LEV EL 2

PINUUlN A( IIVI K IA D IN G
 Tim Burton’s
The Nightmare
Before Christmas
A novel by D a p h n e S kinner

Based on a story and characters by Tim Burton

Screenplay by C aroline T h o m p so n
P roduced by T im B urton an d D enise D i Novi
D irected by H e n ry Selick

Level 2

Retold by Coleen Degnan-Veness

Series Editors: Andy Hopkins and Jocelyn Potter
 Pearson Education Lim ited
E dinburgh Gate, Harlow,
Essex C M 20 2JE, England
and Associated Com panies throughout the world.

P ack ISBN: 978-1-4058-5210-4

B ook ISBN: 978-1-4058-5063-6
C D -R O M ISBN: 978-1-4058-5064-3

T his edition first published by Pearson Education Ltd 2007

3 579 108642

C opyright © 2007 Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Illustrations by Mikel Santos ‘Belatz’ / Javier Gom ez (colour)

Set in 12/15-5pt A. G aram ond

Printed in C hina
S W T C /02

Produced for the Publishers by AC Estudio Editorial S.L.

All rights reserved; no part o f this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
without the prior written permission o f the Publishers.

Published by Pearson Education Ltd in association with Penguin Books Ltd,

both companies being subsidiaries o f Pearson Pic

I h i ,ii iim plrir l i s t ill (he (ides available in the Penguin Active Reading series please write to your local
IVi! Mini I iingman cill ic e or to: Penguin Readers M arketing D epartm ent, Pearson Education,
Edinburgh ( late, 1larlow, Essex C M 20 2JE, England.
 Contents
Activities 1 iv

Halloweentown’s Scariest Skeleton 1

A Door to a New World 4

Activities 2 8

Jack’s Christmas Plans 10

Chemicals for Jack 15

Activities 3 18

Jack’s Great Idea 20

Jack’s Little Helpers 22

Activities 4 26

Big Mistakes 28

Santa Claus is Coming to Town 33

Activities 5 36

Dangerous Toys for Good Girls and Boys 38

Problems for Jack and Santa 41

Activities 6 44

Oogie Boogie’s Scary House 46

Christmas Comes to Halloweentown 51

Talk about it 56
Write about it 57
Project: Plan a Halloween Party 58
 Activities 1

1.1 W h at's the book about?

1 Look at the picture on the front of this book and talk to another
student. Do you know anything about the movie The Nightmare
Before Christmas? What kind of story do you think it is?
2 Which of these words describe this story, do you think? Write them
under the right picture.

funny strange happy scary boring exciting sad

a c
b d

1.2 W h at happens first?

On page 1 read the name of the chapter, the sentences in italics, and
the new words at the bottom of the page. Then look at the pictures in
Chapter 1 and answer these questions.
1 Who is Halloweentown's scariest skeleton? ...............
2 Does he like to scare people every year?
3 Is Zero a skeleton or a dog? ..........
4 Is I lie girl in the pictures happy or sad?
iv
 C HA P T E R

Halloweentowns Scariest Skeleton

“/ scare people every year, Zero, ’’Jack Skellington said quietly to his dog.
“It’s boring and I ’m tired. ”

n O ctober 31 everybody in H allow eentow n was excited.

O Hallow een night was the m ost im portant night o f their year
and they were all afraid. D ead people came up from under the ground.
T hirsty vampires happily drank a lot o f blood. Ugly old witches
changed some people into cats and other people into fish. Everybody ran
from the skeletons, from the sound o f their long, thin arms and legs.
Black cats jum ped in and out o f trash cans. Black birds flew through the
dark sky w ith loud, high cries. A nd Jack Skellington sang his scary songs
and danced his dangerous dances. People screamed. T hey were afraid.
They loved it.
At the end o f the Halloween
night, everybody w ent to the
,'k
center o f town. T he M ayor of
Hallow eentown stood in front o f
M
them and spoke.
“Tonight was the best
0
Halloween party in m any years, /
and the hard w ork o f one m an
made it possible,” he said. H e
turned to the tow n’s greatest
skeleton. “Jack— thank you.”

vampire /'vaempaia-/ (n) A vampire lives inside a d e a d p erso n an d a t n ig h t h e drinks p e o p le 's

b lo o d
blood /hUd/ (n) W hen y o u cu t y o u r fin g er, red bloo d runs o u t
w itc h /wit// (n) A witch is a w o m a n w ith a tall, black h at. Witches fly a t n igh t.
tkeleton /'skclatan/ (n) Y ea rs a ft e r p e o p le d ie, o n ly th e ir skeleton is u n d e r th e g ro u n d .
•cary /'skeri/ (adj) So m e p e o p le like scary m ovies. W hen so m e b o d y scares yo u , y o u a re a fra id .
•cream /skrim/ (v/n) P eo p le scream w h e n th e y a r e v ery a fra id .
mayor /'meia-, mcr/ (n) M ost to w n s h a v e a m ayor a n d h e o r sh e is th e boss.
 T he Nightmare Before Christmas

“It was great, Jack!” people shouted. “We loved it! It was wild!”
“Yes,” the M ayor said. “We all enjoy Jack’s scary songs and dangerous
dances. Jack, you’re the scariest skeleton in Halloweentown! T h a n k you
for these w onderful celebrations...”
“N o problem ,” Jack said.
But Jack wasn’t happy. Every year he repeated the same songs and
dances and he was bored w ith Halloween. O f course, he couldn’t tell
anybody. H ow could he? T h e people o f the town loved him and they
waited all year for this night.
W hen the M ayor started talking about the scariest vampires and
witches, Jack walked away quietly. H e w anted to th in k about his future.
He walked out o f town and past the old churchyard. H e walked past
Sally, too, b ut he didn’t see her.
Sally was also sad. She w atched Jack and she wanted to follow him.
But she had to be careful.
T h e D octor didn’t like it
w hen she left the house. And
w hen she didn’t listen to him,
he got very angry.
T h e D octor was a very
ugly, old skeleton and he
was not a nice m an. After his
accident, he couldn’t walk.
H e m ade Sally, from old
clothes, because he w anted
a strong young w om an in
his house. H er clothes were
not very pretty, b u t she had
beautiful long red hair.

<nfobr«ition > 1 IV Ix rifo n (n) F v ery b o d y en jo y s a celebration w ith th e ir frien d s an d fam ily.
W han y«mi t f ' l r h i ' i t t ' your birthday, people give presents to you.
 C hapter 1 - Halloweentowns Scariest Skeleton

The doctor could move around

in his chair but Sally had to cook
lor him. She cleaned for him and
did everything in the house. H er
life was boring and she really
wanted to run away. She tried to
leave m any times but he always
caught her.
“W hy is Jack sad tonight?”
Sally thought. “H e’s the m ost
wonderful m an in H allow eentow n
and everybody loves h im .”
She listened hard. She could
hear Jack’s words to his little white
dog, Zero. Zero came out from
under the ground and flew behind
Jack. H e was dead, o f course, so
you could see through him . But he
bad a funny red nose and it shone in the dark.
“I scare people every year, Z ero,” Jack Skellington said quietly to his
dog. “It’s boring and I’m tired. I don’t w ant to hear another scream. W hy
do I do it?”
“Now I u n d e rsta n d ...h e ’s bored,” Sally tho u g h t sadly. “H e wants to
change his life...an d I w ant to change m ine, to o .”
She looked around the churchyard.
“I’ll take some o f those flowers,” she thought. “I ’ll p u t them in the
1)octor’s drink again tonight so he’ll sleep. But this tim e, w hen he’s
sleeping, I ’ll run away. I ’ll find Jack and maybe he’ll go w ith me. W e’ll be
free!”
A sound came through the trees from a long way away.
“Sally? W here are you?” It was the D octor and he was very angry.
“ I’m com ing!” Sally shouted.

3
 CHAPTER

A D oor to a New W orld

"Nobody is afraid here!”Jack thought.
“They aren’t screaming. Nobody’s dead!"

J
ack walked through the churchyard and into the dark woods. His
head was dow n and his eyes were on the ground. H e walked for a long
tim e and he tho u g h t about his future, w ithout m uch hope.
After alm ost two hours, he stopped and looked around him . His eyes
opened wide.
“W here am I? W h at is this?” he asked Zero.
Jack was in the m iddle o f some very large trees and each tree had a
beautiful door in it. O n the doors were strange pictures and each door
was different. O n e o f the doors had a green tree w ith decorations on
it. O f course, it was a C hristm as tree, but Jack didn’t know anything
about C hristm as trees. O n e door had a pretty egg w ith yellow flowers
on it. It was the Easter door, b ut Jack knew no th in g about Easter. T he
Thanksgiving D ay door had a very big bird w ith a small head.

