Great book!October 31, 2008 My son loves all of the Tree House Books. They just keep getting better & better!
Stories for Children Magazine 5 Star ReviewAugust 11, 2008 REVIEWED BY: Wayne S. Walker The latest "Magic Tree House" book (#39) is now out. This time Jack and Annie are whisked back to the 1870s in the South Pacific to join the crew of the HMS Challenger on their scientific exploration of the dark depths of the ocean. They get to meet some real historical characters, such as scientist Henry Moseley and Professor Charles Wyville Thomson. From 1872 to 1876, the Challenger sailed nearly 70,000 miles around the world and found more than 4,000 new species of sea life. However, will Jack and Annie survive a raging storm at sea and the tentacles of a giant octopus to get back to Frog Creek, PA, with their new secret of happiness for Merlin?
We have been reading the Magic Tree House books since they first came out, and both of our boys have enjoyed them. What I like about them is that a lot of history and a good deal of geography, along with a little bit of traditional myth and legend, are included in a fictional story that appeals to children. So the books are educational, but they are also fun! While some of Jack and Annie's dialogue is a little stilted, for the most part these books do not talk down to children but challenge both their thinking and their vocabulary.
An even more exciting expeditionMay 8, 2008 1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Mary Pope Osborne's 39th addition to her 'Magic Tree House' series, DARK DAY IN THE DEEP SEA tells of Jack and Annie, who have to find one of the four secrets of happiness to help save Merlin the magician. But when they find themselves on a misty island, they wonder how they can find anything - and when a pirate ship turns out to be the world's first floating science lab, an even more exciting expedition results.
dark day in the deep seaMay 2, 2008 My grandchildren can't wait for the new books of this series. They wer so thrilled when I brought it over and it's read in one to two days. They already told me how much they liked it and wish the new one was on it's way. I told them it's on order for when it's released.
One of better stories from Merlin SeriesApril 19, 2008 We have the complete series of MTH books, both the simpler paperback ones and the Merlin Series hardcovers. Currently my (almost) 8 year old son is ensconced in the books, but my 11 year old read this book as well just because she wanted to say she's read them all (granted, it took her less than an hour to finish the whole thing, but she is reading at the 7th grade level so no surprise). Both really enjoyed the story, said it is one of the better story lines in the Merlin Series, interesting, creative, etc. Highly recommend.
