Blizzard of the Blue Moon
By Mary Pope Osborne
Grades 3-5; Genre- Historical Fiction with Fantastical Elements; GRL N; AR pts: 2.0
Jack and Annie go to New York City to save a unicorn that's been trapped in a spell.
Comprehension Questions
Chapter 1
- What time of year is it? Late fall/ November p. 5
- What special animal is Jack and Annie supposed to help on this mission? Unicorn p. 7
- Where are they going to find the unicorn? New York City p. 7
- How many rhymes do Jack and Annie have left in the book Teddy and Kathleen gave them? Three p. 9
Chapter 2
- What was the weather like when Jack and Annie arrived in New York City? Snowy p. 11
- What park did the tree house land in? Central Park p. 13
- What’s a blue moon? Two full moons in the same month p. 14
- Why did the horses look sad and lonely on the merry-go-round? No one was riding on them. P. 18
Chapter 3
- What treasure did Jack want to never lose? Annie p. 27
- Who do Jack and Annie think are following them? Teddy and Kathleen p. 30
- Why is there a castle in Central Park? To be a delightful surprise to anyone wandering the park. P. 31
- What kind of weather did Mr. Perkins say they would have that night? Monster blizzard p. 32
Chapter 4
- Where were Jack and Annie going to find the unicorn? Bronx Zoo p. 36
- Why were there so many poor people in New York City? No jobs/ no money/ Great Depression p. 41
- What sort of transportation did Jack and Annie use to get to the zoo? Subway p. 42
- How did Jack and Annie know what stop to get off the subway? A girl helped them. P. 48
Chapter 5
- Why couldn’t the taxi driver take Jack and Annie all the way to the zoo? taxi got stuck p. 54
- What’s a cloister? Enclosed garden or courtyard p. 58
- What’s a tapestry? A large cloth hanging with pictures or designs p.58
- Where did Jack and Annie see a unicorn? the tapestry p. 61
Chapter 6
- What did the seven tapestries of the unicorn tell?The story of the unicorn p. 62
- Who had been following Jack and Annie? Balor and Grinda p. 67
- What’s the real name of the unicorn? Dianthus p. 68
- Were Balor and Grinda good or bad? Bad p. 71
Chapter 7
- Where are Balor and Grinda from? The same magic world Dianthus comes from. P. 73
- Why did Jack try to stop Balor from putting the rope around Dianthus’ neck? It would take him to the Castle of the Dark Wizard p. 75
- What did the cloud spell do to help Jack and Annie protect Dianthus? Make a thick fog in the room. P. 76
- How did Jack and Annie find Dianthus in the fog? Annie whispered his name and he came to her. p. 77
Chapter 8
- What did Dianthus’ horn do to the winds and snow? Calm them p. 80
- Where did the unicorn take Jack and Annie? Tree house p. 85
- Who was waiting for Jack and Annie at the tree house? Grinda and Balor p. 85
- What did Annie do to Balor and Grinda? Turn them into ducks p. 87
Chapter 9
- Who were Teddy and Kathleen dressed up as? Taxi driver and girl on the subway p. 90
- Who came out of the back seat of the taxicab? Merlin and Morgan p. 93
- What did Merlin give Jack and Annie now that he could trust them to use magic? Wand of Dianthus p. 97
- What did Merlin want to do before he went back to Camelot? Drive the taxi around New York City p. 98
Chapter 10
- How did Teddy and Kathleen get back to Camelot? Riding on Dianthus p. 101
- Why was Annie sad when Dianthus disappeared? She was sad to see him go. P. 102
- Why weren’t Jack and Annie going to use the rhyme book anymore? They’d used all the rhymes. P. 104
- What did Jack and Annie’s dad make for them when they got home? Hot chocolate p. 105