Text Leveling System

Midnight on the Moon

RDQ:	1037	Max Word/Sent	36	Total Words	3028		Diff Words	755
Lex	750	Ave Word/.Sent	6	Hi Freq occurs	2249	74.3%	Hi freq	340	45%
AR	3.7	Long Sentences	1.2	Low Freq occurs	87	2.9%	Low freq	64	8.5%

Prologue
One summer day in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania,
a mysterious tree house appeared in the
woods.
Eight-year-old Jack and his seven-year old
sister, Annie, climbed into the tree house.
The tree house was filled with books and it
was magic. It could go any place that was in a
book. All Jack and Annie had to do was to
point to a picture and wish to go there.
They visited dinosaurs, knights, an Egyptian]]
 queen, pirates, ninjas, and the Amazon
rain forest.
Along the way, they discovered that
the tree house belonged to Morgan le Fay.
Morgan was a magical librarian from the time
of King Arthur. She traveled through time
and space, gathering books for her library.
One day, Jack and Annie found a note that
said Morgan was under a spell. Jack and
Annie set out in the magic tree house to find
four special things that would free her.
With the help of a mouse named Peanut,
Jack and Annie found the first thing in old
Japan, the second in the Amazon rain forest,
and the third in the Ice Age.
Now Jack, Annie, and Peanut are ready to
find the last thing ... in Midnight on the Moon.]]
By Moonlight
"Jack!" whispered a voice.
Jack opened his eyes. He saw a figure in
the moonlight.
Wake up. Get dressed." It was his sister,
Annie.
Jack turned on his lamp. He rubbed his
eyes.
Annie was standing beside his bed. She
wore jeans and a sweatshirt.
Let's go to the tree house,'' she said.]]
What time is it?" asked Jack. He put on
his glasses.
"Don't look at your clock," said Annie.
Jack looked at his clock. "Oh, man," he
said. "It's midnight. It's too dark."
"No, it isn't. The moon makes it bright
enough to see," said Annie.
Wait till morning," said Jack.
"No-now," said Annie. We have to find
the fourth M thing. I have a feeling that the
full moon might help us."
"That's nuts," said Jack. "I want to sleep."
"You can sleep when we come back home,"
said Annie. "No time will have passed."
Jack sighed. "Oh, brother," he said.
But he got out of bed.
"Yay!" whispered Annie. "Meet you at the
back door." She tiptoed out of Jack's room.]]
Jack yawned. He pulled on his jeans and
sneakers and a sweatshirt. He put his notebook
and pencil into his backpack. Then he
crept down the stairs.
Annie opened the back door. Quietly, they
stepped outside.
Wait" said Jack. We need a flashlight."
"No, we don't. I told you the moon will
light our way," said Annie. And she took off.
Jack sighed, then followed her.
Annie was right, thought Jack. The moon
was so bright that he could see his shadow.
Everything seemed washed with silver.
Soon they left their street. Annie led the
way into the Frog Creek woods. It was much
darker under the shadows of the trees.
Jack looked up, searching for the tree
house.]]
"There!" said Annie.
The magic tree house was shining in the
moonlight.
Annie grabbed the rope ladder and started
climbing up.
"Careful-go slowly," said Jack.
He followed her up the ladder and into the
tree house.
Moonlight streamed through the window,
It shone on the letter M that shimmered
on the wooden floor.
It shone on the three M things that rested
on the M: a moonstone from the time of the
ninjas, a mango from the Amazon rain forest,
and a mammoth bone from the Ice Age.
We need just one more M thing," said
Annie, "to free Morgan from her spell."
Squeak.]]
"Peanut!" said Annie.
In the dim light, Jack saw a tiny mouse.
She sat on an open book.
"You didn't expect to see us this late, did
you?" said Annie.
She picked up Peanut. And Jack picked up
the open book.
"So where are we going this time?" Annie
asked him.
Jack held the book up to the moonlight.
"Uh-oh," he said. "I knew we should have
brought a flashlight. I can't read a thing."
He could make out diagrams and shadowy
pictures. But he couldn't read a word.
"Look at the cover," said Annie.
The letters were bigger on the cover. Jack
squinted at them.
"It's called Hello, Moon," he said.]]
Annie gasped. We're going to the moon?"
"Of course not," said Jack. "It's impossible
to go to the moon without tons of equipment."
Why?"
There's no air. We couldn't breathe. Not
only that, we'd boil to death if it was day and
freeze to death if it was night."
"Yikes," said Annie. "So where do you
