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Magic Tree House "Merlin Missions" #6
Season of the Sandstorms
Jack and Annie travel back in time to a desert in the Middle East at the behest of Merlin who has given them a rhyme to help on their mission. There they meet a Bedouin tribe and learn about the way that they live. From camel rides and oases to ancient writings and dangerous sandstorms, here’s another Magic Tree House filled with all the mystery, history, magic, and old-fashioned adventure that kids love to read about.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published June 28, 2005
436 people are currently reading
2332 people want to read
About the author
Mary Pope Osborne
531 books2,664 followersMary Pope Osborne is an American author of children's books and audiobook narrator. She is best known as the author of the Magic Tree House series, which as of 2017 sold more than 134 million copies worldwide. Both the series and Osborne have won awards, including for Osborne's charitable efforts at promoting children's literacy. One of four children, Osborne moved around in her childhood before attending the University of North Carolina. Following college, Osborne traveled before moving to New York City. She somewhat spontaneously began to write, and her first book was published in 1982. She went on to write a variety of other children's and young adult books before starting the Magic Tree House series in 1992. Osborne's sister Natalie Pope Boyce has written several compendium books to the Magic Tree House series, sometimes with Osborne's husband Will Osborne.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 183 reviews
May 7, 2018
I read this book with my students and they enjoyed it. However, they didn't understand this one very well. Most of the Magic Tree House books are easy to follow but this one was difficult.
"Jack and Annie travel back in time to a desert in the Middle East at the behest of Merlin who has given them a rhyme to help on their mission. There they meet a Bedouin tribe and learn about the way that they live. From camel rides and oases to ancient writings and dangerous sandstorms, here’s another Magic Tree House filled with all the mystery, history, magic, and old-fashioned adventure that kids love to read about."
"Jack and Annie travel back in time to a desert in the Middle East at the behest of Merlin who has given them a rhyme to help on their mission. There they meet a Bedouin tribe and learn about the way that they live. From camel rides and oases to ancient writings and dangerous sandstorms, here’s another Magic Tree House filled with all the mystery, history, magic, and old-fashioned adventure that kids love to read about."
May 22, 2012
One word. Informative. It is really informative! That's why I love this! I learned about the "Place of Wisdom" in Iran (I believe) which is a place full of books and is like a huge library! That's not all! All of the famous people are there! Like, Al-Khwarizmi, the father of my favorite, algebra! I would love to have the opportunity to talk to such a genius like him! I remember one time when one of my classmates asked to my math teacher (she obviously hate Math)," Teacher, why do we have to study about Algebra? Do we have to use it while buying candy in a store? And who even invented this!" I immediately replied," Algebra was invented by Al-Khwarizmi and it is important in our lives. We won't be studying it if it wasn't! You just don't know how important Algebra in our lives!" So yeah, I'm a Math-lover, specifically Algebra.
May 16, 2016
The book was about to kids,Jack and Annie that were brother and sister,they went on a mission to help the caliph,king,from Baghdad,in the past. I think that the book is one of the best books I've read so far. It is full of surprises and adventure. I recommend this book to people who would like to read it because they will enjoy it.
June 1, 2024
Reading to practice Spanish - This story introduces children to the idea of the Golden Age of Baghdad. Jack and Annie arrive in the desert where they meet travelers, ride camels, and get lost in a sandstorm. Eventually the come to Baghdad, and the author does a great job giving you a feeling for the city at that time. Of course there's a quest for the two to undertake - involving books and wisdom - and there's a surprise twist even I didn't see coming!
The author writes in the forward that she once travelled across Iran with a friend and she describes a friendly encounter they had and falling in love with the desert at night. I thought her affection for the people and place came through really well in this book - even in Spanish, where I'm still very much a beginning reader.
NB - Why am I reading these kids books in Spanish when there are books written for adult language learners galore? Well, three reasons.
1. Because these have been available for some years in Spanish I can pick them up for 4 or 5 dollars used, as opposed to 12-20 for graded readers. That means I get a lot more practice for my money.
2. The author is skilled at telling a story with controlled vocabulary for those just strengthening their reading skills. Most of the words used in the books are the same across the titles, each one just sprinkling in some new words as needed - camel, sand storm, etc. So the reader is never confronted with entire pages talking about new ideas or places in words they don't know, and gradually I'm learning thousands of useful words without memorizing or flash cards.
