works on LBN? Why?
Ch. 2
- What does she mean when she says, “If sentences were ice-cream cones, that one would be a triple dipper…” (p. 12) What is Joshua talking about?
- What’s missing? What do you think happened to it? Will magic be involved? What makes you think so or not?
Ch. 3
- Recount Amy’s version of the events.
- How does Lindy rule out Joshua? Do you think she’s correct to do this? Why?
Ch. 4
1. Why doesn’t Lindy suspect Mr. Hoop? Would you?
2. What does Amy think was in place of the shop? Why, do you think, this might be important?
Ch. 5
- What kind of garden is Ms. Blanco creating? Did you learn anything new in this chapter? What was it? Do we often learn as much from fiction as non-fiction?
- How do people act differently on camera? Do you?
Ch. 6
- Is Amy lying about the disappearance? How does Lindy know she’s not?
- Why do they think Mr. Hoops is now involved in the mystery? Do you agree?
Ch. 7
- What does she mean by “sleight-of-hand?” What kind of people use this technique?
- How does Lindy know Mr. Hoop isn’t a magician?
Ch. 8
- Where does Lindy visit? Why ? What does she learn?
- Where else does Lindy look for clues? Where would you look?
Ch. 9
- How does Lindy review the facts? Do you see anymore clues she might be missing?
- How do you think the two stories are related?
Ch. 10
- How did Lindy solve the case?
- What is a landmark that you use in your own neighborhood?
Projects:
Language Arts:
“If sentences were ice-cream cones, that one would be a triple dipper…” (p. 12)
Create your own comparisons about the following things:
a thunderstorm
a tiny puppy
something furry
a loud outfit
a long song
etc.
Lindy has to make sure that she can distinguish between a fact and opinion. What’s the difference between these two things? Write ten statements. Five of them should be facts, five of them opinions (mix them up) and then trade with a partner. Can you recognize which is which? Discuss your results.
Art:
Design your own garden using graph paper and pictures of flowers from magazines or nursery catalogs (you can sketch the plants if you prefer and color them). What theme will you decide on? Will it have a particular color story? Will the plants be perennials (which come back year after year) or annuals?
Math/Logic
Create a map of your neighborhood from a bird’s eye view. What landmarks did you include? Be sure to label neighbor’s houses, stores, street names and anything that is important to you and your friends!
Science/ Art
Create a sun and moon from construction paper (or paint your own). Then, find pictures of animals that are nocturnal and diurnal (during the day). To further the project, choose an animal and create a piece of art that incorporates what you learned with a portrait of the animal.
