HURRY UP, HOUDINI! by Mary Pope Osborne

Jack and Annie travel back to Coney Island, New York in 1908 to meet Harry Houdini and learn his "secret of greatness." Along the way, the siblings get in an argument because Annie makes decisions for their mission without considering Jack. He is fed up! In fact, he stomps off, taking with him something Annie will need to pull off her latest scheme.

It's hard to believe this is the 50th Magic Tree House story! This is a good story, but Abe Lincoln at Last is still my all-time favorite. There were fun surprises in the story, and I liked the realistic bickering between the siblings. The books in the series work in sets of four. The kids are usually looking for a series of objects or pieces of information. This is book two in this particular set. The next book, High Time for Heroes will release in January, 2014 and will feature Florence Nightingale.

3 out of 5 stars
AR Reading level of 3.7

TUESDAY: Abe Lincoln At Last! by Mary Pope Osborne

Summary
Magic Tree House #47. Jack and Annie travel to the White House to meet Abe Lincoln. Jack is hijacked by a wild little boy named Tad and they don't get to meet the President (although, when he hears their names, Lincoln very much wants to meet them) before they are magically whisked away to a wooded, rural area in another time. Jack starts to wonder if they'll ever meet Abraham Lincoln and get what they need to save the penguin, Penny.


Review
My son has moved away from MTH books, and I've never been a really big fan of them. But my students can't get enough of them, so I buy them for the library and try to read them so I can talk intelligently about them. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this volume was. A cute, sweet story. I am eager to read the research guide as there were so many cool twists to the story. So well done. This long-running series is not slowing down. The next book in the series releases in July.


4.5 out of 5 stars
AR level of 3.5


Recommended for: classroom, school and home libraries, fans of the series, presidential /historical fiction collections


Cautions: none

MONDAY: Crazy Day with Cobras

Summary 
This is the 45th adventure for the Magic Tree House kids, Jack and Annie. Jack and Annie have to travel to India in search of an emerald rose to save their penguin friend, Penny, who has been accidentally turned to stone. On their quest to save Penny, Jack and Annie also manage to rescue an elephant, come face to face with a King Cobra, and discover the origins of the Taj Mahal.

Review

Beautiful story. Showcases Annie's love of animals and the lengths people (and animals) will go to for the love of family. Readers will learn interesting facts about snakes, something that appealed to my son far more than it did to me. 4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: children under 10, library story times, classroom story times. There's also a research guide, Magic Tree House Research Guide #23: Snakes and Other Reptiles: A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House #45: A Crazy Day with Cobras (A Stepping Stone Book(TM)), that will tell readers even more about snakes. 


Cautions: none

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MONDAY: Mummies and Pyramids

Summary

Research guide to pair with the Magic Tree House book, Mummies in the Morning. Written for the same age group - roughly ages 7 to 12 - provides additional background information on Egyptian culture, mummies, pyramids, etc.

Review

I am a mentor with In2Books (a program that matches adult mentors with students in grades 3 -5 - students and mentors read 5 books and share emails about what they have read), and my student chose this book for the social studies component of the program. 

My son has read many of the Magic Tree House books, but this was the first Research Guide I have read. I liked it so much, I would like to read the rest and even add them to our household library. The main characters from MTH are included in the illustrations. Facts included will appeal to kids and adults alike.


4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: classroom libraries, homeschool libraries, elementary students, readers of the Magic Tree House books, and research materials for elementary students studying one of the topics represented in the books (there are research guides for things like knights/castles, dinosaurs, pirates, rain forests, ancient Greece, dolphins/sharks, DaVinci, etc.).


Cautions: none





[I am an Amazon Associate. If you link to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a small portion of the purchase price.]