The Five Brothers LEVELED BOOK • N

The Five
A Reading A–Z Level N Leveled Book
Word Count: 696

Connections
Brothers
Writing
Think of another story where someone
tricks someone else. Make a Venn
diagram that compares that story with
The Five Brothers.
Social Studies and Art
Use the details in the book to create a
map of the magistrate’s land. Include a
map key and a compass rose. Compare
your map with a partner’s.

K •N
H •

Retold by Betty Yee • Illustrated by Julie Kim

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The Five abilities
Words to Know
magistrate

Brothers China
dungeon
enraged
seized
task
treasure
greedy

Retold by Betty Yee

Illustrated by Julie Kim
www.readinga-z.com
The Five Brothers
Focus Question Level N Leveled Book
© Learning A–Z Correlation
Retold by Betty Yee LEVEL N
How do the brothers trick Illustrated by Julie Kim
Fountas & Pinnell L
the magistrate? All rights reserved. Reading Recovery
DRA
20
28
www.readinga-z.com
Long ago in China, there lived five
brothers who looked exactly alike. The
only way to tell them apart was by their
amazing abilities.

First Brother was as strong as ten water

buffalo. Second Brother could fly in the
sky like a bird. Third Brother could hear
an ant sneeze. Fourth Brother could make
his body iron hard. Fifth Brother could
hold his breath for hours. Fifth Brother
also had another ability that happened
when he cried. His tears flowed so
quickly that they turned into a river.
One day, Fifth Brother came across a
strange garden. He decided to rest and
enjoy a delicious apple.
Suddenly, three soldiers appeared and
seized him. “This garden belongs to the
magistrate. Nobody may eat his fruit!”
a soldier shouted.

The Five Brothers • Level N 3 4


They dragged Fifth Brother to the
court of the magistrate. Enraged, the
magistrate declared that Fifth Brother
should be locked away forever in his
deepest dungeon.
“Please take pity, Magistrate,” Fifth
Brother begged. “I didn’t know it was
your garden! I didn’t notice any warning
signs to stay out of the garden. Please,
I will do anything to stay free.”
The Five Brothers • Level N
The magistrate was an evil, greedy
man. He announced his decision: “I will
let you go.” Fifth Brother interrupted
him with a shout of joy.
The magistrate continued. “I will let
you go if you bring me the treasure of
Fire Island.”
Fifth Brother sighed deeply. Fire Island
was in the middle of a nearby lake. A
dragon lived there, guarding its treasure.
Stealing it seemed like an impossible
task, but Fifth Brother agreed to try.
5 6
That night, as he sat in his prison cell,
Fifth Brother felt frightened. He dared
not cry, for he knew what would happen
if he did. Instead, he whispered, “Third
Brother, help me!”

Far away, Third Brother put a hand

to his ear. “Fifth Brother is in trouble!”
he declared. After listening to Fifth
Brother’s story, Third Brother told his
other brothers what had happened.
They decided to go help their brother
get the treasure.

Second Brother used his ability to fly to

bring the brothers to Fire Island. They all
hid out of sight.

Then Second Brother flew to the

magistrate’s dungeon. He whispered the
brothers’ plan to Fifth Brother through
a window.

The Five Brothers • Level N 7 8

 In the morning, the magistrate brought
Fifth Brother to the edge of the lake.
“We’ll be watching you like a hawk,”
warned the magistrate. “Don’t try to
run away!”
Fifth Brother took a deep breath and
dove into the water. He remained
underwater while his brothers worked
to get the treasure.
The Five Brothers • Level N
When Fifth Brother should have
appeared on the shore, Fourth Brother
came out of his hiding place. He waved
at the magistrate from the beach. Then
he looked for the dragon.
The dragon raced out of its den, blowing
a stream of fiery breath at Fourth
Brother. However, the fire had no effect
on his iron-hard body. Fourth Brother
laughed as he led the dragon on a chase
around the island. Finally, Fourth Brother
hid behind a rock.
9 10
 First Brother gathered up the dragon’s
treasure and dove into the lake.
Underwater, he handed the treasure to
Fifth Brother, who had been holding his
breath all along.

Next, First Brother jumped out. He used

his power of amazing strength to lift the
dragon and throw it very far away.

The Five Brothers • Level N 11 12

 Fifth Brother swam back to where the
magistrate waited and dropped the
treasure at his feet.

“Here is your treasure. Now let me go!”

Fifth Brother panted.
The magistrate was a very greedy man,
and he had other ideas. “I can never
lose a servant with such amazing
powers. You must stay with me forever,”
he declared.
When Fifth Brother heard this, he started
to cry. The first tear that hit the ground
became a puddle. The second tear
turned the puddle into a pond. Before
long, his tears became a rushing river
that swept the magistrate away.

The Five Brothers • Level N 13 14

 Glossary
abilities (n.) skills or talents (p. 3)

China (n.) a large country in Asia

where people have lived
for five thousand years
(p. 3)

dungeon (n.) an underground prison

cell, often in a castle (p. 5)

enraged (adj.) very angry (p. 5)

greedy (adj.) wanting more than what

one needs or deserves
(p. 6)

magistrate (n.) a local official in charge

of the law for a particular
area or region (p. 4)
Once the land dried out, the brothers
journeyed home. They were happy to seized (v.) took control by force (p. 4)
be together again. task (n.) a piece of work that needs
to be done (p. 6)
The next day, Fifth Brother announced
that he was going on a walk. His treasure (n.) something that is very
brothers made him promise never to special or worth a lot
eat out of strange gardens again. of money (p. 6)

The Five Brothers • Level N 15 16