think we are going?"
"Maybe a place where people train to be
astronauts," said Jack.
"That sounds neat," said Annie.
"Yeah," said Jack. He'd always wanted to
meet astronauts and space scientists.
"So say the wish," said Annie.
Jack opened the book again. He pointed to
a picture of a dome-shaped structure.
"I wish we could go there," he said.]]
The wind started to blow.
The tree house started to spin.
It spun faster and faster and faster.
Then everything was silent.
Absolutely silent. As quiet and still as
silence could be.]]
Space Motel
Jack opened his eyes.
He looked out the window. The tree house
had landed inside a large white room.
What kind of training place is this?"
asked Annie.
"I don't know," said Jack.
The room was round. It had no windows.
It had white floors and a curved wall lit by
bright lights.
"Hello!" Annie called.]]
There was no answer.
Where were all the astronauts and space
scientists? Jack wondered.
"There's nobody here," said Annie.
"How do you know?" said Jack.
"I just feel it," said Annie.
We'd better find out where we are," said
Jack.
He looked at the page in the moon book.
He read the words below the picture of the
dome.
A moon base was built on the moon in
the year 2031. The top of the dome
slides open to let spacecrafts enter and
leave.
"Oh, man" Jack whispered.
What's wrong?" said Annie.]]
Jack's heart pounded with excitement. He
could hardly speak. "We've landed inside a
moon base," he said.
"So ... ?" said Annie.
"So the moon base is on the moon!" said
Jack. 
Annie's eyes widened. We're on the
moon?" she asked.
Jack nodded. "The book says the moon
base was built in the year 2031," he said. "So
this book was written after that! Which
means this book is from the future!"
"Oh, wow," said Annie. "Morgan must
have gone forward in time to borrow it from a
future library."
"Right," said Jack. "And now we're in the
future, on the moon."
Squeak, squeak!]]
Annie and Jack looked at Peanut. The
mouse was running around in circles.
"Poor Peanut," said Annie.
She tried to pick the mouse up. But
Peanut hid behind the mango on the letter M.
"Maybe she's nervous about being on the
moon," said Annie.
"She's not the only one," said Jack. He let
out a deep breath, then he pushed his glasses
into place.
"So what's a moon base?" asked Annie.
Jack looked at the book. He read aloud:
When scientists visit the moon for
short periods, they eat and sleep in the
moon base.
"A space motel!" said Annie.
"I guess," said Jack. He read more:]]
The small base has a landing chamber
and a room for storing spacesuits.
Air and temperature controls make
breathing possible.
"So that's why we can breathe," Jack said.
"Let's explore," said Annie. We have to
find the fourth thing for Morgan."
"No, first we should study this map," said
Jack. He pulled out his notebook.
"You study it," said Annie.
Jack copied the map. Then he drew in the
tree house.]]
"Okay," he said. He pointed at the X in his
drawing. We're here."
Jack looked up. Annie was gone.
"Oh, brother," Jack said. As usual, she had
left without him. Before they could even
make a plan.
Jack put the moon book and pencil into his
pack. Carrying his notebook and backpack, he
started out the window.
Squeak! Squeak!
Jack looked back at Peanut. The mouse
was running back and forth on the M.
"Stay here and be safe," said Jack. We'll
be back soon."
Jack swung himself over the window sill.
His feet touched the floor of the landing
chamber.
"Annie!" he called.]]
There was no answer.
Jack looked at his diagram.
It showed only one way to go. Jack walked
along the curved white wall to the stairs.
He climbed the steps to a hallway.
"Jack-hurry!" Annie was at the end of
the hallway, standing in the airlock. She
peered out a window in a giant door.
Jack hurried toward her. Annie stepped
aside so he could look out the window, too.
"Oh, man," said Jack. What he saw took
his breath away.
He stared at a rocky gray land. The land
was filled with giant craters and tall mountains.
The sun was shining. But the sky was
ink-black!
"Say hi to the moon," Annie said softly.]]
Open Sesame!
The fourth M thing must be out there," .said
Annie.
Beside the door was a button with the
word OPEN on it. Annie reached for the button.
Wait!" Jack grabbed her hand. There's
no air on the moon. Remember?"
"Oh. Right. But we have to go out to find
the M thing."
"Let's see what the book says,'' said Jack.
