A Slippery Mystery (The Riverkeepers #3)

A Slippery Mystery (The Riverkeepers #3)

By Ashleigh Lichtenwalner

Floyd took off running at top speed. At first Monica loped after him, yelling, “What is it? What’s wrong? What’s in the boxes?” but Floyd was too busy running—and too winded—to respond. Soon, though, Floyd noticed that Monica was no longer behind him. He swiveled around and realized she must have turned back. With an exasperated sigh, he retraced his steps, and sure enough, there she was, gingerly creeping towards the crates.

“Stop!” he gasped breathlessly as he approached. “Don’t touch anything! There are snakes in the boxes!”

“Snakes? Are you sure?” Monica replied, taking a few steps backwards and peering at the crates as though she could see through them to the scaly, slithering creatures inside. “That’s so weird. Why dump boxes of snakes here?”

“I have no idea,” said Floyd, “but I can tell you I’m not lying. There are snakes in the boxes that I opened because you made me do it—so if we both get bitten and die from the venom, I’m blaming YOU!”

Monica rolled her eyes. “I believe you that there are snakes in there… but come on, we’re not gonna die. Don’t you think we should close that box up before any of them get out?”
Floyd was surprised that Monica did not object to his blaming her for opening the boxes, and even more surprised that she didn’t seem to be very frightened by the situation. He resolved to put away his own fear. The two classmates approached the crates together, warily watching for any movement. Monica grabbed a stick and pushed the basket cover in place while Floyd securely re-taped the box closed.

Multiple Choice

What’s in the boxes that Floyd opened?

• snakes

• frogs

• sketches

• baseballs

Multiple Choice

How is Floyd’s reaction to the snakes different from Monica’s?

• Floyd wants to call the police but Monica tells him to wait.

• Floyd is scared of the snakes and Monica is cautious yet curious.

• Floyd wants to stay at the river but Monica makes him leave.

• Floyd is interested in what kind of snakes they are and Monica runs.

Floyd and Monica slowly and carefully backed away from the shed, then walked quickly away from the river, still shaking a little from the unwelcome surprise.

“Snakes,” Floyd said, shaking his head in shock. “What do you think this is all about?”

“I don’t know, but we’d better find out… our science fair project is on the line!” Monica said brightly.

Floyd snapped back, “Our river is on the line! Where are your priorities? !” Annoyed though he was, Floyd reluctantly agreed when Monica suggested they head home and have a video call that evening with their groupmate Oliver to discuss what had happened.

Later, on the video call, Floyd and Oliver rolled their eyes at each other as Monica dramatically recounted that afternoon’s events, her voice rising as she told the story.

“She is way too intense,” thought Floyd as he bit into an apple and tried not to think about the writhing creatures in the basket.

Oliver, who seemed much more laid back than either Monica or Floyd, was lying on his bed, tossing and catching a baseball.

When Monica got to the part of the story where the men discussed the transformation of the creek into a parking lot, he let out a whoop of glee. “I can’t stand that creek!” he cackled.

“What do you mean?? ?” said Floyd, annoyed. “I mean, this is no laughing matter.”

Multiple Choice

Read the following sentences from the text.

“’Snakes,’ Floyd said, shaking his head in shock. ‘What do you think this is all about?’

‘I don’t know, but we’d better find out… our science fair project is on the line!’ Monica said brightly.

Floyd snapped back, ‘Our river is on the line! Where are your priorities?!’ Annoyed though he was, Floyd reluctantly agreed when Monica suggested they head home and have a video call that evening with their groupmate Oliver to discuss what had happened.”

As used in this excerpt, what does the phrase “on the line” most closely mean?

• important to others

• powerful and strong

• creative and interesting

• at risk of being harmed

“It’s not the creek, actually,” responded Oliver. “It’s those darn ugly frogs that live there.”

“How can you hate those frogs?” exclaimed Floyd. “What did they ever do to you? They’re so interesting-looking! Look at these handsome fellas!” Floyd held up sketches he had made of the frogs.

“See, you are a scientist!” said Monica, pointing to his drawing. “You’re a herpetologist!”

“No,” said Floyd, “why do I have to keep telling you that I am an artist? You need to learn to listen better.”

“Maybe you’re an environmental artist,” offered Oliver, seeking to ease the tension. “But whatever you are, I don’t like those frogs. They look poisonous.”

“Speaking of poisonous, I haven’t finished telling you about what happened today,” said Monica, who had been saving the most dramatic bit for the end of her story: “How do you feel about snakes, Oliver?”

“Snakes? They are the most amazing animals!” Oliver exclaimed. He dropped his ball, sat up straight, and added, “I love them! Why are you bringing up snakes?”

Now that Oliver mentioned it, Floyd did remember that he had a thing for snakes. Floyd knew that Oliver had spent a lot of time over the years hanging out at the local pet store, gazing at the scaly reptiles as they slithered in tanks in the back of the store. On a recent Halloween, Oliver had even dressed as King Cobra from the Marvel Universe.

