The information, activities and discussion questions which follow are intended to enhance your reading of Matt and Heather’s adventures through the secret passage.

Questions for discussion:
1. What makes you curious? Matt discovers a hidden door on his 13th birthday. He is anxious to explore what is behind it, while Heather is not. Why? Would you venture forward or stay behind? What steps would you take to insure your safe return?
2. Heather and Matt are different from the other children their age. What makes them different? Do you feel differently from others your age? How do you cope with that feeling?
3. Matt and Heather don’t have many friends but are each other’s best friend, why? Are you friends with your sister(s) or brother(s)? If not, why not?
4. Matt hates living in his aunt’s house, while Heather doesn’t seem to mind, why? Are there times when you feel bored with the routine of your household? What do you do when you feel bored?
5. Matt and Heather lost their parents in a tragic accident during the Loma Prieta earthquake. What do you know about earthquakes? Do you live in an area that has frequent earthquakes or other natural disasters? What steps can you take to insure your and your family’s safety in a natural disaster such as an earthquake, tornado, or hurricane?
6. Jon and Josie Townsend, Matt and Heather’s parents, were bioscientists – what does a bioscientist do? Matt inherited his parents’ scientific mind and always takes notes on things he discovers or books he has read. Why is it important for scientists to take notes?
7. On one of their trips through the hidden door, Matt and Heather see strange sights of people floating on platforms and rooms lit up by no apparent source of light. Do you think that will be possible some day?
8. Manar, Heather and Matt’s governess, had to flee her native country of Iran and eventually came to live in the United States. Do you know anyone from another country who is now living in yours? Do you think it would be difficult to live in another country? Do you know how to speak another language? Do you think it would be difficult to move to another country and try to learn the language and fit in with the culture? Have you made friends with someone from another country? Do you think it would be interesting to learn about the customs of another country? How could you do that?
9. What other times and places would you like to visit if you were able? Would you research the time and place first to prepare yourself? How would you do that? How difficult do you think it would be to seem as though you belonged in another time and place? Besides the obvious change in fashion, what about the difference in use of the language (slang used)?
10. Aunt Estelle’s house was untouched by the earthquake, while many in the neighborhood were destroyed. Why do you think that is?
11. At the beginning of the story Matt and Heather were the only ones suspicious of Aunt Estelle’s butler, Roger Hill. When you read that did you wonder if they were right? Did you wonder what bad deeds he might have done?
12. When you read a story do you see images in your mind like a motion picture? What makes reading fun for you?

Writing and Research Activities:

1. Aunt Estelle’s house is in the Marina District of San Francisco. The area was originally marsh but was filled in to create a land mass for building. Why would this make the ground unstable during an earthquake? What is liquefaction?
2. The story mentions floating platforms and walls of light; check out these sites on the internet to see if any of this is possible today: www.livescience.com/technologies/051021_nano_light.html; www.flying- platform.com; see the Proteus (AKA Spider Boat) sail the San Francisco Bay at www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmtph2xoz0k. Write about other things you imagine and wish were possible to do today.
3. Matt inherited his parents’ characteristic of always taking notes. What characteristics did you and your brother(s) and sister(s) inherit from your parents? Even though you may share the same characteristics, does that make you the same? How are you different?
4. Matt and Heather catch the bus at The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. When was that structure built and what was it part of? What does it house today?
5. On another of their visits through the hidden door, Matt and Heather see steam ships, old cars, and horse-drawn trucks and fire wagons. Go to the library or check the internet for the origins and histories of ships, the car and fire trucks.
6. The old sea captain has a strange way of talking. Why is that? He calls Sally, his house maid, a whench. What part of a ship is the whench and what is it used for? We use terms like “take a different tack”, and “to the bitter end” – all sea terms. What other sea-based expressions do we use in every day life? Can you think of other expressions that come from other occupations?
7. The old sea captain has a strange gait. What does that mean and what causes it? This creates an image of the captain as a sea-faring character. What other stories of the sea have used that same image of a sea-faring character?
There is an old pipe organ in Aunt Estelle’s house. What is a pipe organ and how does it work? What are the origins of the pipe organ and piano?