Comprehension Questions- Magic Tree House Merlin Missions #18 Dogs in the Dead of Night

Dogs in the Dead of Night

By Mary Pope Osborne

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

Jack and Annie are on a quest to help save Penny the penguin.  Teddy and Kathleen send them to the Swiss Alps as they look for a white and yellow flower.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. What do Jack and Annie need to find?  A yellow and white flower   p. 7
  2. Where were Teddy and Kathleen sending Jack and Annie this time?  Swiss Alps   p. 7
  3. What will the potion do in the little blue bottle?  Turn Jack and Annie into anything they want for an hour  p. 8

Chapter 2

  1. What did Jack and Annie see from the tree house when they got to the Alps?  A monastery   p. 12
  2. Why did Jack think Teddy and Kathleen made a mistake?  How could they find a flower with all of the snow  p. 13
  3. What buried Jack and Annie?  An avalanche  p. 15
  4. What unburied Jack and Annie from the snow?  St. Bernard dogs   p. 17

Chapter 3

  1. How was Jack feeling when he kept thinking they were in the wrong place?  Worried   p. 26
  2. What do the monks call the dogs?  The Saints   p. 28
  3. Who are the dogs named after?  St. Bernard who created the monastery   p. 28
  4. Why do the monks call avalanches and blizzards the White Death?  They can kill people   p. 29

Chapter 4

  1. What monk enjoys nature?  Father Laurent   p. 32
  2. What’s the name of the dog that bounded into Jack and Annie’s room?  Barry  p. 37
  3. Tell me about Barry.  Young, needs to grow up, happy, playful, doesn’t listen   p. 39
  4. How late did Jack and Annie sleep?  Past noon   p. 40

Chapter 5

  1. When did the monk say Jack would find flowers?  Next month  p. 43
  2. What did Barry take out of Jack’s hand?  His bread   p. 45
  3. Why were the monks sending Barry down the mountain?  Because he wasn’t listening or being responsible   p. 47
  4. Why did Annie want to train Barry?  She likes animals, she wanted to stay and figure out the riddle for Penny   p. 49

Chapter 6

  1. What kind of attitude did Annie say they needed to have to help Barry learn manners?  Positive and upbeat  p. 53
  2. What did Annie try to teach Barry?  Come, sit, stay  p. 53
  3. How many times did Barry push Jack into the snow?   Three   p. 58
  4. Why did Jack have a hard time being positive and upbeat?  Barry kept knocking him over, slobbering on him, sneezing on him    p. 58

Chapter 7

  1. Who was ringing the bell?  Soldiers   p. 62
  2. Who were the soldiers serving under?  Napoleon Bonaparte   p. 63
  3. What did Barry do when he was shut up in Jack and Annie’s room? Ripped apart the Swiss Alps book   p. 64
  4. How did Barry get outside?  The door was left opened  p. 68

Chapter 8

  1. What did Jack and Annie turn into when they took the potion from the blue bottle?  St. Bernard dogs  p. 72
  2. How did Jack feel when he became a dog?  Very happy  p. 73
  3. What does Barry smell like?  Fish and crackers mixed with wet fur   p. 76
  4. What did Jack teach Barry now that Barry could understand him?  how to be a good responsible dog   p. 79
  5. When the avalanche hit, who did the dogs find buried in the snow?  The lost soldier   p. 84

Chapter 9

  1. Where had Barry gone?  To get the monks   p. 88
  2. How did Jack feel about being a dog?  Loved it   p. 89
  3. Who did Jack and Annie get to meet?  Napoleon Bonaparte  p. 90
  4. What’s a botanist?   Someone who studies plants   p. 96

Chapter 10

  1. What’s the name of the flower Jack and Annie needed?  Glacial buttercup     p. 100
  2. What are the characteristics of the flower?  Playful, joyful, carefree, spirit of a child   p. 101
  3. When had Jack and Annie been like the flower?  When they were dogs   p. 110
  4. Who did Father Laurent let go back to the tree house with Jack and Annie?  Barry   p. 103