Paul Holmes -
University
English Professor

Free Materials For ESL Teachers and Learners

Short Stories for Kids

Complete lesson plans, including stories, listening, classroom activities, quiz questions and more!

The Peculiar Peach Palace

Three friends stumble upon a magical peach palace filled with talking animals and enchanted treasures, unlocking their own creativity and joy.

Try this story at a different level?

 

Once upon a time, in a place far away, there was a special peach palace. Inside, magic was everywhere and the palace was full of surprises. One day, three friends named Max, Sam, and Mia found this palace while exploring a forest. They went inside and saw a world that was fun and full of magic.

Inside the palace, they met talking animals dressed up fancy and fairies that made everyone laugh. They found fruits that were not like any others. There were strawberries that hugged you and pineapples that could tell jokes. The friends laughed a lot, especially when they ate a banana that made them laugh out loud.

But there was a room they couldn’t get into because it was locked. They really wanted to know what was inside it. After looking everywhere and getting hints, they found a mystery message. It said they would find the key if they stayed over until morning.

When morning came, they found a key near a spider web with dew on it. They opened the locked room and it was beautiful inside. There were paintings, books of poems, and musical instruments. This room was made to help people feel creative and remember that they can make the world happier.

Max, Sam, and Mia spent all day playing with the fairies, painting, and even learning guitar from an old turtle. When it was time to go home, they said goodbye to their magical friends. They left the palace feeling different. They learned that with belief in magic, anyone can make their everyday life special.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

1palaceA big, fancy house where kings and queens live
2exploringGoing around to see what you can find
3magicThings that can’t be explained, like a kind of wonder
4surprisesThings you didn’t expect to happen
5fairiesTiny magical people with wings
6creativeBeing able to make new things or have good ideas
7instrumentsThings you play to make music
8beliefThinking that something is true or real
9specialDifferent from others in a good way
10guitarA musical thing with strings that you strum
11poemsWords that are written in a special way to express feelings
12dewTiny drops of water that you see on grass in the morning

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who were the three friends who found the peach palace?
2. What were some of the magical things they saw inside the palace?
3. Why couldn’t the friends get into the locked room?
4. How did the friends find the key to the locked room?
5. What did the friends do inside the locked room?
6. How did the friends feel when they left the palace?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Once upon a time, in a place far away, there was a special peach (1)______. Inside, magic was everywhere and the palace was (2)______ of surprises. One day, three friends named Max, Sam, and Mia found this palace while exploring a forest. They (3)______ inside and saw a world that was fun and full of magic.

Inside the palace, they met talking animals dressed up fancy and fairies that made everyone laugh. They found fruits that were not like any others. There were strawberries that (4)______ you and pineapples that could tell jokes. The friends laughed a lot, especially when they ate a banana that made them laugh out loud.

But there was a room they couldn’t get into because it was (5)______. They really (6)______ to know what was inside it. After looking everywhere and getting (7)______, they found a mystery message. It said they would find the key if they stayed over until (8)______.

When morning came, they found a key near a spider web with dew on it. They opened the locked (9)______ and it was beautiful inside. There were paintings, books of poems, and musical instruments. This room was made to help people feel creative and remember that they can make the world happier.

Max, Sam, and Mia spent all day playing with the fairies, painting, and even learning guitar from an old turtle. When it was (10)______ to go home, they said goodbye to their (11)______ friends. They (12)______ the palace feeling different. They learned that with belief in magic, anyone can make their everyday life special.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a palace? Why do you think the peach palace was special?
2. How would you feel if you found a palace full of magic? Why?
3. Do you like fruits? Why or why not? What is your favorite fruit?
4. What do you think was inside the locked room? Why were the friends curious to find out?
5. How would you feel if you found a key near a spider web? Why?
6. Do you like painting or playing musical instruments? Why or why not?
7. What do you think the friends learned from their time in the palace? Why is belief in magic important?
8. Have you ever had a special experience that made you feel different? What happened?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. palace
2. exploring
3. magic
4. surprises
5. fairies
6. creative
7. instruments
8. belief
9. special
10. guitar
11. poems
12. dew

Meanings:
(A) Tiny drops of water that you see on grass in the morning
(B) Things you play to make music
(C) Thinking that something is true or real
(D) Different from others in a good way
(E) Going around to see what you can find
(F) Words that are written in a special way to express feelings
(G) A musical thing with strings that you strum
(H) Tiny magical people with wings
(I) Things you didn’t expect to happen
(J) A big, fancy house where kings and queens live
(K) Being able to make new things or have good ideas
(L) Things that can’t be explained, like a kind of wonder
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Who were the three friends that found the peach palace?
(a) Jack, Emily, and Ben
(b) Lily, Ethan, and Ava
(c) Max, Sam, and Mia
(d) Olivia, Noah, and Sophia