(lo co ratio n s ,■li k.i'u-i |.m// (n pi) Decorations a re p re tty th in g s on C hristm as tre e s, on w alls,
.m il m w in d o w . S o n ic p e o p le c/er orate th e ir h o u se s w ith C hristm as ligh ts
 Chapter 2 - A Door to a New World

Jack liked the door w ith the green tree and pretty decorations, so he
moved nearer. But before he could put his hand on the door, it opened.
A strong, cold w inter w ind pulled him inside the tree and the door closed
quickly. H e screamed, b u t only Zero heard. A nd Zero couldn’t help. T he
little dog stayed under the tree and waited. H e w aited all night.
The cold w inter w ind took Jack to a new and w onderful place. Here,
everything was w hite and it was very cold. Jack knew n o thing about
snow and he took some in his hand.

“W hat is this?” he thought.

He m ade a ball and threw it. T hen he laughed happily.
He stood on the top o f a m ountain and he looked dow n at a pretty
little town. It was very different from Hallow eentown. T here were
beautiful lights on the houses and decorations on the trees. People moved
happily across the ice on strange, long shoes. T hey laughed and sang.
“N obody is afraid here!” Jack thought. “T hey aren’t screaming.
N obody’s dead!”

J
 T he Nightmare Before Christmas

Jack felt very happy, too.

“T his is the prettiest place in the w orld,” he thought.
T h en he looked up and he saw the nam e o f this place above the
street— C H R IS T M A S T O W N .
“T h a t’s a funny nam e for a place!” he thought. “B ut I th in k I’m going
to like it here!”
Jack started to move dow n the m ountain. H e d idn’t know anything
about snow or ice, o f course. So w hen he started to walk, his feet flew
out from under him . H e m oved, on his bottom , as fast as a river dow n a
m ountain.
“T his is very funny,” he thought. “M aybe they’re inviting m e to
Christm astow n! I hope they are. T his place is great!”
At the bottom o f the m ountain he sat for a m inute and looked at the
beautiful w orld in front o f him . H e felt happy and w arm inside.
T h en he stood up. H e looked up at the sky and laughed.
“I w ant to see everything here!” he thought. “I w ant to run and
jump! I w ant to sing and dance! I ’m not an old dead skeleton w ithout
feelings— I’m living again! But w hat happens in this place? I’m going to
look around!”
 Chapter 2 - A Door to a New World

h was m orning in H allow eentow n and the M ayor stood outside Jack’s
house. H e w anted to start m aking plans for next year’s celebrations.
There were only three h u n d red sixty-four days before Halloween! But
lack didn’t open his door. T h e M ayor shouted. T here was no answer.
T here were some vampires in the street, so he asked them about Jack.
“We’ll try to find him for you, M ayor!” they said.
I he vampires asked witches and skeletons around town. “W here’s
|acl<? Do you know?”
“We don’t know b u t we’ll help you,” they said.
1.ater that day everybody knew— Jack was not in Halloweentown! But
where was he? Nobody leaves Halloweentown!

7
 Activities 2

2.1 W ere you right?

Look back at your answers to Activity 1.2 on page iv. Then look at the
picture and finish these sentences.

1 The skeletons's name is

2 The door in this tree goes to

3 The name of the holiday is

4 On the door there is a green

5 On the tree there are

2.2 W h at more did you learn?

Match the names on the left with the sentences on the right.

Vampires He is the boss of the town and he

likes to talk.
Witches He is an old skeleton and he can’t
walk very well.
Mayor
They wear tall black hats and they
fly.
Sally
He likes to follow Jack.
Doctor They like to drink blood.
She wants to run away and have a
Zero more exciting life.

K
 The Nightmare Before Christmas

l.l Language in use When the Mayor started talking

Look at the sentences in the
box. Then finish these sentences
with the words below. Write the
letters, a-e.
about the scariest vampires, Jack
walked away.
The Doctor didn't like it when she
left the house.

1 When Sally didn't listen to the Doctor,

a Zero waited for
him.
2 When the Doctor fell asleep,
b when he walked on
the ice and snow.
3 When Jack went into the tree,
c Sally ran away,
when the Mayor
4 Jack’s feet flew out from under him
couldn't find him.
he got very angry.
5 The vampires started looking for Jack

1,4 W h at's next?

Look at the pictures below. Which will be new to the people of
Halloweentown, do you think?

Christmas
lights

mask
>>
 CHAPTER

Jacks Christm as Plans

“Do toys scare little boys?”asked an ugly old witch. Jack thought,
“They'll never understand Christmas. ”

n the n ight o f D ecem ber 24, the night before C hristm as,
O everybody in C hristm astow n was very happy. Santa Claus came on
this night every year w ith toys for good girls and boys. A t nine o’clock
m ost o f the children were in their beds and the youngest were asleep. But
a lot o f older children couldn’t sleep because they were very excited. So
they closed their eyes and w aited for the sound o f Santa Claus’s feet.
Jack Skellington walked around-the tow n and looked through the
windows o f the pretty little houses. H e saw the children in their beds and
he could see a C hristm as tree in every house. Each tree had beautiful red
and green decorations on it and pretty lights. H e loved everything in this
place. Suddenly, he had a great idea.
“I’m going to go back to H allow eentow n,’’ he tho u g h t. “I’ve got a
great plan!”

to y /I 'i/(n ) C h ild ren p la y w ith toys. Toy cars are n o t re a lly cars.

HI
 Chapter 3 - Jacks Christm as Plans

Sally was busy in her kitchen w ith the flowers for the D o cto r’s drink.
“H e’ll sleep a long tim e after he drinks this,” she thought.
“W here’s m y drink?” the D o cto r shouted from another room .
“It’s alm ost ready,” Sally shouted.
She took it to him and w atched carefully. H e p u t his nose near the
tu p .

“W h a t did you p u t in m y drin k tonight?” he asked her.

“I p u t som e h o t water, som e m ilk, som e s u g a r...”
“You didn’t p u t any flowers in it, I h ope,” said the old m an. “You did
i liar to m e before. I rem ember! You w anted to ru n away. I rem em ber
that, too!”
“Flowers? You are funny,” said Sally. “D rin k it and then I ’ll bring your
dinner.”
“I w an t you to drin k som e first,” he said.
“It’s very hot, so I’ll take a little on m y sp o o n ,” she said.
Sally took a spoon w ith holes in it from her skirt. She p u t the cup near
her m o u th and used the spoon. T h e drink fell through the holes and back
into the cup. T h e old m an’s eyes were n o t very good, so he didn’t see it.
“Very nice,” said Sally. “N ow you d rin k it.” ,
She gave him the cup and the D octor d ran k it. T h e n he fell asleep
w ith his head on the table. Sally p u t a w arm jacket over him an d she ran
out the door.
It was late at night but nobody in Halloweentown was asleep. They
were very sad about Jack. W here was he? T he witches didn’t scream and the
vampire children didn’t w ant to play. Everything was quiet. T h e M ayor was
die saddest because he couldn’t plan the next Halloween w ithout Jack.
Suddenly, he heard a dog.
“Listen! Is th at Zero?” shouted the Mayor.
Then another sound— a strange sound— cam e from behind the large
doors in the wall around H allow eentow n. W hen the doors opened, Jack

hole /hool/ (n) W hen y o u cu t a hole in so m e th in g , y o u can s e e t h r o u g h i t .

11
 I'hc Nightmare Before Christmas

arrived in a big red sleigh. Zero flew behind him and his big red nose lit
the way. T h e witches, skeletons, and vampires jum ped up and dow n and
laughed.
Everybody shouted, “Jack’s back!”
“Jack! W here were you?” asked the Mayor.
“I’ll tell y o u ...I ’ll tell everybody!” Jack said loudly. “I w ant everybody
in town to come here in two hours.”
Sally was in the woods w hen she heard about Jack from one o f the
witches. She w anted to listen to Jack so she w ent back into town.
“T he D octor’s asleep, so I have tim e,” she thought.
In the center o f tow n Jack, stood on a box in front o f the witches,
skeletons, and vampires. A lot o f small black anim als flew around
excitedly.
“I w ant to tell you about a w onderful place! Its nam e is
C hristm astow n,” Jack said.

s le ig h /slot/ (n) S a n ta C laus d rives a sleigh across th e sky on th e n ig h t b e fo r e C hristm as.

