About
Jack and Annie are sent on an errand by Merlin to go to Paris and learn the secrets of four famous inventors.
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
Why does Annie have money in her pocket?
Page 3 — They’re going to get ice cream.
3
Where did Merlin want to send Jack and Annie this time?
Page 6 — Paris, France
6
What special event is going on in Paris?
Page 6 — The World’s Fair
6
What is Jack and Annie’s special mission?
Page 6 — Find four magicians
6
Chapter 2
Comprehension questions
What happened to the money in Annie’s pocket?
Page 13 — Turned to French coins
13
What countries were the visitors from that came to the World’s Fair?
Page 14 — India, Mexico, Holland
14
What kinds of things are at the World’s Fair?
Page 16 — Inventions and machines
16
How did Jack and Annie get into the fair?
Page 16 — Paid with their French coins
16
Chapter 3
Comprehension questions
What sort of transportation did Jack and Annie use to see the World’s Fair?
Page 18 — Train
18
What famous tower is in Paris?
Page 23 — Eiffel Tower
23
Who’s the Magician of Sound Jack and Annie are looking for?
Page 28 — Alexander Graham Bell
28
How’s he a Magician of Sound?
Page 27 — He invented the telephone that can carry sound thousands of miles away.
27
Chapter 4
Comprehension questions
What did Thomas Alva Edison invent?
Page 36 — Phonograph
36
What is a phonograph?
Page 36 — First machine that could play recorded music
36
What else did Thomas Edison invent?
Page 37 — Lightbulb
37
Where did Thomas Edison get invited to?
Page 39 — A party
39
Chapter 5
Comprehension questions
What is the Pasteur Institute?
Page 43 — Laboratory for finding cures of diseases
43
How did Jack and Annie travel to the Institute?
Page 43 — Horse and carriage
43
What spell did Jack and Annie plan to use on the evil sorcerer?
Page 44 — Make something disappear
44
Chapter 6
Comprehension questions
What type of magician is Louis Pasteur?
Page 51 — Magician of the Invisible
51
Where did Jack and Annie need to go to find Dr. Pasteur?
Page 52 — Eiffel Tower by ten
52
What did the couple lend Jack and Annie to help them reach the Eiffel Tower quickly?
Page 55 — Two-seater bicycle
55
Who do you think the man and woman were that gave Jack and Annie their bicycle?
Page 56 — Teddy and Kathleen
56
Chapter 7
Comprehension questions
What did Jack and Annie do to the bicycle to make it get to the Eiffel Tower faster?
Page 63 — Put a spell on it/ made it fly
63
Where did Jack and Annie leave the bicycle so the man and woman could get it back?
Page 67 — Under the Eiffel Tower
67
Why did Jack and Annie have to get to the top of the Eiffel Tower?
Page 68 — That’s where the inventors were having a party. Stop the evil sorcerer from getting the inventors.
68
How many steps are there to the top of the Eiffel Tower?
Page 70 — 1,652 steps
70
Chapter 8
Comprehension questions
How many men did Jack and Annie see in the window at the top of the Eiffel Tower?
Page 79 — Four
79
Who lives at the top of the Eiffel Tower and is the Magician of Iron?
Page 80 — Gustave Eiffel
80
How is Gustave Eiffel a Magician of Iron?
Page 80 — He built the Eiffel Tower with the world’s newest materials, glass and iron.
80
Tell me what the inventors’ secrets are to their magic?
Page 84 — Work hard, love of work, taste of adventure, study and prepare, never give up
84
Chapter 9
Comprehension questions
What did the evil sorcerer do to the four inventors when he stood at the door?
Page 89 — made them still as stone
89
Who is the evil sorcerer?
Page 92 — Merlin
92
Why did Merlin trick them and tell them to hurry and find them before the evil sorcerer?
Page 93 — To challenge them/ to make them work harder and faster
93
Why did Merlin want Jack and Annie to finish their disappearing rhyme?
Page 94 — To send him to Camelot/ never leave a rhyme unfinished
94
Chapter 10
Comprehension questions
What shone on the magic tree house as Jack and Annie were getting ready to go home?
Page 102 — A spotlight from the Eiffel Tower.
102
How many rhymes do Jack and Annie have left for their fourth adventure?
Page 104 — Three
104
What did Thomas Edison want Jack and Annie to call him?
Page 105 — Alva/ his middle name
105
Where did Jack and Annie finally get to go when they arrived back in Frog Creek?
Page 107 — To get ice cream
107
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Worksheets
Practice sheets with space to write your answers.
Download one reading section
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