Ghost Town at Sundown

By Mary Pope Osborne

Grades 2-5; Genre - Historical Fiction with Fantastical Elements; GRL M; AR pts: 1.0

Jack and Annie travel to an old ghost town to solve the second riddle they need to become Master Librarians.  They find a cowboy, hustlers and a real ghost as they learn about horses and the old west.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

1. What animal did see hop by that made her want to check for the tree house? A rabbit    p.  1
2. Who was in the tree house waiting for Jack and Annie?  Morgan le Fay     p.3
3. What did Jack and Annie need to solve? A  riddle      p.4
4. What was the book that Morgan pulled out about?  The wild west    p. 5

Chapter 2

1. What did the town from the book look like in real life?  Empty, spooky     p. 7
2. What was the name of the town?  Rattlesnake Flats     p. 11
3. Why is the town called Rattlesnake Flats?    Because of the rattlesnakes    p. 13
4. What did Jack and Annie hear?  A piano playing     p. 16

Chapter 3

1. Who did Jack and Annie think was playing the piano?  A ghost    p. 19
2. What did Jack and Annie hide? They heard horses       p. 20
3. What made Jack sneeze?  Dust      p. 21
4. What came running down the road after the cowboys and horses left?  A baby horse     p. 25

Chapter 4

1. What kinds of horses are in the wild west?    Mustangs      p. 26
2. What did Annie name the colt?     Sunset     p. 29
3. What was the cowboy pointing at Jack and Annie?  A six shooter, gun      p. 31

Chapter 5

1. Why did Jack and Annie look like horse thieves?  Annie was on the cowboy’s horse   p. 33
2. What did the cowboy do for a living?  He was a mustang herder    p.  33
3. What nickname did the cowboy give Jack?   Shorty     p. 34
4. What made Jack want to go with Slim to save the horses? To show he wasn’t scared   p. 37

Chapter 6

1. What was Annie’s nickname?  Smiley    p. 41
2. How did Jack feel about going to the hustler’s camp?   Scared, didn’t know what to do      p. 43
3. What happened to Jack when he let go of the reins and held onto the saddle horn? He fell off the horse   p. 46
4. What did Jack see when he looked back?  A shimmering white figure    p. 47

Chapter 7

1. After they saved the horses, where did Slim take them?  Blue Canyon      p. 49
2. Why didn’t Jack mind his nickname or sore feet and legs anymore?  He was happy they saved the horses    p.51
3. Did Slim know the answer to the riddle Jack and Annie needed to solve?    No   p. 52
4. Who’s Lonesome Luke?  A ghost, the figure who scared the rustlers, plays the hotel piano    p. 54

Chapter 8

1. What did Jack and Annie have for breakfast?  Hard biscuit and cup of coffee   p.58
2. Why did Slim first come out to the west?  He wanted to write a book    p. 59
3. What was the answer to Morgan’s riddle?  Echo     p. 62

Chapter 9

1. How did Jack and Annie feel when they took off their boots?   Good    p. 66
2. Who did Jack and Annie see playing the piano in the hotel?   Lonesome Luke   p.66
3. What song was he playing?  Red River Valley   p. 66

Chapter 10

1. How many more riddles do Jack and Annie need to solve?   Two    p. 69
2. Who wrote “Days of the Wild West”?  Slim     p. 70
3. Who did Slim dedicate his book to?  Shorty and Smiley/  Jack and Annie     p.72