Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dark — Chapter 7

About This Passage

This passage shows Jack making a moral choice that surprises the reader. Annie has just told him to forget the book on the hill. Jack refuses with three reasons: the book is not theirs to leave behind, his notebook is in the pack, and his notes — all his careful observations of the prehistoric world — would be lost. Notice how the author packs three reasons into two short sentences. Students will practice writing a refusal that gives more than one reason and uses 'plus' to add weight to a moral position.

Narration Prompt

In your own words, tell the story of this chapter. What were the most important moments? What made them important — and how do you know?

Discussion Questions

1. Jack tries to wish them home WITHOUT the dinosaur book — and the magic does not respond. The author has been teaching us, slowly, that the magic has rules: you need the picture, you need the wish, you need both together. Why might Mary Pope Osborne build her magic with rules instead of letting it work however the children want? What does it mean for a magic to be RELIABLE?
2. Jack refuses to leave the book even though Annie tells him to forget it. He gives three reasons: the book doesn't belong to them, his notebook is in his pack, and his notes are in his notebook. Which of these three reasons is the BIGGEST for Jack — and what does the order he lists them in tell us about how he ranks his values?

+ 3 more questions in the complete study guide