Comprehension Questions – Magic Tree House Merlin Missions #7 Night of the New Magicians

Night of the New Magicians

By Mary Pope Osborne

Grades 3-5; Genre - Historical Fiction with Fantastical Elements; GRL N; AR pts: 2.0

Jack and Annie are sent on an errand by Merlin to go to Paris and learn the secrets of four famous inventors.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Why does Annie have money in her pocket?  They’re going to get ice cream. p. 3
  2. Where did Merlin want to send Jack and Annie this time?  Paris, France  p. 6
  3. What special event is going on in Paris?  The World’s Fair  p. 6
  4. What is Jack and Annie’s special mission?  Find four magicians  p. 6

Chapter 2

  1. What happened to the money in Annie’s pocket?  Turned to French coins  p. 13
  2. What countries were the visitors from that came to the World’s Fair?  India, Mexico, Holland  p. 14
  3. What kinds of things are at the World’s Fair?  Inventions and machines  p. 16
  4. How did Jack and Annie get into the fair?  Paid with their French coins  p. 16

Chapter 3

  1. What sort of transportation did Jack and Annie use to see the World’s Fair?  Train  p. 18
  2. What famous tower is in Paris?  Eiffel Tower   p. 23
  3. Who’s the Magician of Sound Jack and Annie are looking for?  Alexander Graham Bell  p. 28
  4. How’s he a Magician of Sound?  He invented the telephone that can carry sound thousands of miles away.  p. 27

Chapter 4

  1. What did Thomas Alva Edison invent?  Phonograph  p. 36
  2. What is a phonograph?  First machine that could play recorded music  p. 36
  3. What else did Thomas Edison invent?  Lightbulb   p. 37
  4. Where did Thomas Edison get invited to?  A party  p. 39

Chapter 5

  1. What is the Pasteur Institute?  Laboratory for finding cures of diseases  p. 43
  2. How did Jack and Annie travel to the Institute?  Horse and carriage  p. 43
  3. What spell did Jack and Annie plan to use on the evil sorcerer?  Make something disappear  p. 44

Chapter 6

  1. What type of magician is Louis Pasteur?  Magician of the Invisible  p. 51
  2. Where did Jack and Annie need to go to find Dr. Pasteur?  Eiffel Tower by ten  p. 52
  3. What did the couple lend Jack and Annie to help them reach the Eiffel Tower quickly?   Two-seater bicycle  p. 55
  4. Who do you think the man and woman were that gave Jack and Annie their bicycle?  Teddy and Kathleen  p. 56

Chapter 7

  1. What did Jack and Annie do to the bicycle to make it get to the Eiffel Tower faster?  Put a spell on it/ made it fly  p. 63
  2. Where did Jack and Annie leave the bicycle so the man and woman could get it back?  Under the Eiffel Tower  p. 67
  3. Why did Jack and Annie have to get to the top of the Eiffel Tower?  That’s where the inventors were having a party. Stop the evil sorcerer from getting the inventors.  P. 68
  4. How many steps are there to the top of the Eiffel Tower?  1,652 steps  p. 70

Chapter 8

  1. How many men did Jack and Annie see in the window at the top of the Eiffel Tower?  Four  p. 79
  2. Who lives at the top of the Eiffel Tower and is the Magician of Iron?  Gustave Eiffel  p. 80
  3. How is Gustave Eiffel a Magician of Iron?  He built the Eiffel Tower with the world’s newest materials, glass and iron.   P. 80
  4. Tell me what the inventors’ secrets are to their magic?  Work hard, love of work, taste of adventure, study and prepare, never give up  p. 84

Chapter 9

  1. What did the evil sorcerer do to the four inventors when he stood at the door?  made them still as stone p. 89
  2. Who is the evil sorcerer?  Merlin  p. 92
  3. Why did Merlin trick them and tell them to hurry and find them before the evil sorcerer?  To challenge them/ to make them work harder and faster  p. 93
  4. Why did Merlin want Jack and Annie to finish their disappearing rhyme?  To send him to Camelot/ never leave a rhyme unfinished  p. 94

Chapter 10

  1. What shone on the magic tree house as Jack and Annie were getting ready to go home?  A spotlight from the Eiffel Tower.  P. 102
  2. How many rhymes do Jack and Annie have left for their fourth adventure?  Three  p. 104
  3. What did Thomas Edison want Jack and Annie to call him?  Alva/ his middle name  p. 105
  4. Where did Jack and Annie finally get to go when they arrived back in Frog Creek?  To get ice cream  p. 107