Dragon of the Red Dawn

By Mary Pope Osborne

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

Jack and Annie visit old Japan to find a secret of happiness for Merlin.  They meet a master poet and help save the village from a fire.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

1. What did Jack dream before Annie woke him up?  Red and white birds pecking at his window   p.3
2. Who was tapping on his window in real life?  Teddy and Kathleen were tossing pebbles at it.   p. 3
3. Why does Morgan want Jack and Annie to find four secrets of happiness?  To help Merlin feel better  p. 6
4. Where were Jack and Annie going to find the first secret of happiness?  Japan  p. 7

Chapter 2

1. What’s a passport?  A booklet that says who you are  p. 15
2. Why were Jack and Annie worried they didn’t have a passport?  People will think they’re spies.  p. 15
3. Who is a shogun?  Military ruler  p. 17
4. Why do you think the man with the stick called Jack and Annie, Baku and Koto? To keep them from getting in trouble.  P. 21

Chapter 3

1. Why did Basho want Jack and Annie to travel with him?  To protect them  p. 25
2. Why are the people of Edo worried that there has been no rain?  Fire  p. 30
3. What mountain did Jack and Annie see?  Mount Fuji  p. 34
4. Why do the Japanese call Japan a “floating world”? Japan seems to float on beauty.  P. 35

Chapter 4

1. What did Jack and Annie do with their shoes as they entered the tea house?  Left them at the door.  P. 38
2. What utensil do the people of Japan use to eat their food?  Chopsticks  p. 39
3. Who was watching Jack as they were eating their sushi?  Two samurai/ man with scar other with fierce dark eyes  p. 42
4. Tell me about sumo wrestling.  Two large men try to push each other out of the ring.    p.46

Chapter 5

1. What poem did Annie share with the samurai warriors?  Twinkle Twinkle Little Star  p. 49
2. What poem did Jack do?  One he made up about Japan  p. 51
3. What does Basho call his home?  A castle  p. 54
4. Tell me about Basho’s home.  Hut made of bamboo and wooden shingles  p. 54

Chapter 6

1. What is Basho a master of?  Poetry  p.  59
2. Why is it important for samurai to learn poetry?  It helps focus the mind.  P. 61
3. What was Basho’s poem about?  A frog jumping into the water  p. 62
4. Why does Basho give Jack and Annie mosquito nets to cover them while they sleep?  To protect them from getting bitten by mosquitos  p. 63

Chapter 7

1. What did Jack and Annie smell when they woke up?  Smoke from a fire  p. 67
2. How did they help the villagers fight the fire?  Fill buckets with water  p. 72
3. Why did Jack and Annie want to go back to Basho’s castle?  Get Wand of Dianthus  p. 73
4. Why didn’t the wand work when Jack and Annie first tried to use it?  They hadn’t used exactly five words.   p. 75

Chapter 8

1. Where had the wand taken Jack and Annie?  The top of Mount Fuji  p. 78
2. Why did the Cloud Dragon appear?  To command the rain clouds   p. 80
3. How did the dragon put out the fire?  Rained on the village  p. 84
4. Where did the Cloud Dragon drop Annie and Jack?  Into the river  p. 84

Chapter 9

1. What happened to Basho’s little hut?  Burned down  p. 87
2. Why do the ancients call fires the “flowers of Edo”? after a fire there are good new things  p. 89
3. Do the Japanese people believe in the Cloud Dragon anymore?  No  p. 91

Chapter 10

1. Why did the samurai stop Jack and Annie in the Imperial Garden?He wanted to see their passports.  P. 96
2. How did Jack and Annie get away from the samurai without any problems?They each recited a poem.  P. 98
3. What did Jack and Annie forget to do while they were in Japan?Find a secret of happiness  p. 100
4. What secret of happiness did Jack and Annie decide would help Merlin feel better?Paying close attention to the small things in nature  p. 102