BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSEight-year-old Jack and his seven-year-old sister Annie are walking home through the woods near Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, when Annie spots a rope ladder leading up to a mysterious tree house hidden at the top of a tall oak tree. Inside, they find it packed with books, including one about dinosaurs with a blue silk bookmark. Jack opens the book to a picture of a Pteranodon and wishes out loud that he could see one for real. Moments later, the tree house begins to spin and the two children find themselves transported somewhere very different from Frog Creek.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Dinosaurs Before Dark
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about Dinosaurs Before Dark. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book is a tree house tucked between two branches at the very top of a tall oak?
✓ Answer
Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne
Jack and Annie find the mysterious tree house high above the woods near their home. It is so high that Annie says it must be the highest tree house in the world.
- First half
In what book does a creature on a hilltop look like a rhinoceros with three horns?
✓ Answer
Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne
Jack and Annie spot a Triceratops eating flowers on a hilltop. He has two long horns above his eyes and one on his nose, plus a big shield-like frill behind his head.
- First half
In what book does a boy find a gold medallion glittering in tall grass?
✓ Answer
Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne
While walking through the grass, Jack notices something shiny and picks up a gold medallion. The find is a huge clue that someone else has been to dinosaur time before them.
- Second half
In what book does a girl crawl toward her brother while clutching a flower?
✓ Answer
Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne
Annie, holding tight to a magnolia flower, crawls slowly back to her brother to escape the angry mother dinosaur. Jack tells her to keep low and not stand up, then has them both bow their heads and pretend to chew until the dinosaur grows quiet.
- Second half
In what book does a boy whisper, "Tyrannosaurus rex," as a horrible creature walks across a plain?
✓ Answer
Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne
Jack identifies the huge meat-eating predator by name as soon as he spots its long teeth and tiny arms. The whisper gives the danger a label and pushes the kids to flee for the tree house.
- Near the end
In what book does a girl talk to a creature and flap her arms in the air?
✓ Answer
Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne
Annie talks to the gentle flying reptile at the base of the oak, flapping her arms and pointing at the sky and her trapped brother. Her wild gestures send the creature off to rescue him.