 Chapter 3 - Jack’s Christmas Plans

“Christm astown? W h a t’s that?” some witches asked.

“It’s a w orld o f w onderful white snow. It’s a beautiful place, a happy
place. Look at this!” Jack said.
H e showed them a Christm as tree. Everybody’s eyes opened wide.
“A nd look! T his is a
present!” he shouted.
He took a box w ith
pretty paper from under
the tree and showed it to
diem.
“W h at is it?” an ugly
old vampire asked. H e
I)ad a very w hite face, very
black hair, and a very red
m outh.
“A present is a box
with pretty paper around
i t.. .and inside.. Jack
said slowly.
“W h at’s inside?” called
a witch.
“We don’t know,” Jack answered.
“D o n’t know? W hy not?” T he people o f H allow eentow n didn’t
understand.
Quickly, Jack took off the paper and opened the box.
“Inside, there’s a toy!” said Jack. He showed them a child’s toy.
“A boy? T h a t is strange!” said one o f the skeletons.
“N o t a boy! A to fJ shouted Jack.
“D o toys scare little boys?” asked an ugly old witch.
Jack thought, “T hey’ll never understand C hristm as.”

present /'prezsnt/ (n) P eo p le g iv e y o u presents on y o u r b irth d ay

 T he Nightmare Before Christmas

T h e n he had a good idea. “M aybe they’ll understand this.”

H e looked at each o f them very carefully and he spoke quietly and
slowly.
“T here’s a very old m an in C hristm astow n,” Jack said. “H e’s big and
round w ith long, w hite hair. H is clothes are red and he flies through the
n ight sky in a big red sleigh. H e shouts loudly and laughs! T hey call him
Santa Claus! H e puts presents under C hristm as trees inside every house.
W h e n the children wake up in the m orning, they find them . T h e n they
open th em .”
Everybody was excited w hen Jack finished his story. T hey were a little
scared, too, and th at was good.
Jack left and w ent hom e. “H ow can I tell them about C hristm as?” he
thought. “I have to find a better way. First, I have to u n d erstand.”
Later th at night in his bed, Jack looked in a lot o f books. H e read
C hristm as stories and he found
C hristm as songs. B ut w hat were
they really about?
“M aybe the D octor can help
m e,” Jack thought. “M aybe his
chemicals will teach me m ore
about toys, decorations, and
C hristm as trees! I’ll go to his
house and discuss everything
w ith him in the m o rn in g .”

ch e m ic als /'k in u k o l// (n) D octors u se b o ttle s o f chem icals w h e n th e y w a n t a n s w e rs to

q u e stio n s T h ey u se th e chemicals fo r tests.

IA
 CHAPTER

Chemicals for Jack

Sally thought, “What does this mean? Does Jack love me, or not?
Or is something bad going to happenI”

S
ally’s drin k for the D octor didn’t w ork very well. It wasn’t very strong,
so the D octor woke up after three hours. H e could move fast in
liis chair and he found Sally. H e took her back hom e and p u t her in her
room at the top o f the old house.
“You w on’t do th at to m e again!” the D o cto r shouted angrily.
“It was a . . .a mistake!”
she said.
She thought, “W hy
d id n’t I p u t m ore flowers in
Ihe drink? H ow did I make
that stupid m istake?”
N ow she was in her
room and couldn’t get out.
Jack arrived in the
m orning. Sally heard him
(rom her room .
“W hy is Jack here?” she
thought.
She tried to listen to the
conversation between the D octor and Jack. She couldn’t hear Jack very
well, b u t she heard the D octor.
“Take these chemicals, Jack, but be careful. T hey’re very dangerous. I
m ade a m istake one tim e a n d .. .look at me in this chair.”
Jack took the bottles o f chemicals and w ent hom e. H e opened some
of the bottles. Very carefully, he put them over fire. H e p u t a toy boat
into the bottle o f green chemicals. H e p u t the bottle over the fire and
watched.

15
 T he Nightmare Before Christmas

N o th in g happened. T h en he
cut some C hristm as paper and
p u t it into som e red chemicals.

r.^
'•
f Again, no th in g happened.
H e w orked for hours, but he
d idn’t learn very m uch about
n/.
C hristm as.
i / @ - - CHRiSTMAS? “W h a t will happen w hen
I p u t decorations into these
fc ft 17 chemicals?” Jack thought. H e
p u t some in and a green light
[ W t/ shone.
From Sally’s window, she saw
the green light in Jack’s window.
She w anted to go to him and
help him . She felt som ething strange inside— a happy and sad feeling.
For the first tim e in her life she felt love. She really was in love w ith Jack.
“I w ant to be his w ife,” Sally thought. “H ow can I get away from the
Doctor? I can’t stay here!”
Sally stood at her w indow for a long tim e, w ith o u t m uch hope.
“I have to help Jack!” she thought.
So she m ade a present for him . She p u t som e dry flowers, some black
vegetables, and som e green w ater into a bottle. W ith the bottle in her
hand, she stood at her open w indow and looked dow n. It was a long way
to the ground, b u t she wasn’t afraid. She jum ped.
W hen she hit the ground, one o f her arm s fell off.
“N o t again!” she said. B ut she took the arm w ith her other han d and
pur it on again very quickly.
T h en she ran to Jack’s house as fast as she could. She stood under his
w indow and looked up. At th at same m inute, Jack looked dow n. W h en
their eyes met, he smiled. Suddenly, he felt really happy— b u t why? H e
couldn’t understand.
 C hapter 4 - Chemicals for Jack

Sally p u t her bottle into his m ailbox and ran away. She couldn’t stay
;md talk to him . She w anted to h u t she couldn’t. Sally was a quiet girl
;ind she never said very m uch to anybody.
Jack w atched her and felt w arm inside.
W hen she was near the walls o f the tow n, Sally sat down.
“H e sm iled at w d ” she th o u g h t excitedly.
T here was a pretty flower next to her and she pulled it out o f the
ground. She began to pull o ff the petals and to repeat these words:
“H e loves m e,” she said. She pulled o ff the second petal. “H e loves me
n o t.. . ” she said. She did this again and again.
Strangely, the flower in her hand began going around and around very
fast. It changed into a beautiful, small C hristm as tree w ith pretty lights!
T hen, suddenly, the little C hristm as tree was on fire. T here was n o thing
in her hand. She sat there in the cold, dark n ight for a long tim e and
tried to understand.
“W h a t does this m ean?” she thought. “Does Jack love me, or not? O r
is som ething bad going to happen? Are Jack’s plans for C hristm as a big
mistake?”

p e ta l /'pctl/ (n) Red flo w e r s h a v e a lo t o f red petals.

17
 Activities 3

3.1 W ere you right?

1 Look back at Activity 2.4. Match the pictures with the words.

2 Now write the same words in these sentences.

O n the night before C hristm as, J .................... ..... ............

fills h i s b ... w ith bags o f
c for good girls and boys. W h en they
open them , they find w onderful d ........................................ ............

3.2 W h at m ore did you learn?

Circle the best word.

1 Sally's spoon has holes / ice in it.

2 Jack arrives in Halloweentown in a bus / sleigh.
3 When Jack opens the present, there is a boy / toy inside.
4 Jack tells everybody in Halloweentown about Santa Claus / witches.
5 Jack’s books about Christmas help / don't help him.
6 The Doctor gives Jack some strong drinks / chemicals.
7 Sally wants to visit / marry Jack.
8 Sally thinks that everybody will have a good / bad Christmas.
is
 The Nightmare Before Christmas

U Language in use It’s very hot, so I’ll take a little on

Look at the sentences in the box.
Then make two sentences into one
with so or because.
my spoon.
The Mayor was the saddest
because he couldn't plan next
Halloween without Jack.

1 The Doctor was asleep. Sally went to the town's center.

The Doc-for was asleep, so San^ wev^+ +o -fhe -fowl’s cevp+er ^
2 Jack told a scary story about Santa Claus. Nobody knew anything about
Christmas.

