The Case of the Runaway Appetite

A JOE GILES MYSTERY

By Rob Hale

coax

Verb To encourage someone

or thing in a persuasive manner.

Maria tried to coax her cat out from under the dresser with a treat.

coax

It was time for a flu shot, so Dr. Green had to coax Alex into the room.

I need to be ______ to ______________.

negotiator

Noun Someone who helps to

resolve a conflict

Negotiator

The negotiator had to work quick to solve the cat and mouse issues.

Suddenly the _____ disappeared and the ___________.

negotiator

incident

Noun A situation, usually with

serious consequences

The incident at San Francisco airport caused hours of flight delays.

incident

The commander was on alert for any ______ as the flood water rose.

There was an____ at school today between _____ and _____.

tartly

Adverb In a sharp manner

“Well then, you can leave,” Alice and Lucie said tartly.

tartly

Luke always spoke tartly to his younger brother.

“________” said little Billy in a tartly manner.

client

Noun A person who hires a

person’s services

Lawyers work with their clients to help them solve problems with the law.

clients

The clients were thrilled with the results of the trial.

Put the words in order. Clients, his, hands,

shook, the, new, lawyer, with.

entourage

Noun People traveling with an important person.

An entourage follows the president every where he goes.

entourage

Walking through the streets with a entourage is like being in a parade.

I would like to be part of ___________ entourage.

chaperone

Noun An older person who serves as a guide or

companion to a younger person.

I was a chaperone at a science camp.

Chaperone

My parents said I could go to the party with a chaperone present.

Veronica’s ______ took us to ________.

Genre Lesson - PLAYS

Plays may be divided into parts called acts or scenes. The character list--the cast– at the beginning of the

play includes every character that appears in the play. The setting describes when and where the action takes

place. The dialog is what the actors say on stage. Stage directions tell the actors what action to perform,

where to move, and how to express their lines.

Page 443 Multiple meanings

Some English words have more than one meaning.

How is the author making a joke using the two meanings of the word “Lost”?

PERSONIFICATION

Joe is thinking of the princess’s lost appetite as a lost object or person.

On page 448: Veronica draws her appetite as someone with green hair. She is personifying it.

Wrapping up scene 1

What is the tone that the author has set for the play in this first scene? How has he accomplished that?

Humorous. By making fun of the detective story genre and by including silly jokes, like the one about tic tac toe.

What problems and events help to establish the plot of the play?

Joe has no business. He hears that the princess has lost her appetite and decides to find it.

Colloquialisms

“There you go,” Means to offer encouragement

Colloquialisms are phrases that aren’t supposed to be taken literally.

Idioms

“Let’s just hope the trail hasn’t gone cold.”

If a trail is “cold” it means that the target of a search has not been in the area for a long time.

What might Joe find that would make the trail “hot”?

Wrapping up: scenes 2-4

Have your feelings about Veronica and her appetite changed as you have read more scenes?

What do you think of Joe Giles as a detective, and why?

Is there any information missing from the play that you would normally get in a book?

A book would have a more complete description of the setting and characters.

Wrapping up the Play

Which scene presents the problem to be solved in the play? How?

Scene 1; We learn that the princess has lost her appetite.

Which scene makes it clear this play is a fantasy? Why?

Scene 4 Celia and Mario have seen the person in

Veronica’s sketch, and an appetite could not be a real person.

Which scenes are important for building the relationships of the main characters, and why?

Scenes 2,3, and 8. Joe and Veronica meet, work together, and

become friends. In Scene 5, Joe and Mrs. Bibby become allies.

What event in Scene 8 is the climax of the play, in which the problem is solved?

The climax is when Princess Veronica shares popcorn with her appetite and the two walk off stage together.

How do you know it is the climax?

Because Veronica’s appetite has been found and returned to Veronica.