Characters & Setting
Who is the main character in The Chocolate Touch?
John Midas
What food does John want more than anything at the beginning of the story?
Chocolate
What does John find before he goes to the candy store?
A mysterious coin
At the beginning of the story, what does John want most?
Chocolate
What is a theme?
The lesson or message in a story
Name one important setting in the story.
John’s home, school, cafeteria, Susan’s birthday party, or the mysterious candy store
What happens to things that touch John’s mouth?
They turn into chocolate or taste like chocolate.
What is one of the first things that tastes like chocolate after John gets the chocolate touch?
Toothpaste, orange juice, or breakfast food
At the end of the story, what does John want?
He wants the chocolate touch gone and wants things back to normal.
What is the main problem in The Chocolate Touch?
Everything that touches John’s mouth turns into chocolate. John is greedy.
Who gives John the magical chocolate from the candy store?
The storekeeper
Why does the chocolate touch seem fun to John at first?
He loves chocolate, so he thinks having everything taste like chocolate is wonderful.
What happens during lunch in Chapter 7?
John’s food, milk, and lunch items are affected by the chocolate touch, and he runs out of the cafeteria.
How does John begin to feel as the chocolate touch keeps causing problems?
Worried, frustrated, embarrassed, scared, or regretful
What is the resolution of the story?
The chocolate touch is removed, John’s mother is back to normal, and John returns home changed.
Why is the mysterious candy store an important setting?
It is where John uses the coin to get the chocolate that begins the chocolate touch.
Why does the chocolate touch become harder for John to manage?
It starts affecting more parts of his life, including food, drinks, school, lunch, and people he cares about.
What happens that makes Chapter 10 a turning point?
The chocolate touch affects John’s mother, and John realizes the problem can cause real harm.
How does Chapter 11 show that John has changed?
John tries to solve the problem, asks for help, and wants to undo the chocolate touch instead of getting more chocolate.
What theme does The Chocolate Touch teach?
Too much of something you want can become harmful.
How does the candy store help move the story from realistic fiction into fantasy?
The store is strange and mysterious, and it gives John magical chocolate that causes things touching his mouth to turn into chocolate.
How does John’s problem change from the beginning of the story to the middle?
At first, John’s problem is that he wants chocolate too much. Later, his problem becomes magical and serious because everything touching his mouth turns into chocolate.
Put these events in order: John’s mother is affected, John finds the coin, John goes back to the candy store, John’s toothpaste tastes like chocolate.
Compare John at the beginning and John at the end of the story.
At the beginning, John wants chocolate more than anything and does not appreciate ordinary food. At the end, John understands that too much chocolate can be harmful and appreciates ordinary food and normal life.
Give one detail from the beginning, middle, and end that supports the theme.
Beginning: John wants chocolate more than anything.
Middle: The chocolate touch causes repeated problems with food, school, lunch, music class, and Susan’s party.
End: John realizes the chocolate touch caused harm, wants it removed, and learns to appreciate ordinary food and normal life.