3 Jack had to find a better way. They didn't really understand.

4 Jack wanted some help. He went to the Doctor for some chemicals.

5 Sally wanted to help Jack. She made a present for him.

W h at's n ext?
Read the name of Chapter 6 and the sentences
in italics below it. Then discuss the pictures «

in that chapter. What do you think of Jack’s

helpers? Circle your answers.
,

1 Are they young or old?

2 Are they good or bad? L

3 Are they going to do something dangerous or funny?

4 Are they going to make Jack happy or unhappy?
5 Are they intelligent or stupid?
6 Do they understand Halloween or Christmas?
19
 CHAPTER

Jack’s Great Idea

“Were going to have Christmas in Halloweentown this year.
You will have to work hard, but it will be wonderful. ”

J
ack w orked hard all night w ith the chemicals, b u t he didn’t find any
answers to his questions. W h at was Christm as? W h a t did it mean?
He stood at his open
w indow and thought hard.
“H ow do these things
work?” he thought. “W hy do
people in C hristm astow n w ant
to sing w hen they see these
decorations? W hy are people
excited w hen they open these
presents?”
H e stood there for hours.
W hen it was alm ost
m orning, Jack found the
answer.
“I know! It’s easy! W hy
didn’t I th in k o f this before?”
he shouted. H e jum ped up and
dow n excitedly.
“Hallow eentow n can have
Christmas! W hy not? W e can
make decorations and p u t them on a tree! W e can p u t presents under the
tree! W e can m ake presents for every little boy and girl. A nd this year I'll
be Santa C laus.”
H e shouted happily, “C hristm as will be ours!”
It was tim e for another m eeting. H e couldn’t wait, so he ran to the
M ayor’s house. T he M ayor was asleep.
 Chapter 5 - Jack’s Great Idea

“Wake up! We have to talk to everybody tonight!” Jack told him

excitedly.
“O K , Jack. But it’s very early. G o away now,” the M ayor said.
Later, the M ayor called everybody to the town’s center.
Jack said, “Everybody’s here, I see. T h a n k you. I have a new p lan .”
Everybody listened carefully.
“W ere going to have C hristm as in H allow eentow n this year. You will
have to w ork hard, b u t it will be w onderful!”
“W ill it be really scary?” asked a vampire.
“N o, not scary.. .b u t happy!” answered Jack.
T he M ayor thought, “T his is a strange plan, b u t I’m not going to stop
bim. W h en they are happily celebrating C hristm as in Hallow eentow n,
they’ll be happy w ith m e, too.”
Jack said, “I w ant the witches to m ake C hristm as cakes. C an you do
that, witches?”
“Yes, Jack, we always cook w onderful things. W e can m ake cakes
w ithout any problem !” they said.
T hey laughed and started discussing ideas for the cakes.
Jack said, “I w ant the vampires to m ake red and green decorations.
O K , vampires?”
“C an we use blood for the red decorations?” asked one young
vampire.
“N o, no blood in the decorations, please!” said Jack.
T h e n the D octor arrived.
“Doctor! You’re here! T h a n k you,” said Jack. “C an you please m ake
four reindeer for Santa C laus’s sleigh?”
Jack showed the D octor a picture of reindeer.
“C an you do it?” he asked.
“O f course, Jack. I ’ll start now ,” said the Doctor.
T h e D octor left and three young boys arrived.
“Jack, Jack!” said the Mayor. “Be careful! It’s O ogie Boogie’s boys!”

re in d e e r /'re in d ir/ (n) R eindeer a re la rg e an im als. T h ey pull S a n ta C laus's sleigh .

21
 CHAPTER

Jacks Little Helpers

Jack’s three young helpers had a very different idea about Christmas in
Halloweentown— so the nightmare before Christmas was beginning.

L
ock, Shock, and Barrel were three young boys. T h e y were
H allow eentow n’s fam ous trick-or-treaters an d they played a lot o f
tricks on everybody in tow n. T h ey always had a plan, and their plans
were never very nice.

N obody in tow n liked their boss, O ogie Boogie. H e was a big, ro u n d

bag full o f maggots! H e had a big head, short legs, an d long arm s and
som etim es the m aggots fell o u t o f h im th ro u g h holes in the bag.

trick o r t r e a t /.t rik nr 'trit/ On H a llo w e e n , trick-or-treaters a r e ch ild re n . T h e y a sk f o r c a n d y (a

treat) W h en th e y d o n ’t g e t it, th e y p la y a trick o n y o u . Y o u d o n o t k n o w t h a t it is g o in g t o
h a p p e n . S o m e tim e s t h e trick is fu n n y, b u t u su ally it is n o t n ice,
m a g g o t /'n ia-ipi/ (n) M aggots a r e sm all an im a ls. T h ey live o n o ld , b a d m e a t.
 C hapter 6 - Jack’s Little Helpers

O ogie Boogie w ent around the w oods at night and ate a lot o f
anim als. H e drank their blood. Som etim es he ate people, too! H e was ,
always hungry. H e d idn’t like good children and they were really afraid
o f him . H e was the scariest th in g in H allow eentow n. W h en he scared
children, they ran to Jack. O ogie Boogie was different from everybody in
H allow eentow n because he d id n ’t like Jack. T h e M ayor d id n ’t like O ogie
Boogie or his bad boys. So his eyes opened w ide w hen he saw O ogie’s
boys.
“W h y does Jack w ant to talk to them ?” he th ought. “Is he crazy?”
Jack spoke very quietly into each boy’s ear. “I w ant you three boys to
do som ething for me. B ut don’t tell anybody. It’s very im portant. N obody
can know .”
“W hat? T his isn’t possible!” the M ayor thought. “W h y is Jack m aking
plans w ith them?. W h a t’s he saying?”

23
 T he Nightm are Before Christmas

“O n e last t h i n g . . Jack said to the boys. “D o n ’t tell O ogie Boogie. I

don’t w ant him to know anything!”
“O f course, Jack,” the three trick-or-treaters said. “W e w on’t say a
w ord to O ogie Boogie about this.”
T hey ran away w ith big smiles on their faces. W ere they happy about
Jack’s im p o rtan t job? O r did they have other plans? D id Jack do the right
thing or did he m ake a big mistake?
“T his is going to be w onderful,” th o u g h t Jack. “T his is the happiest
day o f my life. T hose three trick-or-treaters are going to do som ething
good lor the first tim e in their lives. A nd this tim e there’ll be no tricks.”
I.vcrybody in H allow eentow n w anted to help w ith his Christm as
plans. Not hi ng could be better.

n ig h tm a re (n) /'iiiiil mi-i/ You h a v e nightm ares w h e n y o u a r e s le e p in g . T h ey m a k e y o u a fra id .

24
 C hapter 6 - Jack’s Little Helpers

But C hristm as was now in dangerous hands. Jack’s three young

helpers had a very different idea about C hristm as in H allow eentow n— so
the nightmare before C hristm as was beginning.

Lock, Shock, and Barrel loved nightm ares as m uch as they loved
tricks. W h en they got to their hom e at the top o f a big tree, they started
planning their trick on Jack.
“Jack is a stupid skeleton!” they laughed.
Lock said, “H e w ants us to go to C hristm astow n and get Santa Claus?
We’ll bring Santa back h e re .. .b u t we w on’t give him to Jack! W e’ll scare
him w ith our tricks!”
Shock was m ore intelligent than Lock and he had a better idea.
“L isten .. .W e’ll get Santa Claus and p u t him in our biggest Halloween
bag!” said Shock. “W e’ll bring him here and show him to Jack. But then
we’ll give him to O ogie Boogie! O ogie will really enjoy th at big fat m an
for his dinner!”
“Great!” shouted Barrel. “T h a t will teach Jack Skellington a lesson!”
T he three trick-or-treaters laughed and danced around the room .
T hen they got busy w ith their plan.

25
 Activities 4

4.1 W ere you right?

Look back at Activity 3.4. Are these sentences about Lock, Shock, and
Barrel right ( / ) or wrong (/)?

1 They are three of Halloweentown's children.

2 Everybody in Halloweentown likes them.

3 They want to help Jack with his Christmas plans.

4 They take Santa Claus to Oogie Boogie.

5 They are very intelligent.

6 They understand nothing about Christmas.

4.2 W h at more did you learn?

Who is speaking? D
Halloweentown can
BThis is a strange
TacK have Christmas! plan, but I'm not
Why not? going to stop him

2
El a
3 We can make Can we use blood
cakes without fo r the red
4 any problem! decorations?

5 m
H We won't say a
Be word to Oogie
6 careful! Boogie about this.
It 's Oogie
7 Boogie's
boys!
u
8 Tha t will
teach Ja c k
a
We'll bring Santa back
Skellington a
lesson!
here but we won't
give him to Ja ck!

X>
 The Nightmare Before Christmas

41 Language in use He was the scariest in

Look at the sentences in the box. Then Halloweentown.
finish these sentences with the right form
Shock was more careful
of the adjective. than Lock.