3. And most important to me, these books are fun to read. They have actual plots, with mysteries, surprises, and occasional twists that keep my interest. Most of the books I've tried for adult beginners are pretty trite and boring. They aren't written by experienced authors who know how to tell a good story, like this series is. As this type of learning requires reading and rereading a lot, the material you use needs to be interesting or you won't learn much.
If you, like me, can enjoy a fun story written for kids and you want to learn a foreign language, check and see if this series is available for you. Some books are simpler than others and I use Accelerated Reader Book Finder to search for the titles and get the Book Level, (BL). That allowed me to start with the easier books, which was helpful, and now it doesn't matter, I can pick up any of these stories in Spanish and enjoy them.
The author writes in the forward that she once travelled across Iran with a friend and she describes a friendly encounter they had and falling in love with the desert at night. I thought her affection for the people and place came through really well in this book - even in Spanish, where I'm still very much a beginning reader.
NB - Why am I reading these kids books in Spanish when there are books written for adult language learners galore? Well, three reasons.
1. Because these have been available for some years in Spanish I can pick them up for 4 or 5 dollars used, as opposed to 12-20 for graded readers. That means I get a lot more practice for my money.
2. The author is skilled at telling a story with controlled vocabulary for those just strengthening their reading skills. Most of the words used in the books are the same across the titles, each one just sprinkling in some new words as needed - camel, sand storm, etc. So the reader is never confronted with entire pages talking about new ideas or places in words they don't know, and gradually I'm learning thousands of useful words without memorizing or flash cards.
3. And most important to me, these books are fun to read. They have actual plots, with mysteries, surprises, and occasional twists that keep my interest. Most of the books I've tried for adult beginners are pretty trite and boring. They aren't written by experienced authors who know how to tell a good story, like this series is. As this type of learning requires reading and rereading a lot, the material you use needs to be interesting or you won't learn much.
If you, like me, can enjoy a fun story written for kids and you want to learn a foreign language, check and see if this series is available for you. Some books are simpler than others and I use Accelerated Reader Book Finder to search for the titles and get the Book Level, (BL). That allowed me to start with the easier books, which was helpful, and now it doesn't matter, I can pick up any of these stories in Spanish and enjoy them.
January 11, 2019
I love how they didn't know that mamoon was the caphlin and how they though the servants were teddy and kathaleen
March 28, 2021
Un très bon épisode où il est question de parabole entre la Sagesse et les Livres. « La connaissance apporte la lumière. » Les livres sont le partage.
October 19, 2022
As fun as I remember them being when I was a kid!
September 17, 2024
I love the magic treehouse books. This book is no exception.
I love how the author manages to educate the reader so much while entertaining throughout her story. It is both blatantly obvious and discreet at the same time.
I love the beautiful lines that you can quote in her books that are insightful messages that the children learn from reading this book.
And I especially love that she teaches you about history and historical figures throughout her books.
In this book, the kids go from America to Iraq over 700 years ago and though both places obviously spoke different languages at the time (as they do now) the children are always able to express themselves clearly and be understood.
I really like that the author does this because it’s like there’s no language as a division between the countries or between the people or between the times in history. There is also nothing stopping the main female character from being respected and listened to, even though she is a female.
———-
These are the parts I loved:
Firstly, I love the dedication. "To Paul Caringella, a scholar in the House of Wisdom". I don't know who Paul is but that is one heck of a compliment.
Next, I love her speaking about Syria and Iraq in a positive way in her "dear reader" section.
p.6
caliph
p12
From 762 AD to 1258 AD, the Arab world had a golden age. During that time, a ruler known as a caliph (say KAY-liff) governed an empire that stretched for thousands of miles. The capital of the Arab empire was the city of Baghdad, an importance center for learning and trade.
p17
The season of the sandstorm begins in the desert in mid February and continues all spring. Winds can blow as fast as 40 mph. Sandstorms can easily cause travelers to lose their way in the desert.
p24
Dates are known as the fruit of the desert. They hang in bunches from date Palms. People gather dates by shaking the trunk of the tree. Not only our dates and important food, but the wood and leaves of the palm are used to make -
p33-35
“She is truly a miracle of nature.”
Some miracle, thought Jack.
