The Problem of Pickles

​Shakira had always wanted a dog, but her family had never

been able to have one. They moved a lot because of Shakira’s

mother’s job. Sometimes they lived in places that didn’t allow pets.

Right now the family was living in Iowa; they had a big house

with a yard. Shakira thought her dream might finally come true. She

saw a listing for puppies in need of homes, and she fell in love with

the profile of a cute little mutt named Meadow. But when Shakira

shared the description of Meadow with her parents, their faces fell.

​“I’m sorry, Sweetie,” said her mother sadly. “I want a dog,

too, but we’ll probably only be in this house for a year before my

next promotion. By the time you start junior high, we should be in

one place for good. Then I promise we’ll get a wonderful dog.”

The next day, Shakira was sitting in the school cafeteria with

Zoe. The two girls were in the same boat. Zoe’s father was in the

military, so she had to move a lot, too

Multiple Choice

Which meaning of the word profile is the same as the one

used in the sentence above? " She saw a listing for puppies in need of homes,and she fell in love withthe profile of a cute little mutt named Meadow"

• a an outline drawing

• b someone’s life story

• c a written description

• d view of a face from the side

Multiple Choice

Shakira’s parents will not let her adopt Meadow because

• f Pickles is cuter than Meadow.

• g Shakira’s next home may not allow a pet.

• h Shakira is not able to take care of an animal.

• i Shakira’s house in now is too small for a dog.

Multiple Choice

Where are Shakira and Zoe during their conversation?

• a in Shakira’s backyard

• b in the school cafeteria

• c at Zoe’s grandmother’s house

• d at the library in front of a computer

​Instead of laughing and talking a mile a minute as usual, both

girls sat staring glumly at the mac and cheese on their plates.

“What’s wrong?” asked Zoe.

“Same old problem,” sighed Shakira. “I want a puppy, but my

parents say we can’t get one till we stop moving. That won’t be for a couple more years. What about you?”

“Even worse,” sighed Zoe. “I have the greatest dog in the

world, but the military is sending my Mom overseas for six months. I have to move in with my grandmother. Grandma lives in a town house that doesn’t allow pets. We might have to give Pickles up for adoption—forever!” Zoe cried and dabbed at her tears with a napkin.

​bulb went off in her head. “But wait, what if my family and

I take care of Pickles while your Mom is away? We’ll be here till at least June. That’s way more than six months. We have a fenced yard, and I would take such good care of her!”

Zoe stopped crying, but her expression was still sad.

“Knowing that I wouldn’t have to say good-bye to Pickles forever

would be huge,” she said. “But I’ll still have to go months and

months without seeing her because my grandmother lives really far away. It will be just terrible to be missing my Mom and my dog at the same time!

Multiple Choice

Read these sentences from the passage.

The two girls were in the same boat. Zoe’s father was

in the military, so she had to move a lot, too.

What do these sentences tell us about the girls?

• f They are feeling unhappy.

• g They are lost and confused.

• h They are in a similar situation.

• i They are from the same country

Multiple Choice

Why is Zoe upset?

• a Her mother has a serious illness.

• b Her dog may go up for adoption.

• c Her family has to move overseas.

• d Her grandmother lives far away

Multiple Choice

What does Shakira offer to do?

• f help Zoe hide Pickles

• g take care of Pickles for a while

• h find Zoe a dog to replace Pickles

• i find someone nice to adopt Pickles

Multiple Choice

Read this sentence from the passage.

Then a light bulb went off in her head

What does this sentence tell you about Shakira?

• a She got dizzy.

• b She got an idea.

• c She turned on a lamp.

• d She bumped into something.

​A light shone in Shakira’s eyes. “Maybe you can still see

Pickles!” she laughed. “We have a camera on our computer that we

use when we call my grandparents. I could call every day after

school, and you could see Pickles online!”

“Wow!” said Zoe. “That sounds perfect.”

That night at dinner, Shakira took a deep breath before

presenting her plan. She explained that she wanted to adopt a dog

temporarily for a friend whose mother was a soldier. The dog was

house-trained and well behaved. It would need a home for just

six months.

“That way I get to enjoy a dog while we’re here in Iowa. And

Zoe doesn’t have to lose her best friend in the whole world!”

​She held her breath. Her parents looked at each other.

Then her mom smiled. “That is a wonderful plan, Shakira.

Your friend’s mother is sacrificing a lot for our country, and we

would be proud to help her. But are you sure you will be okay giving

up this dog when the time comes?”

Shakira nodded. “It may be hard, but I’ll be happy knowing

that Pickles is back with Zoe. Besides, I can always visit with

her online!”

Multiple Choice

What did Shakira mean when she told Zoe, “Maybe you

can still see Pickles!”?

• f Zoe could see Pickles online every day.

• g Shakira could give Zoe a photo of Pickles.

• h Zoe could take care of Pickles on weekends.

• i Shakira could bring Pickles to Zoe’s new house.

Multiple Choice

What does Shakira do after she gets home from school?

• a writes a description of Pickles

• b tells her parents about her idea

• c gets a camera for her computer

• d calls her grandmother for advice

Multiple Choice

What is the theme of this passage?

• f Friends can help each other.

• g Never leave home without saying good-bye.

• h Technology creates as many problems as it solves.

• i A student must work hard at school in order to succeed.

Multiple Choice

Read this sentence from the passage.

“That’s terrible!” exclaimed Shakira sympathetically.

The word sympathetically has two Greek roots: sym,

meaning “together or with” and pathos, meaning “emotion.”

What does sympathetically mean?

• a in a loud way

• b in a selfish way

• c with shared feelings

• d with help from others

​

Read each sentence. Write the correct past-tense form of the verb in parentheses

on the line provided.