1 Jack said, "This is th e ..............^ .P P .'.^ .t................day of my life.” (happy)

2 Jack w a s...................................................... than the Mayor, (excited)
3 Shock said, “We’ll get Santa and put him in our
..................................................... Halloween bag.” (big)
4 Oogie Boogie w as........................................................than the trick-or-
treaters. (scary)
5 The three trick-or-treaters’ plan was t h e ir .................................................
trick, (dangerous)

What's next?
Read the names of Chapters 7 and 8 and the sentences in italics below
them. Then look at the pictures. What is going to happen? Write Yes
or No.

1 Jack wants Sally to make a red jacket and green pants for him. .....
2 The trick-or-treaters bring Jack a Halloween animal.
3 The Doctor makes some horses for Jack.......................................................
4 Jack is going to do Santa Claus’s job. .....
5 Santa Claus's sister opens the door to Lock, Shock, and Barrel...................
6 Santa asks Lock, Shock, and Barrel, “What does ’trick-or-treat' mean?" .....
7 The trick-or-treaters put Santa Claus in a big box.
8 Santa Claus is going to drive his sleigh tonight. .....
27
 CHAPTER

Big Mistakes
Santa wanted, to ask, “What does ‘trick-or-treat mean?”
But they p u t a big bag over his head before he could ask his question.

i
\

ot one w itch, vampire, or skeleton in H allow eentow n could say

N “N o” to Jack. W h en he asked for happy m usic, he got it. W hen he
asked for cakes, decorations, and toys, he got them . But w hen he asked
Sally for some red clothes, she didn’t w ant to make them . She wasn’t
happy about Jack’s plan. She thought about the C hristm as tree on fire in
her hand and she felt afraid.
“Jack, listen to m e,” Sally said. “T his isn’t going to w ork.”
“Yes, it is! You can do it. I only w ant a w onderful red Santa Claus
jacket and some red pants!” Jack answered happily. H e could th ink o f
nothing b u t his clothes for Christm as.

2H
 Chapter 7 - Big Mistakes

“I ’ll m ake them for you, Jack. But I think it’s a m istake,” she said
sadly.
Sally could m ake clothes very well and she did a very good job on
Jack’s new red pants and jacket. W h en she finished her work, she left his
house. She walked to the center o f town.
Jack’s next visitors were Lock, Shock, and Barrel. They arrived w ith a
very big Halloween bag. But they did n o t have candy inside the bag this
time.
“Jack, we caught him !” they shouted.
“O pen it! Lets see him !” said Jack excitedly.
But w hen the three boys
opened the bag, Jack’s eyes and
m outh opened wide. H e did not
see an old m an in red clothes.
He saw an anim al w ith very
long ears. It jum ped out o f the
bag and ran around the room .
Up and dow n, up and down.
“W h a t’s that?” Jack asked.
“It’s n o t Santa Claus!”
“Isn’t it?” asked Shock.
“But we w ent through the
door in the tree,” said Lock.
“ Which door?” asked Jack.
“T he door w ith the egg and
the yellow flower,” said Barrel.
“You w ent through the
wrong door!” Jack said. “Go
back and go through the door
w ith the Christm as tree on it.
And take this thing back to its
tree!”

29
 T he Nightmare Before Christmas

“It was Lock’s mistake!” said Shock.

“It was Barrel’s mistake!” said Lock.
T he angry words turned into a fight. Shock hit Lock and Barrel hit
Shock. Jack watched them for a m inute or two. T hen he moved very
quickly and scared them w ith the sound o f his skeleton arms.
Usually he only did that on Halloween night.
T he boys, afraid, jum ped and ran out o f the door. T h e animal w ith the
long ears followed them .
“Take that thing back to its tree and bring Santa Claus here,” Jack
shouted behind the three trick-or-treaters. “A nd be nice to Santa!”
W hen they were in the woods again, Shock turned to his friends. “H ow
did we make that mistake?” he asked.
“W hen I saw the egg and flower on the tree’s d o o r.. . ” Lock said slowly.
Shock said, “You shouted ‘decorations’ and we w ent inside! You stupid
boy!”

Everybody in H allow eentow n was very busy and Jack w atched them
happily. T h e D octor came w ith his reindeer and they were alm ost as big
as horses.

30
 Chapter 7 —Big Mistakes

In C hristm astow n Santa Claus was busy, too. His helpers’ beautiful
toys were alm ost ready. H e looked at the nam es o f the children in
C hristm astow n. H e had a present for each child.
“Are the cakes ready, M rs. Claus?” he called to his wife.
In the kitchen, M rs. Claus smiled. She loved cakes and she enjoyed
her job on the night before C hristm as very m uch.
“H ere comes the last one!” she shouted happily.
Santa Claus said, “I’m going to get the reindeer. T hey have to pull a
very heavy sleigh tonight, so I’ll give them m ore food and water.”
“G ood idea!” his wife said.
Suddenly, there was a loud noise at their front door.
“W h o ’s that?” Santa shouted to his helpers.
But his helpers were singing loudly and happily in the next room , so
they didn’t hear him .

31
 T he Nightmare Before Christmas

“I’ll answer the door!” he called to his wife.

W h en he opened it, he saw three strange children in very strange dark
clothes.
“Trick or treat!” they shouted.

Santa w anted to ask, “W h a t does ‘trick or treat’ mean?” But they p u t

a big bag over his head before he could ask his question. From inside the
bag, he shouted for his wife and helpers, b u t they didn’t hear him .

32
 CHAPTER

Santa Claus is Com ing to Town

“Hi, Santa Claus!" said Jack happily. “I ’m going to give you a Christmas present.
This year I ’l l be Santa Claus, so you won’t have to work. ”

n H allow eentow n, the vampires finished m aking Christm as lights—

I w ith little skeleton heads. T h e youngest witches finished m aking their
toys— w onderfully dangerous toys. Jack’s plans for Christm as, the m ost
im portant thing in his life, were alm ost ready. But he didn’t look at the
lights and the toys before they w ent into the bags.
“N ow I can dress,” he
thought happily. “Sally, bring
my clothes, please!” he said.
She brought Jack his new
red jacket and pants and he
p ut them on.
“These are wonderful! H ow
do I look?” he asked Sally.
“I liked you better in black
clothes, Jack,” she said sadly.
But Jack was excited and
he didn’t listen to her answer.
H e ran o u t the door to his
w onderful sleigh. In the
back o f the sleigh there was a
m ountain o f big bags, full o f dangerous toys, scary presents, and strange
packages. Jack was as happy as a trick-or-treater on Hallow een night w ith
a big bag full o f candy.
Before he got into the sleigh, he heard som ebody shout, “Jack!”
H e turned and there were Lock, Shock, and Barrel w ith a very big bag.
“H e’s in here! A nd he’s really heavy!” shouted Barrel.
“Let’s p u t him dow n!” said Shock.

33
 The Nightm are Before Christmas

“Let m e out!” shouted the old m an inside the bag.

T hey opened the bag and Santa Claus fell out. H is face was as red as
his jacket and pants. His hair was as w hite as snow. H e looked around
and he saw the ugliest people in the world. H e was in a nightm are and
everybody was a skeleton or a w itch or a vampire!
“W here am I?” he thought.
“H i, Santa Claus!” said Jack happily. “I’m going to give you a
C hristm as present. T his year I ’ll be Santa Claus, so you w on’t have to
work. You can sit dow n and enjoy a quiet night here in Halloweentown!
I’ll do everything. Look! I have a sleigh, presents, a red jacket and pants!”
Santa Claus’s eyes opened wide. “W h at does he m ean?” he thought.
“T his is the happiest night o f the year for me! T he children are w aiting—
and I’m going to be late! But I . . . ” he started to say.
“It’s O K ,” said Jack. “You can have a vacation.”
“T his is a nightm are!” Santa thought. But he couldn’t speak because
he couldn’t find the right words.
“C om e w ith us, Santa. W e’ll take you to Jack’s house and you can
sleep there,” said Shock.
“B ut I don’t w ant to sleep!” Santa shouted.
T h e three trick-or-treaters took him away, but n o t to Jack’s house.
“T his is a nightm are,” Sally thought. “I have to do som ething!”
T h e n she had an idea. Quickly, she walked away and began w orking
on her plan. First, she had to get the right chemicals.
Before Jack could leave in his sleigh, the M ayor called everybody into
the tow n’s center. H e w anted to say goodbye to Jack because he w anted
everybody to look at him.
W hen he finished speaking, som ething very strange happened.
“W h a t’s happening?” Jack cried.
H e looked around at the black sky, b u t it wasn’t black. A thick, w hite
fog, as thick as the w orst L ondon fog in an old black-and-w hite movie,
moved into the tow n. N obody could see anything.

f o g (n) /fug. Ing/ W h e n t h e r e is fog outside, drivers c a n n o t see.

