About
Charlie Bone gets caught in the middle of mystery of finding a girl about his age as he realizes he has an unusual talent. He gets sent to a private school and finds the missing girl, but is opposed by his aunts, grandma and the family who runs the school. With a group of reliable friends, Charlie helps the girl and solves the mystery.
Read one section at a time, then discuss the questions to review understanding. These questions are a starting place for conversation, not a complete test of the chapter.
Chapter 1
Comprehension questions
Who does Charlie live with that we know of so far in the story?
Page 2 — His two grandmothers, mother
2
Tell me about Grandma Bone.
Page 3 — She can do witchery, wears black/gray, from the Yewbeam family line, complained all the time, grouchy
3
Why does Charlie feel his has disappointed his Grandma Bone?
Page 3 — He doesn’t have any magic coming from the Yewbeams family line
3
What was strange about the photograph Charlie looked at?
Page 6 — He heard voices coming from it, it was not the one he had taken
6
Chapter 2
Comprehension questions
Why did Charlie’s aunts come to visit?
Page 21 — To see if he’s found worthy to attend Bloor’s Academy
21
How did the aunts respond when they realized Charlie could hear voices from the photographs he looked at?
Page 30 — Happy
30
Why does Charlie’s mom insist he must attend Bloor’s Academy?
Page 32 — They won’t be supported by the Yewbeam family anymore and they’ll have nothing
32
What happened to Charlie’s father?
Page 34 — he drove off the road and into a quarry/ he died
34
What happened to all of the photographs, Charlie’s mom had of his father?
Page 34 — they disappeared
34
Chapter 3
Comprehension questions
What’s Uncle Paton’s special power?
Page 41 — Make lights become brighter/bow out
41
What did the blue cape represent that Charlie would wear to his new school?
Page 44 — that he was a musician
44
Why did Mr. Onimous visit Charlie’s house?
Page 46 — To kill the mice in the pantry
46
How did Charlie know where to go to give the mixed up photo to?
Page 53 — the name address of the person who owned the photo was on the original photo
53
Who’s Julia Ingledew?
Page 53 — The lady who owned the photo Charlie had/ book seller
53
Chapter 4
Comprehension questions
What did Ms. Ingledew give Charlie in exchange for the photo?
A robotic dog that can record voices and a heavy metal box p, 65
Why did Charlie hide the heavy metal box and robotic dog at Benjamin’s?
Page 67 — so no one would ask him questions about them
67
Why couldn’t the boys open the metal box?
Page 76 — It was locked and they didn’t have the key
76
Why did Charlie pay Miss Ingledew a visit again?
Page 76 — To see if she had a key for the metal box
76
Chapter 5
Comprehension questions
Tell me about Charlie’s Uncle Paton?
Page 87 — He’s his father’s brother, only goes out at night, endowed with power to blow out light bulbs, grumpy
87
Who is Charlie’s best friend?
Page 89 — Benjamin
89
How many keys did Miss Ingledew give Charlie to try to open the case?
Page 97 — 10
97
Chapter 6
Comprehension questions
Why did Grandma Bone feel like Charlie had been wicked and deceitful to her?
Page 106 — he was trying to hide the case so she wouldn’t know about it
106
Why was Charlie hiding the box from Grandma Bone?
Page 108 — She wants to take it from him/ he feels like he needs to save the girl with the box
108
Who is Fidelio Gunn?
Page 110 — Charlie’s music tutor
110
What does Charlie’s Uncle Paton do in his room all day?
Page 116 — Write a book
116
Who’s protecting the box from Charlie’s aunts?
Page 123 — Runner Bean
123
Chapter 7
Comprehension questions
Who had put the case in the cellar when the boys couldn’t find it in Benjamin’s room?
Page 128 — Mr. Onimous
128
Where did Charlie recognize Manfred Bloor from?
Page 132 — From a newspaper photograph that he could hear
132
What’s Manfred’s endowed power?
Page 135 — Hypnotism
135
What did Charlie see when he was hypnotized?
Page 134 — in a car then pulled out as he watched it tumble into a quarry
134
What did Benjamin see as he was looking into strawberry yogurt and Charlie was looking at a photo of him?
Page 139 — Charlie’s face
139
Chapter 8
Comprehension questions
What department does Asa Pike belong to at Bloor’s Academy?
Page 147 — Drama Department
147
Why did Charlie have a blue cape to wear at school?
Page 150 — he’s part of the music department
150
When was Charlie supposed to wear the blue cape?
Page 153 — The entire time during the day
153
When could the students speak to each other during school?
Page 156 — in the coatrooms
156
What was Charlie’s consequence for not wearing a cape?
Page 166 — Detention on Friday night
166
Chapter 9
Comprehension questions
Who also received detention for Friday night?
Page 167 — Olivia Vertigo
167
What departments do the purple, green and black capes represent?
Page 174 — Purple/ drama; green/ art; black/ faculty
174
How did Charlie know Dr. Bloor took the baby?
Page 175 — He could read his face
175
What room is Charlie assigned to do homework in?
Page 177 — The Red King’s Room
177
What did Gabriel tell Charlie about his father when he held his father’s tie?
Page 190 — That he was lost not dead
190
Chapter 10
Comprehension questions
Why was Gabriel so happy to be wearing Charlie’s brand new cloak?
Page 191 — The cloak didn’t have any memories
191
Why doesn’t Bill Raven ever go home?
Page 192 — He doesn’t have one/ he’s an orphan
192
What’s Billy’s power?
Page 195 — To speak with animals
195
Who did Billy let in the night Manfred’s room caught fire?
Page 197 — The three cats
197
Where did the kids explore during their detention Friday night?
