Category Archives: Magic Tree House

Comprehension Questions – Magic Tree House #39 Windy Night with Wild Horses

Windy Night with Wild Horses

by Mary Pope Osborne

Grades 1-4; Genre - Fantasy; GRL N; AR pts. 1.0

Jack and Annie are whisked away to Mongolia to rescue little horses.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Summarize what Jack and Annie will be doing in this story. They are going to Mongolia to be Eco-volunteers p.7

Chapter 2

  1. Using the information in this chapter, describe Tuya. 11-12 years old; responsible; warm and welcoming; tried to follow the rules, but saw that Jack and Annie were also responsible; helps with the Mongolian Tours; has a good relationship with the bus driver p.15
  2. How did Jack and Annie convince Tuya to let them on the bus without a grown-up? They told her about their adventures being Eco-volunteers around the world p.16

Chapter 3

  1. How did Tuya think critically and problem solve in this chapter? She figured out how to help Jack and Annie stay at the nature preserve by letting them stay with her and her family p.27

Chapter 4

  1. Compare a nomad’s lifestyle to the way you live. Listen to three comparisons your child makes p.32
  2. What do you think the big surprise is? Listen to your child’s answer p.38

Chapter 5

  1. What is the difference between a wild horse and a tame horse? A wild horse is free and roams at will and isn’t trained to let people ride them; a tame horse is usually owned, trained and taken care of by their owner. They are also trained for people to ride them p.41

Chapter 6

  1. Why is it a miracle for the Takhi to arrive in Mongolia? They had died out in Mongolia, but other countries had them in their zoos from around the world and are starting to return them to Mongolia; they are the last wild horses on earth p.49
  2. Give an example of a way Jack was honest in this chapter. He realized he left the gate to the horse corral open and confessed to Annie instead of just staying quiet about it p.57

Chapter 7

  1. Why were the wolves dangerous to the Takhi? The Takhi had only lived in zoos and didn’t recognize predators or know how to defend themselves p.54

Chapter 8

  1. What fantastic beast appeared and how did it help Jack and Annie? A white stallion; led the lost horses back to the corral p.69
  2. What does the author mean, “on the first night of their new lives, all the wild horses were safely back home.” Jack and Annie felt like new people because of their experience and seeing this unique way of life p.76

Chapter 9

  1. Why was Jack relieved in this chapter? He didn’t leave the gate open, the latch had broken, so the Takhi escaping the corral wasn’t his fault p.80
  2. Why did Jack and Annie tell Tuya what really happened and not her mom? Tuya will believe them and her mom probably wouldn’t p.83

Chapter 10

  1. What did you like about this story? Listen to your child’s answer
  2. What is a theme you observed during this story? Teamwork and courage; nature and adventure; wildlife conservation  

Comprehension Questions – Magic Tree House #38 Time of the Turtle King

Time of the Turtle King

by Mary Pope Osborne

Grades 1-4; Genre - Fiction; GRL M; AR pts. 1.0

When the magic tree house returns, it whisks Jack and Annie away to the Galapagos Islands. They become World Turtle Experts and must save a tortoise in danger of an erupting volcano.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Have you ever seen a port by the ocean? Listen to your child’s answer
  2. Whether you have or whether you haven’t, describe one or what you imagine one to look like p.10

Chapter 2

  1. Summarize what Jack and Annie experienced when putting on and taking off their badges. They became experts on the turtles in the Galápagos Islands. Jack didn’t feel like himself and took a minute to embrace this role for the adventure p.15

Chapter 3

  1. Why do you think the man was grumpy towards the tourists on the island? He had to deal with them frequently and must not have liked them p.27

Chapter 4

  1. Predict what the emergency is. Listen to your child’s answer p.36

Chapter 5

  1. Were you correct in your prediction? Listen to your child’s answer
  2. What did you learn in this chapter? Listen to your child’s answer p.37

Chapter 6

  1. Choose one characteristic Jack and Annie showed during this chapter as they talked about the tortoises. Confidence
  2. Why did Jack panic and get nervous? Jack doesn’t like to be in danger and hasn’t done any actual missions to save turtles, so it made him nervous and insecure p.52

Chapter 7

  1. How do you know Jack started to feel confident again in this chapter? He was more concerned about the tortoises than himself p.54
  2. How did he show overconfidence? He dismissed Morgan’s rhyme p.56

Chapter 8

  1. Why was it beneficial that Jack lost his expert badge? While he was looking for it, he found a turtle. He wouldn’t have seen it unless he was looking low in spaces p.65

Chapter 9

  1. How did Jack and Annie know their mission on Galapagos Island was complete? They completed everything in the rhyme p.80

