IMPORTANT: Comprehension questions will be in chronological order as you read through the story. Page numbers are approximate, and will vary with different editions of the book.
Section 1:Chapters 1-2
Vocabulary
- brooding: to think a lot about something in an unhappy way
- docile: easily taught, led, or controlled
- enchanted: to fill someone with great delight; to attract and hold the attention of someone by being interesting, pretty, etc.
- hesitate: to be unwilling to do something because of doubt or uncertainty
- sly: clever in a dishonest way
- talisman: an object, such as a ring or stone, that is believed to have magic powers and to cause good things to happen to the person who has it
- thicket: a group of bushes or small trees that grow close together
Vocabulary Sentences
- The docile dog was happy to obey his master when he called for him.
- Sage was enchanted by the vivid colors and scents of the rose garden.
- Samuel did hesitate for a moment before finally deciding to jump off the diving board.
- Allie was brooding over the strong consequence she received for lying to her mother.
- The children were curious about the mysterious thicket that grew behind the cabin.
Comprehension Questions
- Miss Back never takes the children to the lake because she says it’s too much to expect and the sound of the waves affected her heart.(pg. 2)
- The library’s summer checkout policy says you can check out ten books and keep them for a month, but you can only take four of the fiction books.(pg. 3)
- The children hate unfairness and slyness above all.(pg. 4)
- Jane and Mark had changed the rule about not being able to read bits of books out loud and bother the others.(pg. 4)
- The children say that the best way to pretend is by not telling anyone that you are pretending.(pg. 7)
- Jane accidentally wishes for a fire.(pg. 9)
- It takes the children a long time to run the eight blocks because Martha isn’t allowed to cross the street by herself and doesn’t run fast yet, so they have to keep waiting for her.(pg. 9)
- Aunt Grace first shows Alison a picture of the Old Faithful geyser in Glacier Park.(pg. 18)
- Katharine had predicted that Aunt Grace would want her to stay for coffee and cake, and she would say her chocolate cake is the best since she made it herself.(pg. 18)
- Alison thinks the man’s beard makes his face sinster.(pg. 22)
- The man says that the trouble with life is that not enough impossible things happen for people to believe in.(pg. 23)
- Jane is waiting up to ask her mother if she borrowed a nickel from her dresser.(pg. 24)
- Jane believes the talisman will turn their summer into a time of wild adventure and delight for all of them.(pg. 27)
Section 2:Chapters 3-4
Vocabulary
- churl: a rude, ill-bred person; a medieval peasant
- confirm: to state or show that something is true or correct; to cause someone to believe something more strongly
- coy: not telling or revealing all the information that could be revealed
- indignant: feeling or showing anger because of something that is unfair or wrong; very angry
- inordinate: going beyond what is usual, normal, or proper
- intrepid: feeling no fear; very bold or brave
- loathe: to dislike greatly and often with disgust or intolerance
Vocabulary Sentences
- Ella did confirm to her father that she was the one to eat the last cookie from the jar.
- Cole did loathe the chores he had to complete before playing outside.
- Shelly was indignant when her new puppy chewed on her favorite shoes.
- Evan was an intrepid soccer player, even when other players tried to cheat or push him down.
- Mark gave a coy answer when asked if he knew anything about the missing homework assignment.
Comprehension Questions
- Carrie the cat’s main purpose is to catch mice.(pg. 30-31)
- Martha first feels a wish for companionship.(pg. 31)
- Mark sometimes gets tired of being the only boy in a family of girls.(pg. 32)
- Jane realizes that the nickel is a magic charm and does things by halves.(pg. 35)
- The girls decide to head south on Maplewood Avenue to search for Mark because they needed to start somewhere.(pg. 39)
- Mark’s first wish is that the iron dog in the yard would be alive.(pg. 40)
- The children leave the roller skates to mark the spot.(pg. 47)
- Mark finds the magic charm in the sand after Martha shakes her shoes and it drops into the sand.(pg. 49-50)
- Katharine is allowed to have the first wish because she hasn’t had one yet.(pg. 59)
- Sir Launcelot thinks the children are cherubim and seraphim in heaven.(pg. 62)
- Katharine forgets to wish that she knew the rules for jousting.(pg. 81)
- Merlin warns the children that the magic charm is too dangerous and too powerful for them.(pg. 89)
- The children know they have not been dreaming because they all remember what happened.(pg. 93)
Section 3:Chapters 5-6
Vocabulary
- beguile: to lead by deception
- foreboding: a feeling that something bad is going to happen
- gaudy: too bright and heavily decorated; very large or impressive
- moot: a deliberate assembly primarily for the administration of justice
- pandemonium: wild and noisy disorder or confusion; uproar
- wane: to decrease in size, extent, or degree; to become less brilliant or powerful
- wheedle: to influence or entice by soft words or flattery
Vocabulary Sentences
- Jane was filled with a sense of foreboding just before she struck out of the game.
