Paul Holmes -
University
English Professor

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Short Stories for Kids

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Amy and the Magic Book

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In a little village, there was a girl named Amy who loved books. She liked finding new stories to read. One day, while she was looking around the library, she found an old book that was very dusty and seemed really special. It was called “The Magic Book of Wonders.”

Amy was very curious, so she opened the book. All of a sudden, she was in a place where animals could talk and giants were friendly. Amy was in a magical world that came straight from the book. She was amazed to find out that she could change things in this world just by turning the pages of the book.

Amy had a lot of fun using her powers. She made a river of chocolate, clouds that looked like cotton candy, and a unicorn that told funny jokes. Everyone in the village was happy and laughing because of the things she made. But after a while, people stopped caring about the regular, everyday things that used to make them happy.

Amy noticed that nobody was happy anymore. She saw that when people have too many special things, they stop enjoying the simple stuff. Feeling sad, she knew she had to make things right again.

Amy went back to the library and found the Magic Book of Wonders one more time. She found a magic spell in the book and said the words. As she did that, all the things she created went away. The village went back to normal, but now the people remembered to enjoy the small, everyday things. Amy learned that it’s not just magic that makes life wonderful, but also the joy in regular things. The magic book stayed in the library, ready for someone else to find it and learn its secrets.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

1curiousWanting to know or learn more about something
2dustyCovered in a layer of dirt or fine powder
3magicalHaving special powers or qualities that cannot be explained by science
4amazedVery surprised or impressed by something
5powersAbilities or skills that someone has
6unicornA mythical creature that looks like a horse with a horn on its head
7everydayOrdinary or common, happening or used every day
8enjoyTo take pleasure in or find satisfaction in something
9spellA set of words that are believed to have magical powers
10secretsInformation that is kept hidden or not known by everyone
11villageA small community of houses and buildings in a rural area
12libraryA place where books are kept and can be borrowed or read
13specialDifferent or better than what is usual or ordinary
14regularHappening or done on a regular basis
15joyA feeling of great happiness or pleasure

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is the main character in the story?
2. What did Amy find in the library that caught her attention?
3. What happened when Amy opened the book?
4. What did Amy do with her powers in the magical world?
5. Why did people in the village stop being happy?
6. How did Amy fix the problem?
7. What did Amy learn from her experience with the magic book?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In a little village, there was a girl named Amy who (1)______ books. She liked finding new stories to read. One day, while she was looking around the library, she found an old book that was very (2)______ and seemed really special. It was called “The (3)______ Book of Wonders.”

Amy was very curious, so she opened the book. All of a sudden, she was in a place where animals could talk and (4)______ were friendly. Amy was in a magical (5)______ that came straight from the book. She was amazed to find out that she could change things in this world just by turning the pages of the book.

Amy had a lot of fun using her powers. She made a river of (6)______, clouds that looked like cotton candy, and a unicorn that told (7)______ jokes. Everyone in the village was happy and (8)______ because of the things she made. But after a while, (9)______ stopped caring about the (10)______, everyday things that used to make them happy.

Amy noticed that nobody was happy anymore. She saw that when people have too many (11)______ things, they stop enjoying the simple stuff. Feeling sad, she knew she had to make things right again.

Amy went back to the library and (12)______ the Magic Book of Wonders one more time. She found a (13)______ spell in the book and said the words. As she did that, all the things she created went away. The village went back to normal, but now the people remembered to enjoy the small, everyday things. Amy (14)______ that it’s not just magic that makes life wonderful, but also the joy in regular things. The magic book stayed in the library, ready for someone else to find it and (15)______ its (16)______.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a magical world?
2. How would you feel if you found a book that could take you to a different world?
3. Do you like reading books? Why or why not?
4. What do you think about the things Amy created in the magical world?
5. How would you feel if people in your village stopped enjoying the simple things in life?
6. What are some everyday things that make you happy?
7. Do you think having too many special things can make people stop enjoying the simple stuff? Why or why not?
8. How would you feel if you had the power to change things just by turning the pages of a book?
9. What do you think about Amy’s decision to make things right again?
10. Why do you think the magic book stayed in the library for someone else to find?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. curious
2. dusty
3. magical
4. amazed
5. powers
6. unicorn
7. everyday
8. enjoy
9. spell
10. secrets
11. village
12. library
13. special
14. regular
15. joy