He pulled the book out of his pack. He flipped
through it until he found a page that showed
the surface of the moon. He read aloud:
It takes fourteen Earth days to equal
one day on the moon. No air protects
the moon from the sun's rays, so
daytime heat reaches 260 degrees.
Jack looked at Annie. "I told you our blood
would boil if we went out there,'' he said.
"Yuck,'' she said.
Jack read from the book again:
Moon scientists wear spacesuits,
which have controls to keep them
from getting too hot or too cold. They
have tanks, which provide air for two
hours.]]
"Where do we get spacesuits?" asked
Annie. She looked around then trotted back
down the hall. "Maybe there ... ?"
Jack was studying his map. "Let's try the
spacesuit storeroom."
"Don't look at the map," said Annie. "Look
at the real room!"
Jack glanced up. Annie was peering
through a doorway off the hall.
"There's a ton of space stuff in here!" she
said.
Jack went to look.
Bulky white suits hung from hangers. Air
tanks, helmets, gloves, and boots sat in neat
rows on shelves.
"Wow, it's like the armor room in a castle,"
said Jack.
"Yeah, with huge armor," said Annie.]]
"Let's pick out the smallest stuff," said
Jack. "The suits can go over our clothes."
Annie found the smallest white suit. And
Jack found the next smallest. They stepped
into them.
Then Annie locked Jack's air tank into
place.
"Thanks," he said. And he did the same for
her.
"Thanks," she said.
"Gloves?" said Jack. He and Annie pulled
on white gloves.
"Boots?" said Annie. They each pulled on
a pair of huge white boots.
"Helmets?" said Jack. He reached for a
helmet.
Wow, they're pretty light," he said. "I
thought they'd be like knights' helmets."]]
Jack and Annie put the helmets on. They
locked each other's into place.]]
"I can't move my head right or left," said
Annie.
"Me neither," said Jack. "Let's try walking."
Jack and Annie moved clumsily around
the room. Jack felt like a fat snowman.
"Close your visor," said Annie.
They both closed their see-through visors.
Cool air filled Jack's helmet.
"I CAN BREATHE!" Annie yelled. Her
voice boomed in Jack's ears.
"Ow! Talk quietly," Jack said. We have
two-way radios inside our helmets."
"Sorry," whispered Annie.
Jack put the moon book back in his pack.
Then he slung the pack over his shoulder.
"Okay!" he said. "Remember, we only
have two hours of air in our tanks. So we]]
need to find the fourth M thing really fast."
"I hope we can find it," said Annie.
"Me too," said Jack. He knew they could
not go home until they did.
"Let's go," said Annie. She gave Jack a little
push.
"Watch it. No goofing off," he said. We
don't want to fall over in these suits."
"Just go-go!" said Annie. She pushed
him out of the room. They walked back to the
airlock.
"Ready?" said Annie. "Open sesame!" She
pressed the OPEN button. A door slowly slid
closed behind them. A door opened in front of
them.
And Jack and Annie stepped out onto the
moon.]]
Moon Rabbits
"Oh, wow!" said Annie. She took a step forward.
But Jack stood frozen. He wanted to get a
good look at everything first.
He stared at the ground. He was standing
in a layer of gray dust as fine as powder.
Footprints were everywhere. Jack wondered
who had made them.
He reached into his pack for the moon
book. To his surprise, it was as light as a
feather!]]
He found a picture of footprints on the
moon. He read:
The moon has no rain or wind to blow
the dust around So footprints will
never wear away naturally, not even in
a billion years.
"Oh, man," Jack said.
The moon was the stillest place he had
ever, ever been. It was as still as a picture.
And its stillness would never, ever end.
Jack stared at the ink-black sky. A lovely
blue-and-white ball glowed far away.
Earth.
For the first time, it really hit Jack. They
were in outer space.
"Look!" Annie cried, laughing.
She bounded past Jack-almost flying]]
through the air. She landed on her feet. Then
she jumped again.
"I'm a moon rabbit," she called.
Jack laughed. How does she do that? he
wondered. He turned a page and read:
A person weighs less on the moon
because of the moon's low gravity and
lack of air. If you weigh 60 pounds on
Earth, you would only weigh 10
pounds on the moon.
"Don't just stand there reading!" said
Annie, grabbing the book from Jack's gloved
hand. She tossed it into space.
It flew far away.
Jack started after it.
He bounded up and down. Boing! Boing!
Boing! Now he felt as light as a feather.]]