“ she can drink two barrels of water in 10 minutes,” said Mamoon, “ and then go for a week without drinking again. She can live many days without food, too.”
“Really?” Said Jack.
“She is well suited to travel in the desert,” said Mamoon. “Her thick eyebrows protect her eyes from the glare of the sun. Her long eyelashes and the fur around her ears keep out the windblown sand.”
“Cool,” said Jack softly.
“Her feet are so tough, they do not feel the heat of the desert,” said Mamoon. “And they are so big that they keep her from sinking down into the loose sand.”
“Hmm,” said Jack.
“She can carry 500 pounds of baggage on her back,” said Mamoon, “ and travel 100 miles in a single day.”
“That’s a lot,“ murmured Jack.
Mamoon tucked on the camels reins and lucked his tongue. Beauty breathed heavily as she rose up on her long, powerful legs to her full height.
Mamoon looked at Jack. “We must respect her and honor her,” he said. “In many ways, she is superior to us, no?”
p39
I wish to be reading the wind and the stars.”
—
We are heading east, toward the goat star.
p48-49
“ what are the whistling sand?” asked Jack.
“Some say it is magic,“ said Mamoon. “But I believe that all things in nature have their reasons. That is why I like the study of science. Science says we must observe our world. We must make experiments and try to find out why things happen. We have learned the whistling is made by sands settling in the drifts.”
“Oh,” said Annie. “I’d hoped it was magic.”
“Learning the reasons for things is magic,” said Mamoon. “True knowledge brings light to the world. And that is a magical thing, no?"
p50
The snaky patterns in the sand were blowing into round, curly patterns. Jack heard a weird moaning sound. “Is that the whistling sans again?” he asked hopefully.
“No,” said Mamoon. “That is the cry of a terrible sandstorm. And it will soon be upon us."
p51
"Get down! Lie on your bellies!” Ordered Mamoon. “Quickly! Cover your faces with your head cloths!"
p57
"Maybe we should check and see,” said Annie.
Jack? took a deep breath. He still thought Mamoon might not want them to look inside the box. But his curiosity got the best of him. “Okay,” he said. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to make sure it’s all right.”
Jack pride apart the two pieces of wood ends lift lifted them off. Inside the box was a book.
“A book?” Said Jack, surprised. He’d expected gold or jewels. He carefully lifted the book out of the box. It had a plain leather cover with no title on it.
“It doesn’t look like a precious treasure,” said Annie.
“Maybe the writing inside is the treasure,” said Jack?.
p58
Aristotle (say AIR-is-TAH-tul) lived in ancient Greece over 2,300 years ago. He is known as one of the greatest philosophers of all time. The word philosopher means “lover of wisdom.” Aristotle’s works were introduced to the Western world by the Arabs in the Middle Ages.
p64-65
In the ninth century, traders from all over the world brought their goods to Baghdad to sell. Baghdad, merchants, traded paper, fine cloth, and jewelry for goods from Spain, India, Africa, China, Greece, and other lands. These goods were sold in a huge open-air market called a bazaar.
p66
During its golden age, Baghdad had good hospitals. The city was also known for its excellent police system and public schools, along with its many libraries and stores and a zoo with a 100 lions.
p89-92
“Welcome to the House of Wisdom,” said the caliph, “ a learning center for the entire world.”
“What happens here?” Asked Jack.
“Come, I will show you.” The caliph escorted Jack? and Annie through the front door and down a wide hallway. “We have a laboratory for discovering new medicines,” he said, “and an observatory for viewing the stars and planets. But this is my favorite room of all.”
The caliph stopped before an arched doorway. He opens the door and sled, Jack? and Annie into a huge, silent room. “This is the library,” he said in a hushed voice. “Even I must be very quiet here.”
Late-afternoon light slanted down from high, open windows, streaming over bookshelves and colorful carpets. Men read at long tables. When the readers looked up and saw the caliph, they all started to rise.
“Please continue with your work. Do not mind us,” the caliph said softly.
The men sat down again and returned to their reading and writing.
The caliph pointed to a bearded man sitting by a window, hunched over a pile of papers. The man was writing furiously.
”That is Al-Khwarizmi,” whispered the caliph. “He is a truly great mathematician. He has perfected the Indian way of writing numbers.” The caliph pointed to numbers written on a board on the wall: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. “We call these the Arabic numerals,” he said.
