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Rating: 
Summary: Fun Book!!!!!
Review: As an undergraduate elementary education major, I was introduced to Jim Trelease and his explanation of why reading aloud to children can awaken their imaginations and improve their language skills. Now, as a second grade teacher, I read aloud every day for at least fifteen minutes after we return to the classroom from lunch. The books I choose to read aloud range from books that correspond with the content of the curriculum the class is learning or the closest upcoming holiday.
Halloween is just around the corner and I just picked up a copy of Mary Pope Osborne's Haunted Castle on Hallow's Eve. I can't wait to start reading it to my class. Lots of my students are avid fans of Jack and Annie, the main characters of the series, and now I can see why they are always checking out books from the series from the library at school.
Osborne does a wonderful job of continuing the English/Welsh/Irish/Celtic mythology and folklore surrounding Merlin the magician and the life and times of living in a castle. This book will increase my students vocabulary and expanded their imaginations that Halloween (Hallow's Eve) doesn't always mean that mummies, goblins, haunted castles are involved.
Since reading this book, I plan to go back to the beginning of the series and start from the beginning to see what the other adventures Jack and Annie have been through and see if I can figure out how they can always solve the mystery of the rhyming clues so easily.
Rating:
Summary: Hooray for the Osbornes
Review: For some reason I've gotten into reading children's books. Maybe only a nostalgia for lost youth or something, but I have found some very enjoyable entertainment in some of those I've read recently that were not available when I was a kid myself. The Magic Tree House series is just such. I picked up Haunted Castle on Hallow's Eve as my introduction to Miss Osborne's work and was thoroughly delighted with it. Simple and direct, it is instructive without being pedantic, and introduces new words in contexts where their meanings are apparent-or explains them when they aren't. The story hangs together well, introducing the protagonists and some of their past exploits sufficiently to engage the reader no matter where in the series one starts. I think that some of the better children's stories are written to capture the attention of adults as well. If an adult can read them, or reread them as an adult, and not lose interest in the narrative, the book is a good one. Children have as complex a gift for understanding plot and theme as adults do. I think years of television have made them better at it than they were when I was a kid. It's not the structure or complexity of the tale that loses them so much as the reading vocabulary. Language and relationships are probably "hotwired" into humans. The written word is something else again! The Haunted Castle on Hallow's Eve was interesting enough to keep the reader involved with the story and working through the new vocabulary. One of the most significant things about the author's work is her background in history, literature, and culture. As she explains in the final pages of the book, she put her tale together from many sources, including English history, Welsh and Irish poetry and Celtic mythology and folk beliefs. In looking over the titles of her other stories, I see that she and her husband have been able to weave into their children's adventure stories information about historical topics of a wide variety making learning something fun to do. I say hooray for the Osbornes. I expect to read some of their other books and share them with others.
Rating:
Summary: Hooray for the Osbornes
Review: For some reason I've gotten into reading children's books. Maybe only a nostalgia for lost youth or something, but I have found some very enjoyable entertainment in some of those I've read recently that were not available when I was a kid myself. The Magic Tree House series is just such. I picked up Haunted Castle on Hallow's Eve as my introduction to Miss Osborne's work and was thoroughly delighted with it. Simple and direct, it is instructive without being pedantic, and introduces new words in contexts where their meanings are apparent-or explains them when they aren't. The story hangs together well, introducing the protagonists and some of their past exploits sufficiently to engage the reader no matter where in the series one starts. I think that some of the better children's stories are written to capture the attention of adults as well. If an adult can read them, or reread them as an adult, and not lose interest in the narrative, the book is a good one. Children have as complex a gift for understanding plot and theme as adults do. I think years of television have made them better at it than they were when I was a kid. It's not the structure or complexity of the tale that loses them so much as the reading vocabulary. Language and relationships are probably "hotwired" into humans. The written word is something else again! The Haunted Castle on Hallow's Eve was interesting enough to keep the reader involved with the story and working through the new vocabulary. One of the most significant things about the author's work is her background in history, literature, and culture. As she explains in the final pages of the book, she put her tale together from many sources, including English history, Welsh and Irish poetry and Celtic mythology and folk beliefs. In looking over the titles of her other stories, I see that she and her husband have been able to weave into their children's adventure stories information about historical topics of a wide variety making learning something fun to do. I say hooray for the Osbornes. I expect to read some of their other books and share them with others.
Rating:
Summary: Magic Tree House series #30 .. Haunted Castle on Hallows Eve
Review: I am amazed at how captivated my little first grader was with this book. She simple could not put this book down. My daughter read the whole book (113 pages) over the weekend! The occassional repitition used in this book was a great way to remind my child what had happened in the story and how it ties in with what is currently going on in the story. There are just enough new words to help challenge the young reader yet not to many to overwhelm a child. The artwork in this book is used by the author as a device to further motivate the young reader to turn the pages and see what is coming up next. I am very thankful that such a captivating series is available. The Magic Tree House series motivates children to read. I only wish that the books stated the reading level so that I could more easily gauge my daughter's progress.
Rating:
Summary: Everything is cool in this book
Review: I love this book.It is the best book. I love the merlin missons. You have to read it. But it's better to read it in order. Get "the magic tree house #1 Dinosaurs Before Dark" it's about two brother and sister finds a tree house and find out that the tree house was magic. It takes them anywhere they want to go. Just point to a cover on the book and their there. The magic tree house #1 is a good book. The magic tree house #30 is the best book ever its about a castle that have been haunt by a big raven king and Jack and Annie have to save the castle. Luckly Old Maggie told some riddles as hints to help them. Not only Jack and Annie is alone to save the haunted castle, Teddy was helping them too. Teddy help them to become a raven and help them get to the raven nest where Merlin's diamond is. The raven king stole Merlin's diamond and Merlin need it. So he need Teddy,Jack,and Annie.
Please read this series.
Rating:
Summary: Coolest book
Review: I think that this book was great!!! it really was different and unique. Not this book but all of the magic treehouse books are awesome. I say that mary Pope Osbourne is on of he best childeren authors.
Rating:
Summary: Enticing for struggling readers
Review: In August, there was a waiting list for this latest edition of the Magic Treehouse Series at our intermediate school. I bought 3 copies for our school's library. The kids love them for their readability and the puzzles. The teachers use them regularly in partner reading. A great set of beginning chapter books for 2nd to 4th graders.
Rating:
Summary: Jack and Annie
Review: Jack and Annie go to Camelot and search for the Stone of Destiny in a haunted house. They team up with a young magician named Teddy. They have exciting adventures. My daughter likes Halloween and haunted castles and loves Jack and Annie's adventures.
Rating:
Summary: Delightful!
Review: This book will charm every child over the age of five. It's quite an adventure that its hero and heroine go off on together. The story is well-conceived: detailed, fascinating and well-described. Great Halloween spirit--and the saga is not at all scary!
Rating:
Summary: MEDIEVAL MAYHEM AND CHILLS
Review: wow...the 30th book in the Magic Treehouse series. Quite a landmark indeed for Mary Pope Osborne who has been wowing elementary school kids with these imaginative tales of time travel to mythical and fantastic lands for a long time. Jack and Annie are summoned again by Merlin to the enchanted land of Camelot. They are to journey to a haunted castle to find the stolen Stone of Destiny. They are joined in this adventure by Teddy, the apprentice wizard to Morgan le Fay. At the castle they encounter all manner of spooks in their quest.
My son loved these when he was elementary school age. His eyese lit up every time he received a new one. He made sure we saved all of his books in the series so that he could pass them onto his little brother once he becomes old enough to read them. These are great imaginative and fun reads for kids...and adults who read along.
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