Comprehension Questions- Magic Tree House Merlin Missions #16 A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time

A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time

By Mary Pope Osborne

Grades 2-4; Genre - Historical Fiction with Fantastical Elements; GRL N; AR pts: 2.0

Jack and Annie visit Charles Dickens and help him understand the importance of his writing.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. What were Jack and Annie coming home from when they saw the streak of light?  Soccer practice   p. 3
  2. What had Teddy turned into for a day?  A frog   p. 5
  3. Who were Jack and Annie going to visit this time?  Charles Dickens  p. 5
  4. What did Kathleen turn the whistle into?  A violin   p. 6

Chapter 2

  1. Where did the tree house land?  London, England   p. 12
  2. Why did Annie have to pretend to be a boy again?  Girls didn’t have many choices in the past  p. 13
  3. How did Jack and Annie get to Charles Dickens’ home?    Horse and carriage  p. 16
  4. Why was the driver of the carriage happy to come back to pick Jack and Annie back up later?  Jack had paid him more than a shilling   p. 19

Chapter 3

  1. How did Jack and Annie figure out if the little boy was Charles Dickens or Charles Jr.?  by doing math   p. 22
  2. Why wouldn’t Mrs. Tibbs let Jack and Annie into Charles Dickens’ home?  He was busy writing  p. 24
  3. What job did the two boys covered in soot do for a living?  They’re chimney sweeps  p. 25
  4. Why were the boys so excited to trade Jack and Annie places?  They got their nice coats, boots, hats, and money  p. 30

Chapter 4

  1. Why couldn’t Jack and Annie clean the chimney in the dining room?  There was a fire in it  p. 33
  2. What chimney did Jack and Annie start cleaning?  The library   p. 34
  3. Why did Charles Dickens go to the mirror then race back to his desk and write?  He wanted to see what he looked like so he would know how to describe it in his book   p. 37
  4. What upset Charles and made him leave his home?    Seeing Jack and Annie   p. 40

Chapter 5

  1. Why didn’t the same driver give Jack and Annie a ride? They didn’t look the same and now looked poor   p. 44
  2. Why did the boys follow Jack and Annie?  To steal their bag   p. 47
  3. What did the boys chant that made everyone think Jack and Annie were the thieves?  “Stop, thief”   p. 48
  4. Who stopped Jack from playing the violin?  A policeman   p. 52

Chapter 6

  1. Where did the policeman begin to take Jack and Annie?  To jail   p. 54
  2. Who did Annie see and say hi to as the policeman was taking them to jail?  Charles Dickens   p. 55
  3. How did Charles prove that Jack and Annie didn’t steal the bag?  They had it with them when they were cleaning his chimney   p. 56
  4. Did Charles judge Jack and Annie because they were poor like everyone else did?  No  p. 60

Chapter 7

  1. Where did Charles take Jack and Annie?  To eat at a nice restaurant   p. 64
  2. What did Annie take to the man and boy in the window of the restaurant?  Food   p. 68
  3. Who got angry at Annie for doing that?  Mr. Pinch/ owner of the restaurant  p. 68
  4. Why did Charles give Jack and Annie his wallet?  So they could buy food and clothes  p. 71

Chapter 8

  1. How old was Charles when he had to work at the shoe polish factory?  12 yrs   p. 75
  2. Why was his father in prison?  He couldn’t pay his bills  p. 78
  3. Why does Charles want to give up his writing?  Seems foolish and vain/ can’t feed the poor  p. 79
  4. When Charles was in despair, what story did Annie think they should tell him?  his own ghost story  p. 82

Chapter 9

  1. What did the first ghost show Charles?  Charles as a boy reading a book   p. 87
  2. What did the second ghost show Charles? People who love his books and learn how to be better because of them  p. 89
  3. What did the third ghost show Charles?  People standing over his grave, sad he never wrote again   p. 94

Chapter 10

  1. How did the ghosts help Charles?  They made him want to write again   p. 96
  2. What book did the ghosts give Charles the idea to write? A Christmas Carol   p. 98
  3. What did Jack and Annie give back to Charles?  His wallet of money   p. 100

Chapter 11

  1. Who was waiting for Jack and Annie when the tree house returned to Frog Creek?  Teddy, Kathleen, Morgan, Merlin and Penny  p. 103
  2. What did Kathleen turn the violin back into?  Wand of Dianthus  p. 106
  3. How were Jack and Annie going to be able to visit the friends they had made in their last four missions?  They will always have their gifts of music and stories   p. 109