- The classroom was filled with pandemonium after the teacher said the test was canceled.
- The rays of sunlight began to wane as evening approached.
- Emma hoped to wheedle extra allowance from her parents.
- Jeremy’s grandma made him smile every time she wore her gaudy light up earrings on New Year’s Eve.
Comprehension Questions
- The children don’t make their next wish right away because they don’t want that much excitement for some time.(pg. 95)
- The children want to hear a good, solid, down-to-normal, everyday story.(pg. 96)
- Jane wants most in the world that there would be no more wars and that she could know everything.(pg. 97)
- The children hate Charlie Chaplin because he was the only thing that grown-ups would take them to see.(pg. 100)
- Jane stumbles upon a man and woman robbing the jeweler’s shop.(pg. 109)
- In the bookstore, Martha meets the gentleman with the beard, who drove them home a few nights before.(pg. 111)
- Martha thinks the small gentleman is a wizard, based on his beard.(pg. 112)
- Jane is upset with Mr. Smith for misleading children and pretending to believe in magic.(pg. 114)
- The three children wish that Jane might be twice cured of whatever was bothering her.(pg. 115)
- Jane wishes that their mother would find them safe and sound within four minutes’ time.(pg. 115)
- The other three children decide to tell Mr. Smith about what has happened to Jane because they hope he will know what to do.(pg. 136)
- The main color of the house is gray.(pg. 139)
- Their mother can’t stay upset for very long because the children’s spirits are so high after they return home with Mr. Smith.(pg. 154)
Section 4:Chapters 7-8
Vocabulary
- curio: a small and unusual object that is considered novel, rare, or bizarre
- derrick: a tall machine with a long part like an arm that is used to move or lift heavy things, especially on ships; a tall tower that is built over an oil well and used to support and guide the tool that is used to dig the hole and get oil out of the ground
- memoriam: in memory of someone who has died; an epitaph
- reproach: an expression of rebuke or disapproval; a cause or occasion of blame, discredit, or disgrace
- roused: to wake someone from sleep; to cause someone who is tired or disinterested to become active
- solemn: very serious or formal in manner, behavior, or expression
- unscathed: not hurt or damaged; unharmed
Vocabulary Sentences
- Joshua was miraculously unscathed after falling ten feet out of the tree.
- The family was solemn as they heard the news of their grandfather’s poor health.
- Ezra enjoyed going to the flea market with his parents on Saturdays, looking for curios to add to his collection of unique items.
- The newborn baby couldn’t be roused from her deep sleep, even when we tried to tickle her feet.
- Lana did not like to hear the reproach in her mother’s voice, even though she knew better than to tease her little sister mercilessly.
Comprehension Questions
- Katharine thinks the charm should be given a day of rest.(pg. 156)
- Katharine says that anything can be inside of them, which makes lunch boxes sound so delicious.(pg. 158)
- Martha doesn’t think her mother could be crying because her mother is so strong and sensible and happy, and she has never heard of a mother crying before.(pg. 159)
- Mr. Smith announces to the children that he has asked their mother to be his wife.(pg. 163)
- Mother tells Mr. Smith that she cannot marry him because she believes she is mentally ill with all the wild things she has seen lately.(pg. 164)
- Jane plans to help her mother by letting her wish for whatever her heart desires.(pg. 165)
- Katharine says that they did not reveal the charm to their mother because they thought she was too old to know.(pg. 167)
- Mark remembers that his mother’s heart’s desire is to be City Editor of the paper someday.(pg. 168)
- Katharine says her mother’s heart’s desire is to be a bareback rider.(pg. 170)
- Martha thinks the trouble with the wishes they made for their mother is that she didn’t believe in magic first.(pg. 174)
- Mr. Smith suggests that they start over and take it more slowly than before.(pg. 176)
- Jane’s final wish was that her father was with her and that she would know how he felt about things.(pg. 183)
- The charm is swallowed by a baby.(pg. 188)