Chapter 10

  1. How did Annie cheer up Jack? She helped him understand that he helped the tortoise without being an expert and did exactly what Morgan wanted him to do; she also said that it was ok to cry and that experts throughout the United States were crying p.86
  2. What did you like about this story? Listen to your child’s answer

Comprehension Questions Magic Tree House #37 Rhinos at Recess

Rhinos at Recess

by Mary Pope Osborne

Grades 1-4; Genre-Fantasy; GRL N; AR pts. 1.0

The magic tree house transports Jack and Annie to South Africa where they must protect a majestic rhino from poachers.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Why does Annie assume they are traveling to Africa? She saw a bird from Africa on a tree when she and Jack ran home to pick up her project during recess; the poem Morgan left them includes a description of Africa p.5

Chapter 2

  1. Describe a game reserve. Specific areas in Africa that protect animals from danger; rangers work in the reserve to protect the animals p.21

Chapter 3

  1. Why did it matter that a chopper was at the west gate of the reserve? Poachers travel in helicopters and could be in the chopper p.30

Chapter 4

  1. Why did Speedy run to the trees? He was scared p.38

Chapter 5

  1. Describe a rhinoceros. Very large animal with wrinkled dark gray skin, two large horns on its face p.42
  2. How did Jack and Annie stay safe from the rhino? They climbed a tree; they stayed quiet so the rhino couldn’t hear them p.41
  3. Predict what you think “the giant” and “them” is in the poem? Listen to your child’s answer p.45

Chapter 6

  1. Summarize the plan Annie came up with to save Rosie and her calf from the poachers. To call Rosie and get her to chase them to the tree they were hiding in, hoping her baby will follow; the leaves from the tree will hide the rhinos p.52

Chapter 7

  1. Were you correct in your prediction of what the giant is? Listen to your child’s answer p.62
  2. What is the paper tree? An ancestral tree on the brochure p.62

Chapter 8

  1. Describe what happened when Jack and Annie called for help. A pre-historic rhino (Rosie’s ancestor) came from the past and chased the poachers away p.65

Chapter 9

  1. Why did Jack get emotional in this chapter? He felt a love and connection for the rhino p.79

Chapter 10

  1. Why did Annie want everyone to listen to her animal presentation? She’s going to teach them about rhinos, pre-historic and present day, and that they might disappear from the earth. She’ll tell them that rangers are trying to protect them and the sad, the good and the bad things p.85
  2. What did you like about this story? Listen to your child’s answer

Comprehension Questions Magic Tree House #36 Sunlight on the Snow Leopard

Sunlight on the Snow Leopard

by Mary Pope Osborne

Grades 1-4; Genre - Historical Fiction with Fantastical Elements; GRL N; AR pts. 1.0

Morgan le Fay tells Jack and Annie to seek out "The Gray Ghost" and listen to her story. They are whisked away to Nepal where they meet Tenzin, a climber, who takes them up the mountain to meet a snow leopard.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Summarize what this story is going to be about. Jack and Annie are going to Nepal to find a ghost in the mountains p.1

Chapter 2

  1. List an observation Jack and Annie made of the people in this area. They are hard workers p.19

Chapter 3

  1. How did Annie convince Tenzin to help them find the ghost? She read Morgan’s poem to him and told him they were serious about finding the ghost, not just curious p.25

Chapter 4

  1. What did you learn about Tenzin in this chapter? He’s sad because his wife and daughter died last winter p.34
  2. Predict how Jack and Annie will help him in this story. Listen to your child’s answer

Chapter 5

  1. Why did Jack agree to follow Tenzin? Tenzin quoted a phrase from the poem and confirmed that they were supposed to follow Tenzin p.42

Chapter 6

  1. How did Tenzin put Jack and Annie at risk? By taking them on treacherous steep ground and for hiking so high p.51

Chapter 7

  1. What is the great ghost and how did Jack and Annie find it? A snow leopard; they tried to find Tenzin and when they hiked up to him, the snow leopard was with him. She was difficult to see because she blended in with the rocks p.59

Chapter 8

  1. How do you think the snow leopard is wise and what secret does she have to tell? Listen to your child’s answer p.62

Chapter 9

  1. Why didn’t Jack want to tell Ama and the girls about the snow leopard. Tenzin has a special bond with the snow leopard, and they want him to be the one to talk about her if he wants to p.72
  2. Have you ever had a story that was your own that you haven’t wanted anyone else to share or talk about? Explain. Listen to your child’s answer

