Haunted Castle on Hallow's Eve (Magic Tree House, 30)

Jack and Annie take a magical adventure to see Merlin and to help bring order to the castle of the duke and save the future of Camelot. This mission takes them through a forest and to a tunnel of fear. The magic of the sorcerers and woodsprites help after the ravens appear. Soon the castle has been

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put back to order, Jack, Annie and Teddy are on the way back. Soon the tree house will take them back to Frog Creek for Halloween night.

My daughter has read a few of these and is always telling me how much she enjoys the magic and the adventure, so I read this one myself. Very good, I can see why kids (ages 8-12) get so much out of these books. The language is easy flowing and the adventure really is fast paced, it seems the type of story to hold the attention span of the age group (and mom). This book is #30 of the magic tree house books, it is called a Merlin Mission and the magical elements to it are great. I think I will read more of these, after dear daughter has had her turn.

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Jack and Annie travel back to help Merlin with a castle that is in disarray. Along with the help of another young wizard, the three of them turn into ravens to rescue the diamond of destiny from the Raven King (who is half man and half raven).

On Halloween, the magic tree house summons Jack and Annie back to Camelot, where they must work with their old friend Teddy, Morgan le Fay's apprentice, to retrieve the Diamond of Destiny from the Raven King. This installment of Jack and Annie's adventures, a Merlin Mission, draws on fairy tales

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and mythology rather than the historical fiction that is the Magic Tree House series's usual fare. The theme of facing and overcoming one's fears will be valuable for young readers. A note from the author detailing her inspirations ends the volume. This Halloween-themed but not too spooky story is recommended for third and fourth graders.

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The intrepid Jack and Annie are summoned once again to the fantasy realm of Camelot. There, Merlin the Magician tells them that the Stone of Destiny has been stolen. The answer to its disappearance lies within a haunted castle. With a young magician named Teddy, Jack and Annie take on the challenge

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in an adventure that takes them to new heights and places they couldn't even imagine!

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I picked this book up expecting to feel brain cells dying as I read it. I was very wrong; I can see why my students enjoy this series so much. It's very well written (albeit extremely simplistic) and interesting. It was an extremely quick read and is educational, to boot!

I enjoyed this book because of the style of writing by Mary Pope Osborne. Throughout this story, the author used much dialogue and detail that added to the eerie setting of the story. For example, Osborne consistently used sounds such as "CAW", "SPREE", and "KNEE" to emphasis the raven in one of

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the chapters. I liked how some of the pages were dedicated to illustrations because it helped the reader match the details with the characters of Jack, Annie, Meriln, and the clothes of these characters that matched the time period in which they traveled. I like how this author uses a lot of italics to express the thoughts of the characters, this minor detail lets readers go deeper into the minds and feelings of characters. As mentioned before, there is a pattern in this authors writing and I also like how she uses foreshadowing to tell the story, it allows readers to make predictions and inferences throughout. The small historical aspect of the time period added an informational piece and tied into history, which was enjoyable.
There was no main lesson or message of this story. The adventure of Jack and Annie show readers that bravery and teamwork go a long way. It encourages readers to work together with others and to use their knowledge and specific strengths to help in situations.

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Brother and Sister, Jack and Annie go on various adventures in the Magic Tree House series. Together they solve mysteries and in this particular book they have to find out what happened to the people who lived in the haunted caste. I not only enjoy this book but enjoy the whole series especially

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when I was younger. One of the reasons I like the book is because even though it is a chapter book it is a smooth transition from reading picture books. The author includes pictures in the books and although they are in black and white they capture major scenes throughout the book. The author does a great job at creating suspense throughout the book, which wants the reader to keep going. The chapters are short and allow a younger student to feel as though they can take breaks if necessary.

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There's such a great variety of stories in the Magic Tree House series. Having just read the historical fiction of a story set at the Paris World's Fair of 1889, we read this book set in the totally magic world of Camelot. Annie, Jack, & Teddy must go to a clean up a haunted castle. Oh, and they

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turn into ravens. And there's a pretty cool divide of talents among the three children.

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