Knights of the Kitchen Table
By Joe Scieszka
Grades 3-5; Genre - Fantasy; GRL P; AR pts: 1.0
In this adventure, three boys are whisked away to the time of King Arthur and are asked to face a giant and a dragon in hopes of saving King Arthur's kingdom. Using their creative ways, the boys come up with clever fighting tactics that defeat the giant and dragon and save everyone in the kingdom.
Comprehension Questions
Chapter 1
- Tell me the name of the character telling the story. Joe p. 3
- What are the names of Joe’s friends? Sam, Fred p. 1
- Who was attacking the three friends? A black knight p. 1
Chapter 2
- Tell me about Joe’s uncle? Magician for a traveling circus, the best uncle p. 8
- What did Joe’s uncle give him for his birthday? A book p. 9
- What happened to make the boys travel into the book? Fred said, “wouldn’t it be great to see knights and all that stuff for real?” p. 11
Chapter 3
- How did the boys trick the knight? Jumped out of the way of his horse at the last minute p. 14
- How did Fred knock the knight out and defeat him? his him with a stick as the knight ran by and knocked him off his horse p. 16
- After the boys defeated the knight, what came charging toward them? Three more knights p. 19
Chapter 4
- Tell me about the three knights that approached the boys? They are knights for King Arthur p.21
- Why were the knights impressed with the friends? They defeated the black knight p. 20
- What are the names of the three knights? Sir Lancelot, Sir Percival, Sir Gawain p. 22
- Why did the knights want the boys to go with them? To help them fight a giant and a dragon p. 22
Chapter 5
- What state were the boys trying to get back home to? New York p. 25
- Who was King Arthur’s wife or queen? Queen Guenevere p. 28
- What kind of a trick did Joe do for Merlin to show him he was an enchanter? A card trick p. 28
- How did Merlin feel about Fred, Joe and Sam? Didn’t like them p. 30
Chapter 6
- Tell me about Bleob, the giant. Stinky, 20 feet tall, ugly face, black hair, beard full of bones, food, branches, manure p. 33
- How did Sam try to trick the giant? Gave him a riddle and the giant couldn’t answer it p. 36
Chapter 7
- How did Sam get Bleob to go fight the dragon? Told him the dragon was saying giants are big weaklings p. 38
- What’s the name of the dragon that was going to attack the castle? Smaug the Dragon p. 40
- Tell me about Smaug? Green, trailing wisps of smoke, metal scales, leather wings, snake body, iron claws p. 41
Chapter 8
- What game did Fred, Sam and Joe teach the stableboys? Baseball p. 43
- Whose tower did Fred hit the ball into? Merlin’s p. 47
- How did Merlin react to ball coming into his tower? Angry p. 48
Chapter 9
- What’s the name of the sword King Arthur used to make the boys Knights of the Round Table? Excalibur p. 49
- What did Merlin use to send the boys back home? A thin book with a picture of them sitting around the kitchen table p. 52
Chapter 10
- How did Joe’s mom feel about Uncle Joe’s present to him? Angry with him for giving him a book for his birthday p. 53
- What did Joe find after returning home that made the boys realize their adventure was real? Queen Guenevere’s Magician Card p. 55