When students read a book or have a book read to them, there are lots of good questions to ask in order to see if they can recall the specific details of a story.  For example, where did it take place or who were the characters?  But what are some other things that help children with more indepth thinking about books and stories.  Often our questions lead them right through the story.  It is a good idea to let them "retell" the story themselves.  You can prompt them by saying, "Start at the beginning and tell me about what happened in that story."  See how much they can recall by themselves BEFORE you start asking questions to help them fill in details.  When you do ask questions, throw in a couple of questions that require them to think about the story in a different way.  The following are some questions that help students use more than just basic recall of story details and go above and beyond with their comprehension.

Tell what happened in the story and why it happened.

What kind of person do you think ________ was?  Why do you think that?

What was the author's purpose in writing this story?

How did _________'s feelings (ideas, actions) change by the end of the story?

What was surprising about the story?

Do you think what happened in the story could really happen?  Explain why?

If you could ask the author a question about the story, what would you ask?

Think of a different setting for the story.  How would that change what happened in the story?