Chapter 10

  1. Were you correct in your assumption about what the poem means? Listen to your child’s answer
  2. If not, what is answer? The secret is love hides in plain sight, and we are never alone p.82
  3. What did you like about this story? Listen to your child’s answer

Comprehension Questions – Little House on the Prairie #1 Little House in the Big Woods

Little House in the Big Woods

by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Grades 2-3; Genre - Historical Fiction; GRL Q; AR pts. 5.0

The Ingalls family is snug in their Wisconsin house in spite of blizzards, wolves, and the lonely forest.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Describe the setting in this story. 1800’s; Wisconsin when only a few settlers had begun to develop the land
  2. Who’s the main character and her family? Laura, her older sister Mary, Carrie her younger sister, and her Ma and Pa p.2

Chapter 2

  1. List and describe the chore/day you would enjoy the best. Listen to your child’s answer p.29
  2. What’s comforting to Laura during the long cold winter? Safely being inside the cozy cabin with the fire p.38

Chapter 3

  1. Summarize this chapter. Laura and Mary helped Pa clean and load his gun; Pa told a story when he was young about how he should have listened to his father and being alone in the woods in the dark p.45

Chapter 4

  1. Compare how traveling was back in the early settler days to our day today. Early days, they traveled in sleds pulled by horses all covered in blankets and bundled up; today, we can jump in a vehicle, train, or plane and have a heater to keep us warm p.64
  2. Describe how the children made “pictures”. They’d fall from a stump and land in the snow, trying not to touch and make other prints in the snow p.65
  3. Summarize the story Uncle Peter shared and why it was so scary. Aunt Eliza wanted to go to the spring, but the dog wouldn’t let her; later they found a panther had been in the tree above the spring; the dog saved her from the panther p.68

Chapter 5

  1. Describe a Sunday for Mary and Laura and compare it to your Sunday. Mary and Laura’s-take bath Saturday night; sit quietly all day; couldn’t play with toys or each other; couldn’t sew; could look at pictures in the Bible or animal book; listen to your child’s answer p.84

Chapter 6

  1. Tell me the stories of the two bears in this chapter. 1st bear: It was dark, and Laura went to help her mother milk the cow; they thought the cow had gotten out of the barn; there was a gate, but mother couldn’t open it all the way to get to the cow, so she slapped the cow and realized it was a large bear; she and Laura hurried to the house and made it safely in; 2nd bear: Pa was coming home from town in the dark and saw a bear standing in his way off the road; Pa didn’t have his gun, so he picked up a branch and ran at the bear; when he hit the bear he realized it was just a large stump p.104

Chapter 7

  1. Explain sugar snow. It’s a spring snow that keeps the trees just cold enough to extend the the maple syrup harvest p.127

Chapter 8

  1. Was this a fun chapter to read? Why, or why not? Listen to your child’s answer

Chapter 9

  1. Why hadn’t Laura known the sky was so large? She and her family lived in the woods with trees all around them, they couldn’t see the vastness of the sky p.164

Chapter 9

  1. Why is Laura jealous of Mary? Mary has golden hair, she looked good and sweet, the storekeeper commented how pretty she was, she kept her dress clean and minded her manners, her candy had a poem on it p.175

Chapter 10

  1. How did Pa get honey in this chapter? He found a bear eating honey from a tree; he chased the bear away, cut down the tree and filled all the containers he brought from home p.195

Chapter 11

  1. Can you answer Laura’s question? How is Charlie a liar? He cried out like he was in trouble three times and there wasn’t anything wrong p.211
  2. Does this remind you of another story? The boy who cried wolf

Chapter 12

  1. Summarize this chapter. Ma and Laura made hats out of straw; It was time to harvest the garden and grain; Pa convinced his neighbor to hire a threshing machine to come and separate the wheat; it took all day and the girls helped their Ma prepare dinner p.221

Chapter 13

  1. Why didn’t Pa shoot any animals when he went hunting? He was too curious watching them p.232
  2. Tell me a part of this story you really enjoyed. Why? Listen to your child’s answer 

Comprehension Questions – Magic Tree House #35 Camp Time in California

Camp Time in California

by Mary Pope Osborne

Grades 1-4; Genre - Historical Fiction with Fantastical Elements; GRL M; AR pts. 1.0

When the magic tree house whisks Jack and Annie back in time, they land in the tallest tree in Yosemite, California where they join nature conservationist, John Muir, and US President Teddy Roosevelt on a historic trip through the woods.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Where’s the setting for this story? Yosemite, a National park in California p.7

Chapter 2

  1. How did Jack and Annie learn their pencils were magic? They had to start using them p.17

Chapter 3

  1. Did Jack and Annie follow Jack’s instructions when they ran into the bear? Explain. No, they ran away from it and Jack read people shouldn’t run from bears p.25