 C hapter 8 - Santa Claus is Com ing to Town

“T h e reindeer can’t see their noses!” Jack said. “W e can’t leave now.”
“O h no! N o Christm as!” everybody cried. “N o presents!”

T here was only one person in H allow eentow n w ith a smile on her face.
Sally was happy w ith her fog.
“Jack will understand one day. 1 had to do this,” she thought. “I’m
doing it for h im .”
She walked nearer so she could see Jack’s face.
“Is he very sad?” she thought. “I hope n o t.”
B ut Jack wasn’t very sad. H is eyes were on Z ero’s red nose. It shone in
the dark and it shone in the fog!
“W ill you show us the way, Zero?” Jack asked his little friend.
Zero couldn’t say no. H e ju m p ed up and dow n happily.
“G oodbye, everybody!” Jack shouted.
Zero jum ped onto the first reindeer’s back and they flew up through
the fog and across the n ight sky.

Everybody in H allow eentow n laughed and shouted happily. O n ly one

person had a sad face.
“G oodbye Jack,” said Sally quietly. T h en she looked up and said,
“T here’s som ething in the w ind. W h a t’s going to happen to Jack tonight?
It w on’t be g o o d .. .b u t I hope I’m w rong.”

jf-

&

35
 Activities 5

5.1 Were you right?

Look back at Activity 4.4. Only one sentence was right. Change the
words in green to the right words.

1 Jack wants Sally to make a red jacket and .... red

pants for him.
2 The trick-or-treaters bring Jack a Hatloween
animal.
3 The Doctor makes some horses................................. for Jack,
4 Santa Claus's siste r................. opens the door to Lock, Shock,
and Barrel.
5 Santa a sks............................... Lock, Shock, and Barrel, “What does
‘trick-or-treat’ mean?"
6 The trick-or-treaters put Santa Claus in a big b o x ..........
7 Santa C lau s is going to drive his sleigh tonight.

5 2 What more did you learn?

Write the numbers on the pictures.
1 Who isn't happy about Jack's plan?
2 Who or what do Lock, Shock, and Barrel take first?
3 What does Jack take from Santa Claus?
4 What does Sally make?

3f>
 The Nightmare Before Christmas

I.S Language in use 'Til make them for you,

Look at the sentence in the box. Then Jack."
write sentences about these pictures.

^ L 11 a n s w e r i t 4

2 5
3 ................................................

M What's next?
Look at the first four pictures in Chapters 9 and 10. What is happening?
Write a sentence about each picture.

1 .......................................................................................................................................

2 ..........................................
3 .............................................................................................................
4
37
 CHAPTER

Dangerous Toys for

Good Girls and Boys
Some toys screamed and some toys laughed wildly.
One very long toy animal started eating the Christmas tree!

t ' \ ' \ 7 ’7"here are we going to take him ?” asked Barrel.

W “To O ogie Boogie, o f course,” said Lock and Shock.
“T h a t’s right. I alm ost forgot!” Barrel said. “O ogie will like that!”
Santa Claus listened to these three strange little children. “W h o is
O ogie Boogie?” he thought. “W h a t’s going to happen to Christm as?”
Inside the bag, he felt very hot.
“I w ant you to open this bag now!” he shouted. “Christm as is about
love! D o n ’t you know?”
“N o!” they shouted. A nd then they laughed wildly.

Jack drove the sleigh across the sky. In front o f him , Zero’s nose was
as light as the m orning sun. T he
reindeer easily pulled the heavy
sleigh w ith the presents in it. Jack
enjoyed every m inute o f his
new job.
H e stopped his sleigh at each
house and p u t pretty presents
under each C hristm as tree. In one
house, a little boy came dow n the
stairs and w atched him . W hen Jack
turned away from the Christm as
tree, he saw the young child.
“Here, little boy! A present from
Santa!” said Jack. A nd he gave the
boy a present.

38
J
 Chapter 9 - Dangerous Toys for Good Girls and Boys

Jack had to go to the next house. H e couldn’t wait and w atch the boy’s
face. But w hen the child opened the present, he didn’t smile. His face
went w hite and his m outh fell open. H e screamed wildly.
Jack heard the boy’s screams and he smiled. “H e likes it,” Jack
thought. “N obody is scared o f m e and I ’m m aking everybody happy!”
After “Santa Claus” left their houses in the m iddle o f the night, some
o f the other children quietly left their beds. T h eir little feet slowly took
them down the stairs because they couldn’t wait for Christm as m orning.
Each child carefully took a present from under the tree and quietly
opened it. T hen, w ith their m ouths and eyes wide o p e n .. .they screamed.

39
 The Nightmare Before Christmas

Toys ran around C hristm as trees after the children. Heads jum ped
o u t o f boxes and scared little girls and boys. Some toys screamed and
some toys laughed wildly. O n e very long toy anim al started eating the
Christm as tree!
T h e children ran as fast as they could up the stairs to their parents’
bedroom s. T h eir screams woke up their baby brothers and sisters. T hey
woke up their dogs and their cats. T h e children woke up their parents,
and their parents woke up the police. It was the w orst Christm as o f
everybody’s lives.. .and the scariest!
T h e police were busy because the telephone calls didn’t stop.
“Turn off your lights and don’t open your doors!” they said to the
m others and fathers on the phone. “Yes, we know about this crazy m an
in Santa Claus’s clothes. W e’ll stop him . D on’t go near him . H e’s very
dangerous.”
“W h a t are we going to do?” a young policem an asked.
“G et our biggest guns,” said his boss.
T h e police w orked quickly. T h en every policem an and policewom an
w ent outside and looked up into the sky. T hey had to do som ething.
T hey had to stop this m an.
 CHAPTER

Problems for Jack and Santa

“I wanted to do something good, Zero, ”said Jack. “Now look at me.
Look at the sleigh. Where are the reindeer? We have to fin d Santa Claus. ”

here was only one happy face in town. H igh above the police
T station in a strange sleigh, a skeleton’s smile shone. Inside his
head were pictures o f happy children’s faces. H e had no idea about the
problem s below.
T h e police used their strongest lights. T h eir biggest guns were
ready, too.
But w hen Jack saw their lights, he smiled again.
“T hey’re celebrating this w onderful n ig h t,” he thought.
“Look, Zero!” he said to his little dog. “T hey’re celebrating! T hey’re
having a w onderful Christm as!”
T h en a gun alm ost h it one o f the reindeer.
“Was th at a mistake?” thought Jack. “O r are they shooting at us?”
T h e guns didn’t stop and Jack started feeling scared.
“I don’t like this. It’s getting very dangerous up here,” he said to Zero.
Zero p u t his head dow n and looked up at Jack w ith his big, sad eyes.
Suddenly, one o f the policem en shot at Jack. It didn’t h it him , b u t it

41
 T he Nighrmare Before Christmas

m ade a big hole in the sleigh. W hen they shot again, it h it the sleigh for a
second tim e. T h e sleigh broke in two.
“No! W h at are they doing?” Jack cried. “Are they crazy? W e have a lot
o f toys on this sleigh! T h in k o f the children!”
Suddenly, everything began to fall and the reindeer flew away. Jack hit
the ground hard and one o f his arms broke off. But worse than that, the
sleigh was on fire. N ow he knew. His Christm as plan was a mistake. T h at
felt worse than his head, his legs, or his arms.
Zero ran and brought Jack’s arm back to him. Jack put it back on easily.
“I w anted to do som ething good, Z ero,” said Jack. “Now look at me.
Look at the sleigh. W here are the reindeer? We have to find Santa Claus.
O nly he can change this nightm are into a happy Christm as for the boys
and girls.”
Jack quickly ran and found a churchyard. H e jum ped dow n a hole in
the ground and ran through the dark woods back to Halloweentown.