Meanings:
(A) Having special powers or qualities that cannot be explained by science
(B) Different or better than what is usual or ordinary
(C) A small community of houses and buildings in a rural area
(D) A place where books are kept and can be borrowed or read
(E) Wanting to know or learn more about something
(F) Ordinary or common, happening or used every day
(G) Covered in a layer of dirt or fine powder
(H) Happening or done on a regular basis
(I) Abilities or skills that someone has
(J) A feeling of great happiness or pleasure
(K) A mythical creature that looks like a horse with a horn on its head
(L) To take pleasure in or find satisfaction in something
(M) Very surprised or impressed by something
(N) Information that is kept hidden or not known by everyone
(O) A set of words that are believed to have magical powers
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did Amy find in the library?
(a) A talking animal
(b) An old book
(c) A magical wand
(d) A secret door

2. What happened when Amy opened the book?
(a) She found a hidden treasure
(b) She met a famous author
(c) She was transported to a magical world
(d) She fell asleep

3. How did Amy change things in the magical world?
(a) By using a magic wand
(b) By saying a special spell
(c) By turning the pages of the book
(d) By making a wish

4. What did Amy create using her powers?
(a) A flying carpet
(b) A time machine
(c) A talking tree
(d) A river of chocolate

5. Why did people in the village stop being happy?
(a) Because they were tired of Amy’s magic
(b) Because they had too many special things
(c) Because they were bored of the regular things
(d) Because they were sad about something else

6. Where did Amy go to fix the situation?
(a) The library
(b) The park
(c) The magic world
(d) Her house

7. What did Amy do to make things right again?
(a) Said a magic spell from the book
(b) Created more magical things
(c) Ran away from the village
(d) Ignored the problem

8. What did Amy learn from her adventure?
(a) That magic is the most important thing in life
(b) That she should never use her powers again
(c) That she should keep the book a secret
(d) That the joy in regular things is important

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Amy realized that she could not alter things in this reality by flipping through the book.
2. When Amy opened the book, she was transported to a magical world where animals could talk and giants were friendly.
3. However, Amy noticed that people in the village became less happy because they no longer appreciated the simple things in life.
4. With her recently acquired abilities, Amy could not generate things like a river of chocolate, cotton candy clouds, and a joke-telling unicorn.
5. She stumbled upon a new, pristine book in the library that seemed ordinary.
6. Realizing the negative impact of her actions, Amy returned to the library and found a magic spell in the book.
7. By casting the spell, Amy reversed all the changes she had made, restoring the village to its normal state and reminding people to find joy in everyday things.
8. Amy disliked books and did not find joy in exploring different stories.
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 in the story?
– The main character in the story is Amy.

2. What did Amy find in the library that caught her attention?
– Amy found an old book called “The Magic Book of Wonders” that caught her attention.

3. What happened when Amy opened the book?
– When Amy opened the book, she was transported into a magical world where animals could talk and giants were friendly.

4. What did Amy do with her powers in the magical world?
– Amy used her powers to create fun and magical things in the village, such as a river of chocolate, clouds that looked like cotton candy, and a unicorn that told funny jokes.

5. Why did people in the village stop being happy?
– People in the village stopped being happy because they became so focused on the special and magical things that Amy created that they forgot to appreciate the simple and everyday things that used to make them happy.

6. How did Amy fix the problem?
– Amy went back to the library and found a magic spell in the book. She used the spell to make all the things she created disappear, so that the village could go back to normal.