Chapter 4

  1. Summarize this chapter. Jack and Annie meet some travelers in the forest and were invited to join them for the night p.29
  2. Is it smart for Jack and Annie to join them? Why, or why not? Yes, it’ll keep them safe p.35

Chapter 5

  1. Do you know who Teddy is? Listen to your child’s answer
  2. How did Teddy help Jack? Helped him feel like he could ride the mule p.41

Chapter 6

  1. What helped Jack enjoy his experience? Forgetting about himself p.52

Chapter 7

  1. Why was Annie upset and what helped her feel better? Finding out the oldest tree in the world was cut down; Jack took her up to the cliffs edge and looked at the stars p.59

Chapter 8

  1. Who is Teddy? Theodore Roosevelt, the President of the United States p.69
  2. Why did he go on an adventure in the Yosemite wilderness? To see the value in making it a National Park p.71

Chapter 9

  1. Explain John’s attitude of being in the wilderness. He loves it more than being inside p.78

Chapter 10

  1. What did Jack and Annie learn about drawing? Helped them understand what they drew p.90

Comprehension Questions – Magic Tree House #34 Late Lunch with Llamas

Late Lunch with Llamas

by Mary Pope Osborne

Grades 1-4; Genre - Historical Fiction with Fantastical Elements; GRL M; AR pts. 1.0

The magic tree house whisks Jack and Annie away to South America, where they must climb Machu Picchu to save a baby llama. 

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Where is Jack and Annie going in this book? Peru p.7
  2. What continent is Peru on? South America 

Chapter 2

  1. Why is the boy so upset in this chapter? His baby llama was stolen p.19

Chapter 3

  1. Why are Jack and Annie afraid to cross the bridge? It’s made of rope and hangs between two mountains p.25
  2. Why are Jack and Annie determined to cross the bridge? Their mission is to go across and save the llama p.27

Chapter 4

  1. Why did Jack and Annie feel sick while hiking up the mountain? They didn’t have water and they needed to slow down to let their bodies get used to the high altitude p.35

Chapter 5

  1. How did Jack and Annie know they were taken back hundreds of years into the past? Topa and his grandparents called Machu Picchu the Secret City p.40

Chapter 6

  1. Where did Jack and Annie find drinking water? In one of the many springs in the city p.47

Chapter 7

  1. How will the legend help Jack and Annie? The llama will speak and tell the Emperor what it wants p.61

Chapter 8

  1. Name one thing that was scary for Jack in this chapter? The Emperor wouldn’t believe them; the trail to the rope bridge was on a cliff; condors were flying overhead p.62

Chapter 9

  1. How did Jack keep Cria safe from the condors? He remembered the legend and asked the condors to tell the constellations to keep Cria safe p.74

Chapter 10

  1. What’s Annie’s explanation of “the secret of the brave”? People can’t be brave unless they’re afraid first p.85

Comprehension Questions – Magic Tree House #33 Narwhal on a Sunny Night

Narwhal on a Sunny Night

by Mary Pope Osborne

Grades 1-4; Genre - Historical Fiction with Fantastical Elements; GRL M; AR pts. 1.0

The magic tree house whisks Jack and Annie to Greenland, where their mission is to save a narwhal.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. What do you know about Greenland from this first chapter? It’s cold, by the Arctic Circle, can’t have a lot of grass and trees, icebergs and reindeer p.5

Chapter 2

  1. Name one fact you found interesting in this chapter. The earth is warming causing the polar caps to melt; 56,000 people live there with most of them Inuits; there are three kinds of seals and 15 kinds of whales that live there p.12

Chapter 3

  1. Why were Jack and Annie worried about the orcas swimming toward the narwhals? Orcas will kill and eat narwhals p.22

Chapter 4

  1. How did Annie convince the boy not to kill the narwhal for its horn? She told him they’re special and mysteries of nature; they know secrets humans will never know and hear things in ways we’ll never hear; they talk in a language we’ll never understand p.28

Chapter 5

  1. Describe how the kids free the narwhal? Leveraged a spear into the ice to break it p.34

Chapter 6

  1. Describe what you know about Erikson and his family. They’re seafarers; came from Iceland 8 years ago p.40

Chapter 7

  1. Describe the village Erikson lives in. His dad is the chief; long wooden house; thatched huts; barns; dogs; families live there: shocked to see Jack and Annie p.48

Chapter 8

  1. Why are Jack and Annie wanting to sneak away from Leif’s house? His family is under the impression they have a ship and want to take the entire village to see it in the morning p.62