"Look!" he called to Annie. "I'm a moon
rabbit, too."
Where Jack's boots hit the ground, moondust
gracefully sprayed into space.
The book had landed at the edge of a shallow
crater.
When Jack reached it, he tried to stop.
But his feet slipped.]]
He fell right over and lay on his side. He
tried to stand. But he was off-balance.
He tried again. But the dust was just too
deep. And his spacesuit was too clumsy.
"You okay?" asked Annie.
"I can't get up," said Jack.
"You shouldn't have been goofing off," said
Annie wisely.
"You goofed off first," said Jack. "Now,
help me up, please."
Annie started toward him.
"Don't fall, too," warned Jack.
"I won't." Annie moved very slowly. She
half floated, half walked.
"Give me your hand," she said.
Annie grabbed Jack's hand. She pressed
her boot against his and pulled him up.
Thanks," he said.]]
"No problem," she said. "It was easy. You
were really light."
Thank goodness," said Jack. "It's impossible
to get up alone."
He picked up the moon book. It was covered
with dust. He brushed it off.
"Oh, wow! Look!" said Annie. She stood at
the edge of the crater.
"What is it?" said Jack.
"A moon buggy!" said Annie.
The buggy was parked in the crater. It
had four huge wheels.
"Let's go for a ride," said Annie.
"We can't," said Jack. 'We just have two
hours of air in our tanks. Remember?"
"I bet we'll find the M thing faster if we
take the moon buggy!" Annie bounded into
the crater.]]
"But we can't drive!" said Jack.
"I bet I can drive this," said Annie. "It
looks easy. Come on!"
She jumped into the driver's seat.
"But you don't have a license!" said Jack.
'Who cares?" said Annie. There aren't
any roads on the moon, or stoplights, or
policemen either."
She was right, Jack thought.
'Well, go slow," he said. And he climbed in
beside her.
Annie pushed a button labeled ON.
The moon buggy lurched backward.
"Yikes!" said Annie.
"Step on the brake!" said Jack.
Annie pressed a pedal on the floor. The
buggy stopped with a jerk.
'Whew," she said.]]
"It must be in reverse," said Jack. "Let me
study this-"
But before he could study anything, Annie
pushed another button.
The buggy tilted back. Its front wheels
started to rise into the air.
"Let me out of here!" said Jack.
Annie pushed more buttons.
The buggy's front wheels landed back on
the ground. And the buggy leaped forward.
"Slower!" said Jack.
"I can't,'' said Annie. "I don't know how!"
Annie steered the buggy over the tracks
on the ground. The wide wheels kept it from
sinking into the deep dust.
"Careful!" said Jack.
The buggy zoomed out of the crater.
Gray clouds of dust rose behind them as
they took off across the moon.]]
Hang On!
Annie drove the moon buggy over bumps and
hollows. It bucked like a bronco.
"I'm going through there!" She pointed to
an opening between two mountains.
Jack held on to the dashboard.
The buggy bumped toward the opening
and shot through.
On the other side, the ground was even
rockier.
"Look for the fourth M thing!" said
Annie, bouncing up and down.]]
Jack groaned. Looking for anything on this wild ride was impossible.
Slow down. he said.
How?
Try pressing on the brake pedal. On the floor slowly.
Annie pressed on the brake.
The buggy slowed down. Jack sighed with ]]
relief. The ride was still bumpy. But now , at least, he could take a good look at the moon.
He had never been to such a colorless, barren place. There was no green, no blue, no red. 
No water, no trees, no clouds.
Only giant gray rocks and craters - and an 
American flag.]]

Subjective Criteria

Illustrations: No support

Dialog: Multiple speakers

Dialog: Broken dialogue

Dialog: Unlabeled Speaker

Vocabulary: Some difficult words

Language: Many descriptive words

Sentences: Multiple phrases

Text structure: Story/Poem

Concept: Fanciful

Diagrams

Features

Integral Setting - Futuristic

Topic

*Space

Flight/Flying

Magic

Moon

Low Frequency Words

absolutely	airlock	astronauts	barren	borrow
bulky	clumsily	curved	dashboard	degrees
diagrams	egyptian	equipment	future	gathering
gloved	goofed	goofing	gracefully	jeans
knights	labeled	librarian	license	lurched
magical	mammoth	mango	moonlight	moonstone
motel	mysterious	naturally	peered	peering
pennsylvania	policemen	prologue	radios	rockier
sesame	shallow	shelves	shimmered	shone
slung	spacecrafts	spacesuit	spacesuits	squinted
stillest	stillness	stoplights	storeroom	streamed
structure	suits	sweatshirt	tilted	visor
visors	warned	widened	yawned