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This is a time travel series for very young children --- 5 to 8.
This is the first book in a new series for young readers.
While playing in the woods Jack and his sister Annie, discover a tree-house. They climb a ladder and find a room filled with books. Jack looks at a book about dinosaurs and says, I wish I could see a Pteranodon for real. Then the tree-house starts to spin and the children are taken back to prehistoric times.
Annie climbs down the ladder and tries to make friends with a Pteranodon. Jack follows her reluctantly. He has a notebook and pencil in his rucksack and he decides to make notes like a scientist. The more adventurous Annie decides to explore and again Jack follows her. They see a Triceratops and Jack knows from the book that it eats plants. Then they see a duck billed dinosaur and a nest of baby dinosaurs.
Next they see a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Annie gets back to the tree-house but Jack is cut off. The terror of the dinosaurs is between him and the tree-house. Jack now knows how to get home. He has to get to the tree-house, find the book with a picture of his home in it and wish to be there.
But how can he get past the Tyrannosaurus to the safety of the tree-house? Will he ever be able to get back to the twenty-first century?
Illustrated in black and white throughout.
A good introduction to the Age of the Dinosaurs for young readers.
Should be read in conjunction with the accompanying web site at
http://www.magictreehouse.co.uk/
5-7
This is the second book in the Magic Tree-House series.
This time Annie finds a book with a picture of a knight and wishes she could see him. At once the children are taken back to the Middle Ages and find themselves before a huge castle. The adventurous Annie dashes across the drawbridge and again Jack has to follow his young sister.
They peep round a doorway and see a great feast in the banqueting hall. Then they are surprised, captured and accused of being thieves or spies. They are thrown into the dungeon. Then follows an escape attempt which involves both the parapets of the castle and the moat.
Do Jack and Annie manage to reach the safety of the tree-house?
Illustrated in black and white throughout.
An adventure story for the very young which does contain a surprising amount of information about medieval castles.
5-7
This is the third book in the Magic Tree-House series.
This time they find a book about pyramids and decide to go there. They see an Egyptian funeral procession, follow a cat and find the way into a pyramid. They meet the ghost of the Queen of the Nile who is looking for the Book of the Dead which will guide her through the underworld. Jack describes to her some hieroglyphics which lead her to the scroll. Then it is time for Jack and Annie to find their way back to the tree house and home.
This book gives young readers a good introduction to Ancient Egypt. As well as the story this is done in two ways. Firstly by Jack reading out extracts from the book he has found and secondly by his habit of writing in his own notebook.
Note to parents and teachers. No doubt most children will take this book in their stride but there are two parts which a sensitive child might find frightening. These are the parts where the children find a decomposing mummy and later when they are lost in the pyramid.
But apart from this reservation most children will enjoy the story and learn a lot from this book.
Illustrated in black and white throughout.
5-7
This is the fourth book in the Magic Tree-House series.
It is a cold, wet day. They find a book with a picture of a sunny beach, a parrot in a palm tree and a ship on a blue sea. Always impulsive, Annie wishes to be there. Too late Jack sees the title of the book –– The Pirates of the Caribbean. They get captured by some fierce pirates led by Captain Bones and are taken aboard his ship. He thinks they can tell him where Captain Kidd’s treasure is hidden. Then Jack and Annie puzzle out the meaning of Captain Bones’ map. They all go back to the island and the pirates dig where the children tell them. But Captain Bones stands over them to make sure they do not escape. How are they going to get back to the tree house and home?
This book gives young readers a good introduction to pirates.. As well as the story this is done in two ways. Firstly by Jack reading out extracts from the book he has found and secondly by his habit of writing in his own notebook.
Children should enjoy the story and learn a lot from this book.
Illustrated in black and white throughout.
5-7
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