Chapter 9

  1. What gift did Jack and Annie give Leif? Their map of Greenland p.69

Chapter 10

  1. Why do you think “thanks” is the special word Jack and Annie saw glow? Listen to your child’s answer p.79

Chapter 11

  1. Who can you thank? Make sure to write them a note or tell them! P.84

Comprehension Questions – Tales from the Odyssey Book #6 The Final Battle

The Final Battle

by Mary Pope Osborne

Grades 3-7; Genre - Mythology; GRL P; AR pts. 1.0

This sixth book of the series presents an excerpt from Homer's ODYSSEY where Odysseus returns to Ithaca and finds that he must fight to regain control from those who are plaguing his family.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Why did Athena give Penelope the gift of sleep? She couldn’t sleep on her own; she was heartbroken for Odysseus and worried the gods would support the killing of Telemachus p.13

Chapter 2

  1. Why was Odysseus broken hearted to see his dog? No one has taken care of him since Odysseus leftp.21

Chapter 3

  1. Summarize this chapter. Athena told Odysseus to beg from each man to learn who was good and who was evil; Telemachus told the suitors to leave and they did; Athena guided the father and son as they moved the weapons to an upstairs room p.23

Chapter 4

  1. What contest was Penelope going to require of the suitors? To string Odysseus’s bow and shoot an arrow through the rings of 12 ax handles p.39
  2. Why did Athena call Odysseus a faithless mortal? He was beginning to doubt in her p.42

Chapter 5

  1. What were the gods trying to tell the men and Odysseus’s family in this chapter? Odysseus would prevail and the suitors would die p.44

Chapter 6

  1. Why was Penelope and the other women told to go to their rooms? To protect them from seeing the battle that was about to ensue p.56
  2. Could Odysseus string the bow and shoot through the ax handles? Yes p.57

Chapter 7

  1. How did Athena help Odysseus in this battle? She sent the enemies spears away from them; gave the enemies a cloud of her shield which meant certain death p.64

Chapter 8

  1. What convinced Penelope she had her husband home? Odysseus’s upset reaction when she told her maid to carry out her bed p.74

Chapter 9

  1. Why didn’t Odysseus fight the suitors' kin? Athena and Zeus told him not to seek their lives and that there was to be peace p.86

Comprehension Questions – Tales from the Odyssey Book #5 Return to Ithaca

Return to Ithaca

by Mary Pope Osborne

Grades 3-7; Genre - Mythology; GRL P; AR pts. 1.0

With the help of the gray-eyed goddess, Athena, Odysseus and Telemachus must set out to regain control of Ithaca.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Summarize how this story begins. Odysseus survived the storm and is sleeping on an island hoping to get home; Penelope is heart-broken that her son and husband are gone and in danger; Telemachus is trying to decide if he go search for his father or go home to help his mother; Athena is going to help them p.9

Chapter 2

  1. How is Athena helping Odysseus in this chapter? She sent the daughter of the king down to the beach where Odysseus is sleeping p.21

Chapter 3

  1. How did Odysseus make it to the palace without being noticed? Athena put a mist around him and made him invisible p.28

Chapter 4

  1. What did Odysseus do in this chapter to betray who he was? Wept openly twice p.40

Chapter 5

  1. Describe how the sailors treated Odysseus. They put a blanket over him to sleep and let him sleep the entire way home; they carried him onto his island and left him with the gifts p.47

Chapter 6

  1. What word describes Odysseus’s relationship with Athena? He has faith in her; loyal; trust; listen to your child’s answer
  2. How would you answer Odysseus if you were Athena? Why did you take away his son? Listen to your child’s answer

Chapter 7

  1. How do you know the swine herd is a good servant to Odysseus? He loves him; is respectful and protective when talking about him and his family; he longs for him to return home; he cares about his swine and went into the storm to watch them through the night p.63

Chapter 8

  1. What instructions did Athena give Telemachus? Set sail for home immediately; don’t sail close to the shore in the strait; send your men on the ship to the harbor, but Telemachus go to his father’s swine herd p.71
  2. Why did Athena direct Telemachus to go to the swine herd? That’s where his father is p.76

Chapter 9

  1. Explain what this phrase on page 86 means: “it is easy for the gods to cast a man down and then raise him up again”. Gods have power to humble and help men p.86

Chapter 10

  1. Why did Telemachus believe they would win against the suitors? They would have the gods, Zeus and Athena, helping them fight p.90
  2. What’s Odysseus’s plan? Telemachus will go to the palace; Odysseus will dress as a beggar and go to the palace later; when Athena gives the word, Telemachus is to take most of the weapons to an upstairs room p.92