2. What made the friends laugh out loud?
(a) A strawberry
(b) A banana
(c) A pineapple
(d) An apple

3. What did the mystery message say?
(a) They would find the key if they stayed over until morning
(b) The key was hidden in a tree
(c) The key was hidden under a rock
(d) The key was inside a flower

4. Where did the friends find the key?
(a) Inside the locked room
(b) Under a tree
(c) Near a spider web with dew on it
(d) Inside a flower

5. What did the locked room have inside?
(a) Toys and games
(b) Clothes and shoes
(c) Food and drinks
(d) Paintings, books of poems, and musical instruments

6. What did the friends do all day in the palace?
(a) Sleep, eat, and watch TV
(b) Play with the fairies, paint, and learn guitar
(c) Read books, solve puzzles, and dance
(d) Swim, play sports, and have a picnic

7. How did the friends feel when they left the palace?
(a) Sad
(b) Angry
(c) Scared
(d) Different

8. What did the friends learn from their experience in the palace?
(a) With belief in magic, anyone can make their everyday life special
(b) Magic is not real
(c) The palace was dangerous
(d) They didn’t learn anything

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. They discovered a locked room in the palace that they were determined to open.
2. After finding a mystery message, they stayed overnight and found the key in the morning.
3. The locked room was filled with beautiful paintings, books of poems, and musical instruments that inspired creativity.
4. They found unique fruits, like strawberries that hugged you and pineapples that told jokes.
5. Max, Sam, and Mia found a regular peach palace while exploring a forest. Inside the palace, they discovered a world full of boredom and disappointments. The friends cried a lot, especially when they ate a banana that made them cry out loud. The palace was filled with silent animals and serious fairies.
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 were the three friends who found the peach palace?
Max, Sam, and Mia.

2. What were some of the magical things they saw inside the palace?
Talking animals, fairies, and fruits that had special abilities like hugging and telling jokes.

3. Why couldn’t the friends get into the locked room?
The locked room needed a key to open it.

4. How did the friends find the key to the locked room?
They found a mystery message that told them they would find the key if they stayed overnight.

5. What did the friends do inside the locked room?
They played with fairies, painted, and learned to play the guitar.

6. How did the friends feel when they left the palace?
They felt different and learned that with belief in magic, they can make their everyday life special.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) palace
(2) full
(3) went
(4) hugged
(5) locked
(6) wanted
(7) hints
(8) morning
(9) room
(10) time
(11) magical
(12) left
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. palace
Answer: (J) A big, fancy house where kings and queens live

2. exploring
Answer: (E) Going around to see what you can find

3. magic
Answer: (L) Things that can’t be explained, like a kind of wonder

4. surprises
Answer: (I) Things you didn’t expect to happen

5. fairies
Answer: (H) Tiny magical people with wings

6. creative
Answer: (K) Being able to make new things or have good ideas

7. instruments
Answer: (B) Things you play to make music

8. belief
Answer: (C) Thinking that something is true or real

9. special
Answer: (D) Different from others in a good way

10. guitar
Answer: (G) A musical thing with strings that you strum

11. poems
Answer: (F) Words that are written in a special way to express feelings

12. dew
Answer: (A) Tiny drops of water that you see on grass in the morning
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Who were the three friends that found the peach palace?
Answer: (c) Max, Sam, and Mia

2. What made the friends laugh out loud?
Answer: (b) A banana

3. What did the mystery message say?
Answer: (a) They would find the key if they stayed over until morning

4. Where did the friends find the key?
Answer: (c) Near a spider web with dew on it

5. What did the locked room have inside?
Answer: (d) Paintings, books of poems, and musical instruments

6. What did the friends do all day in the palace?
Answer: (b) Play with the fairies, paint, and learn guitar

7. How did the friends feel when they left the palace?
Answer: (d) Different

8. What did the friends learn from their experience in the palace?
Answer: (a) With belief in magic, anyone can make their everyday life special
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. They discovered a locked room in the palace that they were determined to open. (Answer: True)
2. After finding a mystery message, they stayed overnight and found the key in the morning. (Answer: True)
3. The locked room was filled with beautiful paintings, books of poems, and musical instruments that inspired creativity. (Answer: True)
4. They found unique fruits, like strawberries that hugged you and pineapples that told jokes. (Answer: True)
5. Max, Sam, and Mia found a regular peach palace while exploring a forest. Inside the palace, they discovered a world full of boredom and disappointments. The friends cried a lot, especially when they ate a banana that made them cry out loud. The palace was filled with silent animals and serious fairies. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧

📚 How about these other Level 2 stories?

A llama farmer builds an obstacle course to keep his mischievous llamas entertained and happy.

The Llama Farmer

Mr. Thompson’s llamas loved to run away, so he made a fun obstacle course to keep them busy.

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 the best day ever in the snow – he made a funny snowman, hung upside down, and saved a squirrel!

A dazzling doughnut brings magic and happiness to a sleepy town, teaching the power of kindness.

The Dazzling Doughnut

A special doughnut named Mr. Sprinkles brings happiness to a town called Sugarville with its magic.

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