About
Jack and Annie travel to the Golden Age of Baghdad and need to complete a mission to bring a book they’ve been asked to protect to help the caliph spread wisdom to the world.
Read one section at a time, then discuss the questions to review understanding. These questions are a starting place for conversation, not a complete test of the chapter.
Chapter 1
Comprehension questions
How did Annie know the magic tree house was back?
Page 4 — She went and checked
4
Where did Merlin want to send Jack and Annie?
Page 5 — Baghdad during the Golden Age
5
What did Merlin give Jack and Annie to guide them through their mission?
Page 6 — A letter
6
Chapter 2
Comprehension questions
What’s a caliph?
Page 12 — The title of the ruler in Baghdad
12
Since Jack and Annie were stuck in the middle of the desert and didn’t know which way to go, what rhyme did they say from Teddy and Kathleen’s book to help them?
Page 15 — Helpers appear out of nowhere
15
What did the rhyme bring to help Jack and Annie?
Page 17 — People on camels
17
Chapter 3
Comprehension questions
What does it mean to be humble?
Page 23 — Help others, not to act better than them
23
How did Jack and Annie show they were humble to the people riding in the caravan?
Page 23 — Helped them by gathering dates
23
What’s the name of the man who’s leading the caravan?
Page 26 — Mamoon
26
What are “ships of the desert”?
Page 29 — camels
29
Chapter 4
Comprehension questions
What are the names of the camels Jack and Annie got to ride?
Page 31 — Cutie and Beauty
31
Why was Jack unhappy with his camel?
Page 32 — She was eating his stuff, she spat on him
32
Tell me a little bit about camels.
Page 34 — Can drink 2 barrels of water in 10 minutes, go for a week in the desert without drinking, live many days without food, eyebrows protect their eyes from sun, eyelashes and fur around ears protect them from sand, feet are tough and too big to sink in sand, can carry 500 pounds and can travel up to 100 miles in a day
34
Why do you think Jack felt seasick as he rode the camel?
Page 38 — Swaying from side to side like a ship.
38
Chapter 5
Comprehension questions
What did Mamoon give Jack and Annie to protect when the bandits came up to their caravan?
Page 41 — A box
41
Why did Jack and Annie bury the box when they heard someone coming toward them?
Page 46 — They thought the rider was a bandit, wanted to protect it
46
What were the strange sounds Jack and Annie heard in the sand dunes during the night?
Page 48 — The whistling sands/ sand settling in the drift
48
What did Annie think the whistling sands sounded like?
Page 48 — Music playing
48
Chapter 6
Comprehension questions
What did Jack, Annie and Mamoon do to protect themselves from the sandstorm?
Page 51 — Lie down flat and cover their faces with their cloth
51
Why was Jack so determined to catch the box in the sandstorm?
Page 54 — He told Mamoon he’d protect it with his life
54
How did Annie find Jack after the storm?
Page 55 — She chased him when he ran after the box.
55
What was the treasure inside the box?
Page 57 — A book/ Writings of Aristotle
57
Chapter 7
Comprehension questions
What’s a bazaar?
Page 65 — An open-air market, place where people buy things, mall
65
How many walls did Jack and Annie need to pass?
Page 65 — Three
65
Back during the Golden Age, what did Baghdad have in its zoo?
Page 66 — 100 lions
66
Why does everyone laugh at Jack and Annie when they say they want to talk to the caliph?
Page 70 — Children can’t see the caliph, he’s too busy.
70
Chapter 8
Comprehension questions
Which camel ate the book of Aristotle’s Writings?
Page 72 — Beauty
72
How did Jack and Annie fix the ruined book?
Page 75 — Used a spell from Teddy and Kathleen’s book
75
What did the tree look like in the Room of the Tree?
Page 81 — Silver leaves, they looked like they were blowing in the wind, pretend birds sang
81
Who’s the man Jack and Annie knelt before and talked to in the Room of the Tree?
Page 84 — Mamoon
84
Chapter 9
Comprehension questions
Who’s the caliph of Baghdad?
Page 86 — Mamoon
86
Why did Mamoon disguise himself as a merchant and go get the book?
Page 86 — He wanted the book to arrive in Baghdad safely.
86
Where did Mamoon take Jack and Annie?
Page 87 — The House of Wisdom
87
What was the House of Wisdom?
Page 90 — Library
90
Chapter 10
Comprehension questions
Why did Jack and Annie need to get to the tree house quickly?
Page 96 — Merlin told them to get there before the moon rises
96
How did the men in the library act when Jack and Annie whispered to each other?
Page 06 — Grumpy, telling them to be quiet, shushing them
06
How did Jack and Annie get back to the tree house so quickly?
Page 99 — They flew on a magic carpet.
99
How did Teddy and Kathleen help Jack and Annie on this adventure?
Page 105 — They were the servant boy and girl that took them into the Room of the Tree
105
Downloads
All the book’s resources, or just the ones you need, ready to read or print.
Worksheets
Practice sheets with space to write your answers.
Download one reading section
A small printout with all the resources for the selected section.