7. What did Amy learn from her experience with the magic book?
– Amy learned that it’s not just magic that makes life wonderful, but also the joy in regular things. She realized that people should appreciate and find happiness in the simple and everyday things around them.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) loved
(2) dusty
(3) Magic
(4) giants
(5) world
(6) chocolate
(7) funny
(8) laughing
(9) people
(10) regular
(11) special
(12) found
(13) magic
(14) learned
(15) learn
(16) secrets
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. curious
Answer: (E) Wanting to know or learn more about something

2. dusty
Answer: (G) Covered in a layer of dirt or fine powder

3. magical
Answer: (A) Having special powers or qualities that cannot be explained by science

4. amazed
Answer: (M) Very surprised or impressed by something

5. powers
Answer: (I) Abilities or skills that someone has

6. unicorn
Answer: (K) A mythical creature that looks like a horse with a horn on its head

7. everyday
Answer: (F) Ordinary or common, happening or used every day

8. enjoy
Answer: (L) To take pleasure in or find satisfaction in something

9. spell
Answer: (O) A set of words that are believed to have magical powers

10. secrets
Answer: (N) Information that is kept hidden or not known by everyone

11. village
Answer: (C) A small community of houses and buildings in a rural area

12. library
Answer: (D) A place where books are kept and can be borrowed or read

13. special
Answer: (B) Different or better than what is usual or ordinary

14. regular
Answer: (H) Happening or done on a regular basis

15. joy
Answer: (J) A feeling of great happiness or pleasure
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did Amy find in the library?
Answer: (b) An old book

2. What happened when Amy opened the book?
Answer: (c) She was transported to a magical world

3. How did Amy change things in the magical world?
Answer: (c) By turning the pages of the book

4. What did Amy create using her powers?
Answer: (d) A river of chocolate

5. Why did people in the village stop being happy?
Answer: (b) Because they had too many special things

6. Where did Amy go to fix the situation?
Answer: (a) The library

7. What did Amy do to make things right again?
Answer: (a) Said a magic spell from the book

8. What did Amy learn from her adventure?
Answer: (d) That the joy in regular things is important
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Amy realized that she could not alter things in this reality by flipping through the book. (Answer: False)
2. When Amy opened the book, she was transported to a magical world where animals could talk and giants were friendly. (Answer: True)
3. However, Amy noticed that people in the village became less happy because they no longer appreciated the simple things in life. (Answer: True)
4. With her recently acquired abilities, Amy could not generate things like a river of chocolate, cotton candy clouds, and a joke-telling unicorn. (Answer: False)
5. She stumbled upon a new, pristine book in the library that seemed ordinary. (Answer: False)
6. Realizing the negative impact of her actions, Amy returned to the library and found a magic spell in the book. (Answer: True)
7. By casting the spell, Amy reversed all the changes she had made, restoring the village to its normal state and reminding people to find joy in everyday things. (Answer: True)
8. Amy disliked books and did not find joy in exploring different stories. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧

📚 How about these other Level 3 stories?

Max, the boy who could talk to animals, used his unique gift to save a trapped bear and teach others about kindness.

The Boy Who Could Talk to Animals

Max, a boy with the extraordinary ability to talk to animals, uses his gift to save a trapped bear and spread kindness and understanding in his village.

Lily and her animal friends explore a crystal cave, discovering magical powers and learning important lessons.

The Crystal Cave

Lily and her animal friends discover a magical crystal cave, where they have exciting adventures and learn important life lessons.

A group of adventurous children discover a hidden cave filled with riddles and magical trials.

The Enigma of Echo Cave

Emma, Ben, and Lucy find a secret cave with a tricky creature inside, but their friendship helps them solve the riddles and escape.

A cheeky little boy named Sam has a day full of funny mishaps and unexpected surprises in the snowy landscape.

Sam’s Snowy Day

Sam had an awesome day in the snow, from flying off his sled to saving a squirrel.

A dragon and a squirrel team up to find an enchanted treasure, but the squirrel has a secret plan.

The Dragon’s Dream

Dillon the dragon, with his special dreaming talent, embarks on a quest for a magical treasure with his new friend Daisy.

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