“Arabic numerals?” said Jack.
“Yes,” said the caliph.
Jack whispered to Annie, “We use the Arabic numerals, too. They must have come from that guy.”
The caliph pointed to another man reading by the window. “He is al-Kindi. He is perhaps the most brilliant scientist and thinker in the world,” whispered the caliph. “But he is very humble. He believes knowledge cannot belong to only one person or country. It belongs to all. The world grows wise only when wisdom is shared. I agree. And that is why I built this house.”
“I agree, too,” whispered Annie.
“Me too,” said Jack.
“Scientists and scholars from many countries come here to read and study and share their knowledge,” whispered the caliph. “We have thousands of books. They have all been copied by hand.”
p.94-95
"Oh, Tales from the Arabian Nights!” said Annie. “We know those stories.”
“You do? Wonderful!” the caliph said with a smile. “It seems someone from our land has traveled to yours and shared our stories. Perhaps someone will soon bring stories from your land back to us. That is the great power of a book, no?”
“Yes,” said Annie.
“And I hope your land will hear of this book, too, someday,” said the caliph. He held up the book of Aristotle‘s writings. “After I have read it, I will have it copied so I can share its wisdom with the world. Thank you for helping me."
p108-109
more facts about Baghdad
Baghdad is an ancient city that lies between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Long ago, this area was called Mesopotamia, which means “between the rivers.” Today this land is called Iraq, and Baghdad is its capital.
The character of Mamoon in this book was inspired by two caliphs of Baghdad in the ninth century – Harun al-Rashid and his son Abdullah al-Mamoon (often spelled al-Mamoun).
It is said that Harun al-Rashid sometimes disguised him himself and went to the bazaars to listen to his people. The world of al-Rashid was the inspiration for the collection of stories known as A Thousand and One Nights or Tales from the Arabian Nights.
Abdullah Al-Mamoon was the youngest son of Harun
al-Rashid. He carried on his father’s work by honoring the arts and sciences. He also founded the House of Wisdom in Baghdad.
The House of Wisdom was a home to scholars from all over the Eastern world. Two important thinkers who studied there were al-Kindi, who was called “the philosopher of the Arabs,” and the mathematician al-Khwarizmi, who introduced algebra (a kind of math) to the world.
Many ancient writings were stored and translated at the House of Wisdom. Some of the most important writings included the work of the Greek philosopher Aristotle. Aristotle’s teachings helped lay the foundation for modern science.
Harun al-Rashid helped start a golden age, in which Baghdad would be an important center of learning and culture for the next 400 years. In 1258, the city was destroyed by Mongol invaders.
I love how the author manages to educate the reader so much while entertaining throughout her story. It is both blatantly obvious and discreet at the same time.
I love the beautiful lines that you can quote in her books that are insightful messages that the children learn from reading this book.
And I especially love that she teaches you about history and historical figures throughout her books.
In this book, the kids go from America to Iraq over 700 years ago and though both places obviously spoke different languages at the time (as they do now) the children are always able to express themselves clearly and be understood.
I really like that the author does this because it’s like there’s no language as a division between the countries or between the people or between the times in history. There is also nothing stopping the main female character from being respected and listened to, even though she is a female.
———-
These are the parts I loved:
Firstly, I love the dedication. "To Paul Caringella, a scholar in the House of Wisdom". I don't know who Paul is but that is one heck of a compliment.
Next, I love her speaking about Syria and Iraq in a positive way in her "dear reader" section.
p.6
caliph
p12
From 762 AD to 1258 AD, the Arab world had a golden age. During that time, a ruler known as a caliph (say KAY-liff) governed an empire that stretched for thousands of miles. The capital of the Arab empire was the city of Baghdad, an importance center for learning and trade.
p17
The season of the sandstorm begins in the desert in mid February and continues all spring. Winds can blow as fast as 40 mph. Sandstorms can easily cause travelers to lose their way in the desert.
p24
Dates are known as the fruit of the desert. They hang in bunches from date Palms. People gather dates by shaking the trunk of the tree. Not only our dates and important food, but the wood and leaves of the palm are used to make -
p33-35
“She is truly a miracle of nature.”
Some miracle, thought Jack.
