Boxcar Tommy and the Racer Gang Go Wild
Boxcar Tommy and the Racer Gang Go Wild
By ReadWorks
Boxcar Tommy lives in an abandoned train car outside of town. Every morning, his pet poodle Pepper licks his face until he wakes up from the tickles. Tommy is an orphan. He doesn’t have any relatives, but he is thankful to have Pepper. Tommy and Pepper get their lunch and dinner for free. Mrs. Wilson, the owner of the General Store, makes them sandwiches. Tommy requests custom sandwiches. Last week, he asked for one he called the “Pepperoni Surprise”—a grilled cheese sandwich with pepperoni inside and Cheez Whiz all over the top. It has become his favorite. Sometimes, Mrs. Wilson likes Tommy's ideas so much that she offers his sandwich creation to customers. She calls it the “Boxcar Special.” Today, Tommy didn’t get a sandwich. He didn't get to the store. That's because it’s the day of the big Soapbox Derby, in town. Tommy built his own car from pieces of junk that Pepper found around the scrap yard. Now Tommy and Pepper are headed down to Main Street with their race car in tow. The car is a hodgepodge of wood and other materials. One side is painted blue and yellow. It says: “Boxcar Tommy ‘n’ Pepper.” The car isn’t very pretty or sturdy, but it belongs to Tommy, and he loves it. There are only four contestants in the race today: Tommy and the Williker triplets. The three identical boys are not very nice, but their father owns most of the town. Once everyone found out that the Williker triplets were going to compete in the Derby, no one else bothered to enter. Instead, they all placed bets on which one of the Williker triplets would win. Now Tommy and Pepper have joined the race, and not a single person believes they can win. Tommy and Pepper arrive at the starting line and set up their homemade car. People laugh. Tommy overhears them making fun of him. “Ain't that the little boy who lives by the train tracks?” “Sure is. Why on earth would he even want to enter?” “Gonna be embarrassing when he loses.” The Williker boys pull up to the starting line next. They all have identical cherry‐red race cars. They’re made of molded metal, and they look just like real cars. “Well,” thinks Tommy, “they may have nicer cars, but they didn’t make them themselves!” The sun gleams off the Williker triplet’s shiny cars, almost blinding Tommy. Tommy’s car doesn’t reflect the sun at all. 1
© 2015 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Boxcar Tommy and the Racer Gang Go Wild
On Your Mark… The race is starting! Tommy pulls his goggles down over his eyes and adjusts Pepper’s scarf. Get Set... “You’ll never beat us!” the triplets yell and jeer. “You’re a nobody!” GO! A nobody? Tommy can’t believe what he’s just heard. He’s so taken aback by the insult that he forgets to leave the starting line. A single tear falls down his cheek. It leaves a line in the dirt on his face. “I’m just a no one,” he thinks to himself. Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he sees Mrs. Wilson from the General Store. She’s in the crowd with a banner. She’s cheering him on! The sign says: GENERAL STORE SUPPORTS BOXCAR TOMMY AND PEPPER! “Go Tommy!” Mrs. Wilson yells, cupping her hands to her mouth. “My favorite sandwich fan!” Tommy suddenly gets a second wind. He pedals with all his might and tries to catch up. Pepper licks his face in encouragement. Suddenly, the triplets’ cars all swerve and crash into each other. There was a sand trap on the course! The sun reflected off the fronts of their glimmering cars and they weren’t able to see the trap. But Tommy sees their mistake from behind and rides around them. He's passed them now! There’s the finish line! Close...closer...almost there. Boxcar Tommy is the winner! The crowd goes wild with applause. Mrs. Wilson runs up to the finish line and lifts Tommy out of his car, giving him the biggest hug he’s ever received. “You did it, Tommy! I always believed in you!” Tommy doesn’t know what to say. As far as he knew, the only living being who loved him was Pepper. “I made you your favorite,” Mrs. Wilson says. And she hands him a Pepperoni Surprise. 2
© 2015 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions: Boxcar Tommy and the Racer Gang Go Wild
Name:
Date: _______________________
1. What is Tommy competing in?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
2. What is the main event in the story?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
3. Mrs. Wilson makes Tommy and Pepper free sandwiches for lunch and dinner. She
comes to the race with a banner and cheers Tommy on. And when Tommy wins the
race, she gives him the biggest hug he’s ever received and tells him that she has always
believed in him. Based on this evidence, what conclusion can you draw about how Mrs.
Wilson feels about Tommy?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
4. How does Mrs. Wilson’s support make Tommy feel?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
1
© 2015 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions: Boxcar Tommy and the Racer Gang Go Wild
5. What is the main idea of this story?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
6. Read the sentences and answer the question.
“'You’ll never beat us!' the triplets yell and jeer. 'You’re a nobody!'
"GO!
"A nobody? Tommy can’t believe what he’s just heard. He’s so taken aback by the insult
that he forgets to leave the starting line."
What does the phrase “taken aback” mean in the text?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
7. What word or phrase best completes the sentence?
Tommy wins the race against the Williker triplets ________ the triplets were ahead of
him at the start of the race.
____________________________________
8. What does Tommy think to himself when the Williker triplets call him a nobody?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
2
© 2015 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions: Boxcar Tommy and the Racer Gang Go Wild
9. What causes Tommy to get a second wind and try to catch up to the Williker triplets
during the race?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
10. How do the Williker triplets and Mrs. Wilson affect how Tommy feels about himself?
Use evidence from the story to support your answer.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
3
© 2015 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.