In a small town surrounded by green hills, there was a boy named Tommy. He had a big imagination and liked to find new things. One night when he couldn’t sleep, he saw a tiny train with lights like stars close to his house. The Midnight Train to Starland was the name, and Tommy was super excited to see it.

Tommy didn’t think twice. He jumped out of bed, tiptoed out of his room, and ran to the train. When he got on, he saw animals that could talk, fairies laughing and playing, and a dragon who smiled with big teeth. The train took off, and Tommy felt very happy as they flew in the sky.

But then the train stopped suddenly. A small trickster named Sparkle appeared, laughing. Sparkle said they had to answer a riddle to keep going. Tommy thought hard and then yelled out, “Laughter!” Sparkle was surprised Tommy got it right, and the train started moving again.

On the train, Tommy and his new friends told stories and laughed a lot. They watched stars zoom past, played games with comets, and ate cookies shaped like the moon. They had fun and felt happy the whole time.

When the morning came and they could see Starland, the train slowed down. Tommy was sad that his trip was almost over. But then the train conductor, a smart old owl, told him, “You can find Starland’s magic in your heart if you use your imagination and make people happy.” Tommy understood.

After that, Tommy got off the train and went back home. He kept the feelings of fun, laughter, and happiness with him. He shared these feelings with others as he got older. Tommy encouraged everyone to imagine their own Starland adventures.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is the main character of the story?
2. Why was Tommy excited to see the Midnight Train to Starland?
3. What did Tommy have to do to keep the train moving?
4. What activities did Tommy and his new friends do on the train?
5. How did Tommy feel when the train started to slow down?
6. What did the train conductor tell Tommy about finding Starland’s magic?
7. What did Tommy do after he got off the train?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In a small town surrounded by (1)______ hills, there was a boy named Tommy. He had a big imagination and liked to find new things. One night when he couldn’t sleep, he saw a tiny (2)______ with lights like (3)______ close to his house. The Midnight Train to Starland was the name, and Tommy was super excited to see it.

Tommy didn’t (4)______ twice. He jumped out of bed, tiptoed out of his room, and ran to the train. When he got on, he saw animals that could talk, (5)______ (6)______ and playing, and a dragon who smiled with big teeth. The train took off, and Tommy felt very happy as they flew in the sky.

But then the train (7)______ suddenly. A small trickster named (8)______ appeared, laughing. Sparkle said they had to answer a riddle to keep going. Tommy thought hard and then yelled out, “Laughter!” Sparkle was surprised (9)______ got it right, and the train started (10)______ again.

On the train, Tommy and his new (11)______ told stories and laughed a lot. They watched stars zoom past, played games with comets, and ate cookies shaped like the moon. They had fun and felt happy the whole time.

When the morning came and they could see Starland, the train (12)______ down. Tommy was sad that his trip was almost over. But then the train (13)______, a smart old owl, told him, “You can find Starland’s magic in your (14)______ if you use your imagination and make people happy.” Tommy (15)______.

After that, Tommy got off the train and went back home. He kept the feelings of fun, laughter, and (16)______ with him. He shared these feelings with others as he got older. Tommy encouraged everyone to imagine their own Starland adventures.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is imagination and why is it important?
2. How would you feel if you saw a train with animals that could talk and fairies that could fly?
3. Do you like going on adventures? Why or why not?
4. What do you think is the meaning of “finding Starland’s magic in your heart”?
5. Have you ever had a dream or a wish that felt like it came true? Can you tell us about it?
6. How do you think Tommy felt when the train stopped suddenly and he had to answer a riddle?
7. What kind of stories do you like to hear or tell? Why?
8. Do you think it’s important to make people happy? Why or why not?
9. How do you think Tommy felt when he had to leave Starland and go back home?
10. Why do you think Tommy encouraged everyone to imagine their own Starland adventures?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. imagination
2. tiptoed
3. fairies
4. dragon
5. trickster
6. riddle
7. comets
8. conductor
9. zoom
10. adventure
11. encouraged
12. laughter
13. feelings
14. shared
15. magic

Meanings:
(A) To give someone support and confidence to do something
(B) The ability to create ideas and pictures in your mind
(C) An exciting and unusual experience or activity
(D) A special or mysterious quality that makes something seem wonderful
(E) Small, magical creatures with wings, often found in stories
(F) To move very fast or suddenly
(G) To give or use something with others
(H) Emotions or sensations that you experience
(I) Objects in space that move quickly and have long, bright tails
(J) A puzzle or question that is challenging to solve
(K) The person in charge of a train
(L) A person who plays practical jokes and causes mischief
(M) Walking quietly and carefully on your toes to avoid making noise
(N) A large, mythical creature that breathes fire and has scales
(O) The sound of people chuckling or giggling because something is funny
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did Tommy see outside his house one night?
(a) A spaceship landing
(b) A unicorn flying
(c) A rainbow appearing
(d) A tiny train with lights like stars

2. What did Tommy do when he saw the train?
(a) He went back to sleep
(b) He called his friends to come with him
(c) He ignored it and stayed in bed
(d) He jumped out of bed and ran to it

3. What did Tommy see on the train?
(a) Animals that could talk, fairies, and a dragon
(b) Robots and aliens
(c) Superheroes and villains
(d) Ghosts and witches

4. What did Sparkle say they had to do to keep going on the train?
(a) Sing a song
(b) Solve a puzzle
(c) Answer a riddle
(d) Dance a jig

