A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time (Magic Tree House Merlin Mission Series #16)

by Mary Pope Osborne, Sal Murdocca (Illustrator)

Overview

Jack and Annie are ready for their next adventure in the New York Times bestselling middle-grade series—the Magic Tree House!

A spirited holiday mission!

The magic tree house whisks Jack and Annie back in time to the foggy streets of Victorian London, where they must help Charles Dickens. But the famous author has everything he could possibly want. How are they supposed to help him? It’s not until Mr. Dickens rescues them from being thrown in jail that they discover his secret past and the sad memories that haunt him. Jack and Annie will need all their magic—and help from three ghosts!—to save the great writer.
 
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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780375856532
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	09/25/2012
Series:	Magic Tree House Merlin Mission Series
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	32,247
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 5.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	520L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

MARY POPE OSBORNE is the author of the New York Times number one bestselling Magic Tree House series. She and her husband, writer Will Osborne (author of Magic Tree House: The Musical), live in northwestern Connecticut with their three dogs. Ms. Osborne is also the coauthor of the companion Magic Tree House Fact Trackers series with Will, and with her sister, Natalie Pope Boyce.
 
SAL MURDOCCA has illustrated more than 200 children's trade and text books. He is also a librettist for children's opera, a video artist, an avid runner, hiker, and bicyclist, and a teacher of children's illustration at the Parsons School of Design. Sal lives and works in New York with his wife, Nancy.

Hometown:

Goshen, Connecticut

Date of Birth:

May 20, 1949

Place of Birth:

Fort Sill, Oklahoma

Education:

B.A., University of North Carolina

Website:

http://www.marypopeosborne.com

Editorial Reviews

Jack and Annie return to their Magic Tree House for another "Merlin Mission." This time they are whisked to the foggy streets of Victorian England to bring happiness to the famous author, Charles Dickens. When the children find Mr. Dickens' house, the housemaid does not allow them to enter, but Annie comes up with a plan. Disguised as chimney sweeps, the children enter Mr. Dickens' house. When they find Mr. Dickens, he is not interested in talking, and he leaves his house. Annie and Jack follow him. Out on the streets of London, Annie and Jack are accused of stealing a bag and are chased by policeman. To their surprise, Mr. Dickens sees the chase and tells the policeman that he knows the children. Assuming Jack and Annie are poor street children, the author takes them to an inn for some food. There, they learn about Mr. Dickens' sad childhood and his desire to do something good for the poor people in London. He tells the children his words and stories can do nothing to help people and he decides to stop writing. Annie and Jack know they can't let this happen. Using the magic violin that Merlin gave them, they tell Mr. Dickens a story with three ghosts: a ghost from the past, one from the present and one from the future. Jack and Annie's story convinces Mr. Dickens that his writing has value, and that he can teach others about the disparity between the rich and the poor in England. Fast-paced, with just the right touch of action and historical information, kids will breeze through this newest "Magic Tree House" adventure (#44). Reviewer: Jody Little

Children's Literature - Jody Little