Page 201 — Da Vinci tower
201
Chapter 11
Comprehension questions
Where did the kids hide when Dr. Bloor came into the room with Tolley’s inventions?
Page 209 — In the closet
209
How old are Mr. Onimous’ cats?
Page 211 — 900 years old
211
Who was Matron?
Page 214 — Charlie’s Aunt Lucretia
214
Who did Charlie think the lost baby was?
Page 218 — Emilia Moon
218
What did Charlie tell Billy he heard in the photograph of his parents?
Page 221 — That they couldn’t wait to get back to him/ he was very precious
221
Chapter 12
Comprehension questions
After Charlie went to go look out the window for Fidelio and Benjamin, what did he hear as he went up the corridor away from Manfred?
Page 228 — Piano music
228
Who was playing the beautiful music?
Page 228 — Mr. Pilgrim
228
What killed the poor girl in the ruin?
Page 232 — A wolf
232
How did Charlie make Manfred so angry?
Page 235 — Looked into Manfred’s eyes and tried to hear his thoughts
235
Chapter 13
Comprehension questions
Why did Emma Tolley get taken away from her father?
Page 246 — to live with another family that her father thought would be good for her/ the Bloor’s offered her father the opportunity to try to make a replica of his ancestor come to life
246
What’s Emma’s special power?
Page 250 — She can fly
250
Who did Charlie think the young organist who tried to stop the Bloor’s from taking Emma?
Page 251 — His father
251
How did Fidelio get the case home without looking suspicious?
Page 251 — He brought a xylophone case to carry it in
251
Why was Uncle Paton so upset from his date with Miss Ingledew?
Page 256 — He blew out the lights in the restaurant and left without paying the bill
256
Chapter 14
Comprehension questions
Why did Mr. Bloor Senior want to see Billy Raven when he was alone for the weekend at the academy?
Page 267 — To tell him a family wanted to adopt
267
What did Mr. Bloor Senior want from Billy in exchange of giving him a family?
Page 269 — Information on Charlie
269
How did Billy feel about the deal with Mr. Bloor Senior?
Page 269 — Anxious to tell what he knew about Charlie/ he didn’t know Mr. Bloor was bad/ he wanted to be adopted
269
Chapter 15
Comprehension questions
Tell me about Fidelio’s house?
Page 281 — Loud, music everywhere, lots of people, big, loud doorbell that yelled “DOOR”
281
Why was Fidelio’s house the perfect place to open the case?
Page 284 — It was so loud with music, no one heard them when they opened the case
284
What came out of the case when Charlie pressed the letters?
Page 285 — A knightly figure holding the sword
285
Why did Dr. Tolley think this would help Emma wake up her sleep Manfred’s causing?
Page 286 — It’s the same sounds she heard when Manfred put the spell on her
286
Chapter 16
Comprehension questions
When Benjamin’s parents went away, who came to look after him?
Page 294 — One of Charlie’s aunts/ Aunt Eustacia
294
What happened to Runner Bean in the night?
Page 306 — He got attacked and badly wounded
306
Who did Benjamin got to when he thought Runner Bean was going to die?
Page 308 — Uncle Paton
308
What had attacked Runner Bean?
Page 310 — A wild beast
310
Chapter 17
Comprehension questions
Who helped patch up Runner Bean and help him feel better?
Page 316 — Mr. Onimous
316
Why did Benjamin’s mother decide to stay home with him more?
Page 317 — Uncle Paton talked to her
317
What did Runner Bean say attacked him?
Page 320 — a wolf
320
What happened to Emilia when she heard the music and bells?
Page 329 — She cried and woke up
329
What happened to Emma when she was brought back to Bloor’s Academy?
Page 341 — She was locked up in a room, something invisible let her out, but she was chased back into her room
341
How did Emma Tolley escape the academy?
Page 342 — She flew out the window
342
Chapter 18
Comprehension questions
Who’s the Red King?
Page 348 — A king with special power from Africa, all of the people with endowed power are descended from him, his wife died and he left, his children became at war with their neighbors, five of his ten children were bad, five disappeared yet some of them became bad also, Uncle Paton called him a magician, had three leopards
348
What was the present Aunt Venetia give Charlie?
Page 357 — Blue cape
357
Chapter 19
Comprehension questions
Tell me about the Ruin Game.
Page 366 — There’s a medal hiding in the center of the Ruin and each department of students get to search for the medal. Whoever finds it, wins p. 360What was special about the cape Charlie’s aunt gave him? it glowed in the dark
366
How did Charlie feel about the glowing cape?
Page 367 — He didn’t like it/ tore it off so he couldn’t be caught
367
Who found the medal in the Ruin?
Page 369 — Billy Raven
369
Chapter 20
Comprehension questions
Who went into the Ruin after Charlie?
Page 373 — The children of the Red King/ Gabriel, Lysander, Tancred
373
Which person can turn into a wolf?
Page 375 — Asa Pike
375
How did the boys save Charlie in the Ruin?
Page 377 — Made the wind blow out the darkness so Charlie could see, the Cathedral bell rang loudly, ghostly figures surrounded the wolf
377
Why did Cook prepare a feast so late at night?
Page 380 — To celebrate Charlie being found
380
How did Uncle Paton settle it so Emma Tolley could live with her aunt?
Page 391 — He went to the academy and caused explosions with his power
391
Chapter 21
Comprehension questions
Why did Charlie want to go back to Bloor’s Academy?
Page 395 — To balance out the bad things going on with the good things he can do
395
How had Emma changed when she became the real Emma and stopped being Emilia?
Page 400 — Happy, lively, bouncing ponytail, excited
400
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