Genies Don’t Ride Bicycles
By Debbie Dadey and Marcia Thornton Jones
Grades 2-5; Genre - Fantasy; GRL M; AR pts: 1.0
The Bailey School Kids are surprised and thrilled when they find a strange bottle and meet a strange man who seems to hear all of the wishes they make. As each wish comes true, the kids realize they don't like the things they wished for and would rather have things normal again.
Comprehension Questions
Chapter 1
- What did the kids find stuck in the tree? An old bottle p. 2
- What did the kids smell when Eddie pulled out the stopper? Sewer smell p. 5
- What kinds of things were in the yard next to the school? broken fence, flat tires, broken bottles, metal barrels p. 5
Chapter 2
- Who moved into the house next to the school? Eugene p. 10
- What did Eugene do to the house overnight? Cleaned it up, cut the grass, hung Christmas lights p. 6
- Why was Eugene happy to be riding his bike? He hadn’t had exercise in a long time p. 8
Chapter 3
- Why did the school get cold and snow begin to fall? Eddie wished for school to be canceled p. 12
- Why don’t the kids want there to be a snowstorm and school to be canceled? Don’t want to miss Harry Headbanger and his band p. 16
- Why do the kids not enjoy school? Mrs. Jeepers is mean p. 18
Chapter 4
- Why couldn’t Harry Headbanger and his band perform? Their instruments were damaged in the water from the snow melting p. 20
- What did Mrs. Jeepers do to be nice? Stop work and let the kids play video games and watch movies p. 21
- Who did the kids think was making all their wishes come true? Eugene p. 24
Chapter 5
- Why wasn’t Eddie able to talk? Melody had wished for him to be quiet p. 27
- Why does Eddie believe he can’t talk? He has laryngitis p. 28
- What did Liza wish for to find out if Eugene really was a genie? Pizza, French fries, chocolate candy for lunch every day p. 30
Chapter 6
- What happened to the food delivery truck? Broke down p. 31
- What did the cafeteria serve for the lunch when the truck broke down? Chocolate candy, French fries and pizza p. 33
- How did the kids feel after eating French fries, pizza and chocolate candy for lunch? Terrible p. 34
- Who stepped out of the sports car after Eddie wished his dad had that car? His dad p. 35
Chapter 7
- Why did Eddie’s dad get to drive the sports car? He needs it to go out of town p. 37
- Where did the kids see a picture of Eugene? In a book from the library p. 38
- How many wishes does a person get when they let a genie out of a bottle? Three p. 38
- How many wishes do the four friends get all together since they all let him out of the bottle? 12 p. 40
Chapter 8
- Why didn’t Liza study for the test? Trying on her new dresses p.43
- What did Eddie do that was nice? Picked up Carey’s homework and opened the door for her p. 44
- What did Eddie’s dad do when Eddie spilled paint on his new car? Helped him wipe it off p. 43
Chapter 9
- Why didn’t Eddie get the million dollars he wished for? He used his three wishes on other things p. 50
- What did Eddie do to Liza’s hair after gum got caught in it? Cut it p. 53
- Where was Liza sent when she threw gum on the chalkboard? The principal’s office p. 54
Chapter 10
- When the kids were thinking about their wishes, why couldn’t they blame Eugene for all the bad things happening? They were ones who made the wishes p. 57
- Why were the kids worried about Bailey City flooding? Snow melting off the mountain, thunderstorm coming p. 58
- Why was it Melody who had to wish to make things better? She was the only one with a wish left p. 59
Chapter 11
- What was Melody’s last wish? That everything would be normal p. 64
Chapter 12
- Why did the school get all cluttered with litter again? The wind blew it all around p. 65
- How did the kids know things were back to normal? It was cold outside, the yard was covered with garbage, Eugene was gone p. 65
- What did the note say inside the bottle? It is within you to make wishes come true p. 67