5. What did Tommy yell out to answer Sparkle’s riddle?
(a) “Laughter!”
(b) “Sunshine!”
(c) “Love!”
(d) “Adventure!”

6. What did Tommy and his new friends do on the train?
(a) Slept, watched movies, and ate pizza
(b) Studied, did homework, and read books
(c) Told stories, laughed, played games, and ate cookies
(d) Exercised, played sports, and ate vegetables

7. What did the train conductor tell Tommy about finding Starland’s magic?
(a) Follow the stars and find the hidden treasure
(b) Use your imagination and make people happy
(c) Find the secret door and solve the puzzle
(d) Climb the highest mountain and touch the sky

8. What did Tommy do after getting off the train?
(a) He forgot about his adventure and moved on with his life
(b) He kept the feelings of fun, laughter, and happiness with him and shared them with others
(c) He wrote a book about his experience on the train
(d) He went on another adventure to a different magical land

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The train is called the Midnight Train to Starland, and Tommy is very excited to see it.
2. Tommy has a small imagination and hates discovering new things.
3. On the train, Tommy encounters silent animals, grumpy fairies, and a frowning dragon.
4. Tommy is a girl who lives in a big city surrounded by tall buildings.
5. One night, Tommy couldn’t sleep and saw a tiny train with star-like lights close to his house.
6. The train suddenly speeds up, and a serious character named Sparkle appears, challenging them with a math problem.
7. Tommy quickly jumps out of bed and sneaks out of his room to get on the train.
8. Tommy successfully answers the riddle, and the train continues its journey, filled with laughter and joy.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this story in two sentences. Here are some hints:
Who are the main characters?
What happens in the story?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Who is the main character of the story?
The main character of the story is Tommy.

2. Why was Tommy excited to see the Midnight Train to Starland?
Tommy was excited to see the Midnight Train to Starland because he had a big imagination and liked to find new things.

3. What did Tommy have to do to keep the train moving?
Tommy had to answer a riddle to keep the train moving. The riddle asked for the word “laughter”.

4. What activities did Tommy and his new friends do on the train?
Tommy and his new friends on the train told stories, laughed a lot, watched stars zoom past, played games with comets, and ate cookies shaped like the moon.

5. How did Tommy feel when the train started to slow down?
Tommy felt sad when the train started to slow down because it meant his trip was almost over.

6. What did the train conductor tell Tommy about finding Starland’s magic?
The train conductor, a smart old owl, told Tommy that he could find Starland’s magic in his heart if he used his imagination and made people happy.

7. What did Tommy do after he got off the train?
After Tommy got off the train, he kept the feelings of fun, laughter, and happiness with him. He shared these feelings with others as he got older and encouraged everyone to imagine their own Starland adventures.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) green
(2) train
(3) stars
(4) think
(5) fairies
(6) laughing
(7) stopped
(8) Sparkle
(9) Tommy
(10) moving
(11) friends
(12) slowed
(13) conductor
(14) heart
(15) understood
(16) happiness
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. imagination
Answer: (B) The ability to create ideas and pictures in your mind

2. tiptoed
Answer: (M) Walking quietly and carefully on your toes to avoid making noise

3. fairies
Answer: (E) Small, magical creatures with wings, often found in stories

4. dragon
Answer: (N) A large, mythical creature that breathes fire and has scales

5. trickster
Answer: (L) A person who plays practical jokes and causes mischief

6. riddle
Answer: (J) A puzzle or question that is challenging to solve

7. comets
Answer: (I) Objects in space that move quickly and have long, bright tails

8. conductor
Answer: (K) The person in charge of a train

9. zoom
Answer: (F) To move very fast or suddenly

10. adventure
Answer: (C) An exciting and unusual experience or activity

11. encouraged
Answer: (A) To give someone support and confidence to do something

12. laughter
Answer: (O) The sound of people chuckling or giggling because something is funny

13. feelings
Answer: (H) Emotions or sensations that you experience

14. shared
Answer: (G) To give or use something with others

15. magic
Answer: (D) A special or mysterious quality that makes something seem wonderful
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did Tommy see outside his house one night?
Answer: (d) A tiny train with lights like stars

2. What did Tommy do when he saw the train?
Answer: (d) He jumped out of bed and ran to it

3. What did Tommy see on the train?
Answer: (a) Animals that could talk, fairies, and a dragon

4. What did Sparkle say they had to do to keep going on the train?
Answer: (c) Answer a riddle

5. What did Tommy yell out to answer Sparkle’s riddle?
Answer: (a) “Laughter!”

6. What did Tommy and his new friends do on the train?
Answer: (c) Told stories, laughed, played games, and ate cookies

7. What did the train conductor tell Tommy about finding Starland’s magic?
Answer: (b) Use your imagination and make people happy

8. What did Tommy do after getting off the train?
Answer: (b) He kept the feelings of fun, laughter, and happiness with him and shared them with others
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The train is called the Midnight Train to Starland, and Tommy is very excited to see it. (Answer: True)
2. Tommy has a small imagination and hates discovering new things. (Answer: False)
3. On the train, Tommy encounters silent animals, grumpy fairies, and a frowning dragon. (Answer: False)
4. Tommy is a girl who lives in a big city surrounded by tall buildings. (Answer: False)
5. One night, Tommy couldn’t sleep and saw a tiny train with star-like lights close to his house. (Answer: True)
6. The train suddenly speeds up, and a serious character named Sparkle appears, challenging them with a math problem. (Answer: False)
7. Tommy quickly jumps out of bed and sneaks out of his room to get on the train. (Answer: True)
8. Tommy successfully answers the riddle, and the train continues its journey, filled with laughter and joy. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