“ she can drink two barrels of water in 10 minutes,” said Mamoon, “ and then go for a week without drinking again. She can live many days without food, too.”
“Really?” Said Jack.
“She is well suited to travel in the desert,” said Mamoon. “Her thick eyebrows protect her eyes from the glare of the sun. Her long eyelashes and the fur around her ears keep out the windblown sand.”
“Cool,” said Jack softly.
“Her feet are so tough, they do not feel the heat of the desert,” said Mamoon. “And they are so big that they keep her from sinking down into the loose sand.”
“Hmm,” said Jack.
“She can carry 500 pounds of baggage on her back,” said Mamoon, “ and travel 100 miles in a single day.”
“That’s a lot,“ murmured Jack.
Mamoon tucked on the camels reins and lucked his tongue. Beauty breathed heavily as she rose up on her long, powerful legs to her full height.
Mamoon looked at Jack. “We must respect her and honor her,” he said. “In many ways, she is superior to us, no?”
p39
I wish to be reading the wind and the stars.”
—
We are heading east, toward the goat star.
p48-49
“ what are the whistling sand?” asked Jack.
“Some say it is magic,“ said Mamoon. “But I believe that all things in nature have their reasons. That is why I like the study of science. Science says we must observe our world. We must make experiments and try to find out why things happen. We have learned the whistling is made by sands settling in the drifts.”
“Oh,” said Annie. “I’d hoped it was magic.”
“Learning the reasons for things is magic,” said Mamoon. “True knowledge brings light to the world. And that is a magical thing, no?"
p50
The snaky patterns in the sand were blowing into round, curly patterns. Jack heard a weird moaning sound. “Is that the whistling sans again?” he asked hopefully.
“No,” said Mamoon. “That is the cry of a terrible sandstorm. And it will soon be upon us."
p51
"Get down! Lie on your bellies!” Ordered Mamoon. “Quickly! Cover your faces with your head cloths!"
p57
"Maybe we should check and see,” said Annie.
Jack? took a deep breath. He still thought Mamoon might not want them to look inside the box. But his curiosity got the best of him. “Okay,” he said. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to make sure it’s all right.”
Jack pride apart the two pieces of wood ends lift lifted them off. Inside the box was a book.
“A book?” Said Jack, surprised. He’d expected gold or jewels. He carefully lifted the book out of the box. It had a plain leather cover with no title on it.
“It doesn’t look like a precious treasure,” said Annie.
“Maybe the writing inside is the treasure,” said Jack?.
p58
Aristotle (say AIR-is-TAH-tul) lived in ancient Greece over 2,300 years ago. He is known as one of the greatest philosophers of all time. The word philosopher means “lover of wisdom.” Aristotle’s works were introduced to the Western world by the Arabs in the Middle Ages.
p64-65
In the ninth century, traders from all over the world brought their goods to Baghdad to sell. Baghdad, merchants, traded paper, fine cloth, and jewelry for goods from Spain, India, Africa, China, Greece, and other lands. These goods were sold in a huge open-air market called a bazaar.
p66
During its golden age, Baghdad had good hospitals. The city was also known for its excellent police system and public schools, along with its many libraries and stores and a zoo with a 100 lions.
p89-92
“Welcome to the House of Wisdom,” said the caliph, “ a learning center for the entire world.”
“What happens here?” Asked Jack.
“Come, I will show you.” The caliph escorted Jack? and Annie through the front door and down a wide hallway. “We have a laboratory for discovering new medicines,” he said, “and an observatory for viewing the stars and planets. But this is my favorite room of all.”
The caliph stopped before an arched doorway. He opens the door and sled, Jack? and Annie into a huge, silent room. “This is the library,” he said in a hushed voice. “Even I must be very quiet here.”
Late-afternoon light slanted down from high, open windows, streaming over bookshelves and colorful carpets. Men read at long tables. When the readers looked up and saw the caliph, they all started to rise.
“Please continue with your work. Do not mind us,” the caliph said softly.
The men sat down again and returned to their reading and writing.
The caliph pointed to a bearded man sitting by a window, hunched over a pile of papers. The man was writing furiously.
”That is Al-Khwarizmi,” whispered the caliph. “He is a truly great mathematician. He has perfected the Indian way of writing numbers.” The caliph pointed to numbers written on a board on the wall: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. “We call these the Arabic numerals,” he said.