Multiple Choice

Read the following sentences from the text.

“When Monica got to the part of the story where the men discussed the transformation of the creek into a parking lot, he let out a whoop of glee. ‘I can’t stand that creek!’ he cackled.

‘What do you mean???’ said Floyd, annoyed. ‘I mean, this is no laughing matter.’

‘It’s not the creek, actually,’ responded Oliver. ‘It’s those darn ugly frogs that live there.….’ When [Monica] finally got to the part about taping the crate closed again and keeping the snakes concealed in the boxes, Oliver’s eyes opened wide.

‘So, you just left them there trapped in boxes in the cold?’ he screeched. ‘Don’t you know snakes are very sensitive to cold weather? And I bet those guys didn’t leave the snakes any food… How could you be so cruel?’”

What conclusion can you draw from this evidence?

• Oliver and Monica are impressed by Floyd’s sketches of the frogs from the river.

• Oliver has more snakes in his garage that can keep the new snakes company.

• Oliver thinks saving the snakes is more important than saving the river and frogs.

• Oliver is excited that he has the opportunity to get pet snakes at no cost.

Multiple Choice

Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.

Floyd thinks the frogs at the river are interesting and likes to draw them. _________, Oliver thinks the frogs are ugly and poisonous.

• For example

• In particular

• In contrast

• In the end

Monica proceeded to share what had happened, accentuating her play-by-play with hand gestures and exclamations. When she finally got to the part about taping the crate closed again and keeping the snakes concealed in the boxes, Oliver’s eyes opened wide.

“So, you just left them there trapped in boxes in the cold?” he screeched. “Don’t you know snakes are very sensitive to cold weather? And I bet those guys didn’t leave the snakes any food… How could you be so cruel?”

Oliver jumped up from his bed in a fury and disappeared from the screen. “I’m going to get them,” they heard him say off-camera. “I’m going to put the boxes on my wagon and keep them in my warm garage until we figure out what’s going on. Shame on you guys.” Then they heard the sound of his bedroom door slamming.

“Well, I love the guy, but he totally missed the point about the snakes… I mean, we still have no idea why the men brought them…” Floyd trailed off when he noticed that Monica had fallen silent, looking deeply concerned.

“I think we should help him,” Monica suddenly said.

“But… it’s almost nighttime… and…”

“Those poor creatures were put there by some creepy guys, and it’s not their fault they’re stuck in those crates. Oliver’s right, we need to save them. Plus, it may help us figure out more about those guys’ bizarre plans.” Monica stood up and started rushing around her room, grabbing a flashlight, throwing on a sweatshirt, and pulling on sneakers.

“Uh, you realize we’re talking about snakes, here, right? This can’t be safe…” Floyd stuttered.

“Oh, come on, as long as they’re in the boxes, they can’t bite us or anything. Are you coming or not?” Monica asked forcefully.

Open Ended

How does Oliver react when he hears about the snakes at the river?

Open Ended

How is Oliver’s reaction to Monica and Floyd’s story different from what they expected?

Once again, against every instinct he had, Monica’s insistence convinced Floyd to follow her lead. Soon, he hopped on his bike and met her at the corner of his street. Together, they rode through the gathering darkness, headed for the shed by the river.

But when they arrived, they were shocked to discover Oliver standing, distressed, amidst a bunch of opened boxes and baskets strewn around the outside of the shed. “The men must have come back,” he said, somberly. “The boxes are all open and the baskets are empty. Why would someone do this?”

Floyd had another, more urgent concern, as the darkness pressed against them on all sides: Where had all the snakes gone?

Multiple Choice

Monica decides that their science fair project will be to save the river. How are Floyd, Monica, and Oliver already working on their project?

• They are investigating what is happening at the river.

• They are going to the store to buy a poster board.

• They are each adding their ideas to a shared document.

• They are researching facts about the river on a video call.

Multiple Choice

What is the main idea of this text?

• Floyd’s friend, Oliver, likes snakes so he spends a lot of time at the local pet store looking at them and even dressed up as a snake character, King Cobra from the Marvel Universe, for a recent Halloween.

• Floyd likes to visit the river and draw the frogs there so Monica tells him that he is a specific kind of scientist called a herpetologist, which is a scientist who studies frogs and amphibians.

• When Floyd, Monica, and Oliver are on the video call, Monica is retelling the events from the river in an overly dramatic way and Floyd and Oliver cannot help but roll their eyes at her.

• Floyd and Monica tell Oliver about what they saw at the river and Oliver becomes concerned and goes to save the snakes, only to realize that they have been let out of their boxes.

Open Ended

Floyd, Monica, and Oliver are all concerned with what is going on at the river but for different reasons. What is motivating each character? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.