W hen the police started shooting, Sally heard the guns. She heard the
witches in Hallow eentow n, too. W itches always know everything and
they knew about the problem s in C hristm astow n.
“Jack’s plan isn’t working. O nly Santa Claus can help h im ,” she
thought. “W here can I find him ?”
She thought about Lock, Shock, and Barrel. They were friends with
O ogie Boogie.
“I’m going to go to Oogie Boogie’s house. I ’ll find Santa Claus there!”
she thought.
Ten m inutes later, Sally stood outside the hole to O ogie Boogie’s dark,
dirty underground house. She looked down the hole and, o f course,
Santa Claus was there. H e was in a chair and he couldn’t get out of it.
O ogie stood over him. She could see maggots around O ogie’s m outh.
Some clim bed up and down his arms. H e danced around Santa and
scared the old man. This was Oogie Boogie’s idea o f a good time.
Sally had to help Santa Claus.

42
A
 Chapter 10 - Problems for Jack and Santa

“You’re old and ugly, but I ’m going to eat you lor my dinner!” Oogie
Boogie said to Santa. “I ’m hungry, so I'll start the Hre now.”
“N o!” cried Santa. “Please, don’t eat me! T he children are w aiting for
their Christm as presents. I have to go. They can’t celebrate Christm as
w ithout me!”
O ogie Boogie laughed. “Go? Never! You’re dinner, Santa Claus!”
“W h at am I going to do?” Santa Claus thought. “This is the worst
place in the world! W h a t’s going to happen to Christm as?”
O ogie Boogie sang and laughed. T he lue got bigger and hotter.
“I am really hungry, Santa C laus,” lie said. “Do you know about me? I
scare everybody! Are you afraid o! me?”
“N o, I am not!” Santa Claus said. He moved in his chair and tried to
get free. “I’m Santa Claus and I ’m nor alraid o f anybody.”

43
 Activities 6

6.1 Were you right?

Look back at Activity 5.4. Then look again at the first four pictures in
Chapters 9 and 10. Tick ( / ) the right answers.

1 Jack is giving a present to a child. He is saying,

a |. j “This will scare you, little boy."
b T j “Here, little boy! A present from Santa!”
2 How does the child feel? Why?
a [ j He is happy because he likes his new toy.
b j_J He is afraid because the toy is scary.
3 What is the toy doing?
a [ j It is eating the Christmas presents and tree,
b [ J It is climbing up the tree.
4 What does Jack think when he first hears the guns?
a f | "They're celebrating this wonderful night.”
b [ | "The police want to kill me.”

6.2 What more did you learn?

What happens to these people? Match the sentences to the pictures.

1 He falls and breaks his arm.

2 He loses the reindeer.
3 He’s in a chair and can’t
get out.
4 He dances, with maggots
around his face.
5 He is hungry, so he starts a
fire.
6 The worst thing in
Halloweentown is going to
eat him.

44
 The Nightmare Before Christmas

f.3 Language in use ( After Santa Claus" left their

Look at the sentence in the box. Then ' houses, some of the other
make sentences with these words. Put . children quietly left their beds.
after in the right place.

1 the police shot the sleigh for a second time / the sleigh broke in two

2 Jack hit the ground hard / the reindeer flew away

3 Jack jumped down the hole in the churchyard / he ran through the dark
woods to Halloweentown

4 Sally tried to help Santa Claus / she saw him in Oogie Boogie's home

5 Santa tried to get free / Oogie Boogie started the fire

§4 What's next?
Look at the pictures in Chapters 11 and 12. What do these people want?
Do they get it? Make notes.

What do they want? Do they get it?

1 The Mayor

2 Oogie Boogie

3 Sally

4 Santa Claus

5 Jack

45
 CHAPTER

Oogie Boogie’s Scary House

“It's not the end o f Christmas, I hope!”Jack said.
“The end o f Christmas? Never!”shouted Santa.

hen the M ayor heard about Jack’s fall from the sky, he sadly told
W everybody in his town. T hey all looked dow n at the ground. They
didn’t scream or shout. T hey stood and rem em bered their great friend.
“We will never see our dear friend Jack Skellington again,” the M ayor
said. “T his is a very sad day for us all.”
Everybody felt very bad, but nobody was sadder than the Mayor.

Sally could hear the M ayor from inside O ogie Boogie’s house. He
spoke loudly and she tried hard to listen to his words. T hey sounded very
im portant and very sad. W h en Sally understood, she cried quietly. Oogie
Boogie laughed at her.
“N ow I ’m the scariest person in H allow eentow n!” he shouted happily.
“No m ore Jack Skellington! Yes!”
Sally was in O ogie Boogie’s house because she tried to help Santa
( T h is. O ogie Boogie caught her. H e p u t her on another chair, next to
Santa, so she couldn’t get away. O ogie Boogie laughed at her, b u t Sally
wasn’t afraid.

46

___________________________________ A
 C hapter 11 - Oogie Boogies Scary House

“You can laugh now,” she said to him angrily. “But you’ll be sorry!”
O ogie laughed again. “Very funny, Sally!” he said.

But Jack’s life didn’t end when his sleigh h it the ground. H e ran as fast
as he could through the woods, w ith Zero behind him . T h e n he heard
O ogie Boogie’s laugh under the ground and stopped suddenly. H e looked
dow n the hole to O ogie Boogie’s house and he could see Santa and Sally
in the chairs and the hungry O ogie Boogie by the fire.
“Look, Zero!” said Jack. “H e wants to cook them for his dinner! H e’s
the w orst bag o f maggots in the world! H e’ll be sorry!”

O ogie Boogie took Santa and Sally out of their chairs and he pushed
them near the big fire in the m iddle of his dirty kitchen. It was very hot
and Sally and Santa screamed.
Jack jum ped down the hole into O ogie Boogie’s house. T h a t really
scared the ugly bag o f maggots and he jum ped. Santa and Sally quickly
got away from him.

47
 The Nightmare Before Christmas

“Jack?” shouted O ogie Boogie. “You’re not really dead!”

Oogie Boogie turned on a m achine in his kitchen and a lot o f knives
started shooting at Jack. H e jum ped o ut o f their way, b ut more knives
came at him .
“C om e this way, you old skeleton!” shouted O ogie Boogie.
H e laughed wildly. T he knives flew at Jack from the left and from the
right. Jack jum ped this way and that way.
“Look behind you, Jack!” shouted Sally w hen m ore knives came from
the dining-room .
Jack jum ped out of the way again.
“Goodbye, Jack!” shouted O ogie Boogie.
H e jum ped up onto a shelf and was up high above Jack’s head.
Jack looked up.
“You’re not being very nice to m y friends,” he said.
O ogie Boogie laughed loudly.
Jack’s eyes turned to O ogie Boogie’s foot. H e could see a small hole in
it. Jack had an idea. Before O ogie Boogie could stop him , Jack p u t his
finger into the hole. T hen he pulled it hard.
T h e hole got bigger.. .and
bigger. M aggots started falling
out o f Oogie Boogie’s foot.
M ore and m ore fell onto the
floor. T hey were free from Oogie
Boogie— and they moved away
fast! O ogie Boogie got sm aller...
and smaller.
“Look at me! M y maggots!”
cried O ogie Boogie. “I ’m dying!
T his is the end for me!”
T he maggots quickly climbed
up the walls and o ut o f Oogie
Boogie’s house. Santa watched

IK
 Chapter 11 —Oogie Boogies Scary House

them and he felt sick. W h en the last one ran near him , Santa killed it
w ith his big black shoe. T h a t really was the end o f Oogie Boogie.
“Santa Claus, I’m very sorry,” said Jack quietly. “I w anted to help—
but I didn’t.”
“C hristm as is m ore than a bag o f toys and a red h a t,” Santa said.
H e pulled the hat from Jack’s head and tu rned away.
“It’s not the end o f C hristm as, I hope!” Jack said.
“T h e end o f Christmas? Never!” shouted Santa.
H e quickly flew up and out o f O ogie Boogie’s house.
“Everything will be O K , Jack,” said Sally. “Santa Claus will give
everybody their presents. H e can do it before m orning.”
Jack turned to Sally. H e looked carefully at his good friend.
“She has a beautiful face,” he thought. “W hy didn’t I see that before?”
“W h y did you come dow n here?” he asked.
“I . . .1 w anted t o . . she said slowly.
“H elp me?” Jack asked.
Sally smiled. Jack w anted to take her in his arms, but som ething
stopped him .

49
 The Nightmare Before Christmas

“Jack! Jack!”
T h e M ayor arrived w ith Lock, Shock, and Barrel. T hey looked down
into the hole.
“T here he is!” shouted Shock.
“H e’s fine,” said Lock.
“W e told you,” said Barrel.

“Everybody is w aiting for you, Jack!” the M ayor said happily. “Let’s
go to the center o f town!” H e p u t o u t his hand. “Take m y h a n d ,” he
cried. “Help me, boys,” he said to Lock, Shock, and Barrel.
Everybody pulled. First Jack came o u t o f O ogie Boogie’s dark and
scary hom e, then Sally.
They walked as fast as they could away from th a t dark hole to the
M ayor’s car.

so
 CHAPTER

Christm as Comes to Halloweentown

Suddenly, some beautiful white snow startedfalling on Halloweentown
— a Christmas present from Santa Claus.

T '.

\
— 4

1 V

w1
\

4 J

hen they saw Jack in the M ayor’s car, the witches, the vampires,
W and the skeletons shouted, “Jack! Jack! You’re hom e!”
Suddenly, a louder sound cam e from the sky above. Everybody
looked up.
“H appy C hristm as, everybody!” shouted Santa Claus.
H e drove across the night sky w ith his sleigh full o f presents. Jack
sm iled happily up at Santa.
Suddenly, some beautiful w hite snow started falling on
H allow eentow n— a Christm as present from Santa Claus.
“W h at is this?” asked the witches.
T hey p u t out their long fingers and tried to catch the snow.

51
 T he Nightmare Before Christmas

“W hite blood?” asked the vampires.

“It’s cold!” said the skeletons.
“It’s snow!” Jack said happily.
T h e witches, the vampires, the trick-or-treaters, the black cats, the
skeletons, the M ayor, and Jack jum ped up and dow n in the snow and
laughed. Christm as was h e re ...in Halloweentown!
O nly one person was n o t there. Above the town’s center, Sally stood
and looked dow n on the celebrations below. T he snow was beautiful b ut
the smile on her face was sad. She w atched for a m inute or two and then
she had to turn away.
“How does he feel about me?” she thought.
She sat dow n next to some pretty flowers and pulled one from the
ground. W ith her small fingers, she pulled the petals off, one at a time.
“ I le loves me, he loves me n o t...h e loves m e ...” she said quietly.
 Chapter 12 - Christmas Comes to Halloweentown

D ow n in the town, Jack stopped suddenly and looked around. H e

w anted to celebrate w ith Sally. But where was she? W hen he couldn’t find
Sally’s face, he had to look for her. H e left his friends and walked to the
top o f the tow n through the snow.
H e didn’t have to look for very long. N ear the wall around the town,
he saw her w ith the flower in her hand. W h en he was near her, he heard
her words. She didn’t see him because her eyes were on the petals. But
then she felt his eyes on her. She turned slowly and looked at him . H e
looked at her and smiled. H e finished her words.
“H e loves you,” said Jack.

53
 The Nightmare Before Christmas

Sally stood up and Jack took her hands in his.

T he nightm are before C hristm as ended happily for everybody. (But
n ot for O ogie Boogie, o f course.)
Santa Claus never forgot th at night before C hristm as. It was the
longest night in his life. H e rem em bered Jack Skellington very well for
many years. A nd every tim e he thought o f Jack, he smiled.
It was strange, but Santa Claus enjoyed that night in Halloweentown.
He couldn’t understand why. H e thought about the really scary vampires
and witches, and those three trick-or-treaters. T hey were different. It was
exciting.
O f course, Santa Claus could never say this to his wife or to his little
helpers. W hat could he say about Halloween? H ow could he tell them
about life there?
“ Its a very stra n g e p la c e ,” h e to ld his wife. “I h a t e d every m i n u t e in
dial p la c e ,” he told his helpers.

V»
 Chapter 12 - Christmas Conies to Halloweentown

But for years after that night, Santa Claus sometim es left
C hristm astow n for an h our or two w hen he was bored w ith his happy
helpers and their happy songs.
W hen his life felt boring, he clim bed into his sleigh. H e drove to
Hallow eentow n and there he visited his old friend Jack Skellington. They
talked about the year w hen Jack w anted to be Santa Claus.
Jack was always happy w hen Santa visited him . H e liked to ask
questions about Christm astow n and Santa liked to ask Jack about
Hallow eentown. T hey could talk for hours and they were never bored.

55
Talk about it

Work with two or more other students. It is a week after Christmas.

Have this conversation.
S tu d e n t A : You are Jack Skellington. You are in Christmastown because
Santa Claus wants you to speak to the parents there. They
think you are very bad. Why did you try to do Santa’s job on
the night before Christmas? Tell them, and then answer their
questions.
S tu d e n t B : You are the angry parents of children in Christmastown. You
have a lot of questions for Jack. Ask them. Then talk about his
future. Can he visit your town again? Do you want the police
to take him away?

Look at the pictures. Discuss the questions below with other students.

1 Who do pictures A and B show?

2 Which of them is worse?
3 How did each of them want the story to end? Why did it end differently
for them?
4 Wh.it happens to the Doctor after the story ends? What do you think?
 Write about it

Write a letter from Lock, Shock, and Barrel to Santa Claus.

- Tell him that you are sorry.
- Tell him about your plans for Christmas celebrations in
Halloweentown next year.
- Ask for presents at Christmas next year. What would you like?

H alloweentown
December 2 6

Dear Santa Claus,

Your triends,

L ock, Shock, ana Barrel

 Project Plan a Halloween Party

Which of these are for Halloween? Check (✓ ) the pictures.

2 Read about Halloween.

alloween comes from a changed. It changed again when

H very old celebration. It
began w ith the Celts, people
from Ireland, Britain, and the
n orth o f France. Every year, they
celebrated the Day o f the Dead
on Novem ber 1.
O n the night before, O ctober
31, dead people came back to life,
they thought. T h e Celts left food
outside their houses for the good
dead people. But the Celts wanted
to scare away the bad dead people,
so they p u t on scary faces.
Later, when the Romans
arrived in Britain, the celebration
people in the U nited States,
Canada, and Australia started to
celebrate it.
In these countries today,
children dress in scary clothes
and go to their neighbors’
houses. W h en the neighbors
open their doors, the children
shout, “Trick or treat!” T h e
neighbor has to give them
candy or the children will play
a trick on them . A lot o f people
decorate their houses and m ake
them look scary. Som e people
play scary m usic, too.

Work with another student. What questions do people from other

countries have about Halloween? Discuss questions and possible
answers. Then use the Internet and learn more about Halloween.
58
 Project Plan a Halloween Party

Work with two or three other students. Plan a Halloween party. You
want to decorate your house and make scary food and clothes. Find
ideas on the Internet for Halloween parties. W hat do you want to make
or buy?

food £ S 9*
9 = = = = =
i ..........................................................................

9
Dtcorat/oNs aN<J c/othes

59
 Project Plan a Halloween Party

4 Write this invitation to your Halloween party.

DAY:
DATE:
TIME:
at .

We’re going to eat

and drink

Please wear ClOT-Ht"^ because we’re going to do

<io
 P E N G U IN
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas A C T IV E
R E A D IN G

Level 2
A m e ric a n English 600 headwords
Elem entary
Contemporary
E v e ry b o d y in H a llo w e e n lo w n loves H a llo w e e n - bul
not Jack Ske llin gto n Ev e ry year lae has to sin g the
sam e sca ry songs and do the sam e danger ous darn es
H e is b o re d w ith them I hen, o n e day, he v is its
C h ristm a s to w n and he has an idea W h y c a n ’t t h e
vam p ires, w itch e s and skele to n s of H a llo w e e n to w n
ce le b ra te C h ristm a s, t o o — th e ir w a y ’

Num ber o f words (excluding activities): 8,038

S eries E d ito rs : Jocelyn P o tte r and A n d y H o p k in s

For correlations to English Language Teaching exams,

please visit www.penguinreaders.com

Penguin A ctive Reading provides reading and language

learning at five levels, throu gh full-co lo ur, beautifully
illustrated Readers. As well as enjoyable stories and texts,
each b o o k provides a range o f integrated activities designed
to develop reading skills and consolidate vocabulary, and
offers personalised p ro je c t w o rk . Each b o o k is supported
by an interactive C D -R O M w hich contains additional
activities and the com plete audio recording.

Easystarts 20 0 headwords
Level 1 300 headwords Beginner
Level 2 600 h ead w o rd s E le m e n ta ry
Level 3 1 2 0 0 headwords Pre-interim •diah. •
Level 4 1 7 0 0 h e ad w o r d s Intermediate'

pHO nn»

MirtH iititm am it s ® ( r a «

9781405852104