“Arabic numerals?” said Jack.
“Yes,” said the caliph.
Jack whispered to Annie, “We use the Arabic numerals, too. They must have come from that guy.”
The caliph pointed to another man reading by the window. “He is al-Kindi. He is perhaps the most brilliant scientist and thinker in the world,” whispered the caliph. “But he is very humble. He believes knowledge cannot belong to only one person or country. It belongs to all. The world grows wise only when wisdom is shared. I agree. And that is why I built this house.”
“I agree, too,” whispered Annie.
“Me too,” said Jack.
“Scientists and scholars from many countries come here to read and study and share their knowledge,” whispered the caliph. “We have thousands of books. They have all been copied by hand.”
p.94-95
"Oh, Tales from the Arabian Nights!” said Annie. “We know those stories.”
“You do? Wonderful!” the caliph said with a smile. “It seems someone from our land has traveled to yours and shared our stories. Perhaps someone will soon bring stories from your land back to us. That is the great power of a book, no?”
“Yes,” said Annie.
“And I hope your land will hear of this book, too, someday,” said the caliph. He held up the book of Aristotle‘s writings. “After I have read it, I will have it copied so I can share its wisdom with the world. Thank you for helping me."
p108-109
more facts about Baghdad
Baghdad is an ancient city that lies between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Long ago, this area was called Mesopotamia, which means “between the rivers.” Today this land is called Iraq, and Baghdad is its capital.
The character of Mamoon in this book was inspired by two caliphs of Baghdad in the ninth century – Harun al-Rashid and his son Abdullah al-Mamoon (often spelled al-Mamoun).
It is said that Harun al-Rashid sometimes disguised him himself and went to the bazaars to listen to his people. The world of al-Rashid was the inspiration for the collection of stories known as A Thousand and One Nights or Tales from the Arabian Nights.
Abdullah Al-Mamoon was the youngest son of Harun
al-Rashid. He carried on his father’s work by honoring the arts and sciences. He also founded the House of Wisdom in Baghdad.
The House of Wisdom was a home to scholars from all over the Eastern world. Two important thinkers who studied there were al-Kindi, who was called “the philosopher of the Arabs,” and the mathematician al-Khwarizmi, who introduced algebra (a kind of math) to the world.
Many ancient writings were stored and translated at the House of Wisdom. Some of the most important writings included the work of the Greek philosopher Aristotle. Aristotle’s teachings helped lay the foundation for modern science.
Harun al-Rashid helped start a golden age, in which Baghdad would be an important center of learning and culture for the next 400 years. In 1258, the city was destroyed by Mongol invaders.
February 25, 2015
This is my first Magic Tree House book, and holy cow these are awesome. I'm a social studies teacher, and I love that people are creating this historical fiction. This book is about non-Western history too! The author just got a bunch of major credibility with me.
I like that the book educates along with entertaining. For example, the author mentioned dates and described them because most American kids have no idea what that is. Another example would be the explanation of how and what camels eat in the desert. It's not just a boring encyclopedia though. The author weaves in action as well.
I do wish there was some more craziness with the magic elements. They just seemed to randomly go through time. The author totally could've made it more exciting. They're freaking go through time!
Before teaching this book though, you'll have to do some geography lessons and do a crash course on Islam. The book does a good job of not making it too complicated for children, but it's too simple for middle school readers. This is a perfect fit for a social studies classroom.
I read this as an e-book from Chicago Public Library's system. Because this was mostly text, the e-book did not take anything away from the original.
I like that the book educates along with entertaining. For example, the author mentioned dates and described them because most American kids have no idea what that is. Another example would be the explanation of how and what camels eat in the desert. It's not just a boring encyclopedia though. The author weaves in action as well.
I do wish there was some more craziness with the magic elements. They just seemed to randomly go through time. The author totally could've made it more exciting. They're freaking go through time!
Before teaching this book though, you'll have to do some geography lessons and do a crash course on Islam. The book does a good job of not making it too complicated for children, but it's too simple for middle school readers. This is a perfect fit for a social studies classroom.
I read this as an e-book from Chicago Public Library's system. Because this was mostly text, the e-book did not take anything away from the original.
July 8, 2015
Jack and Annie went to the time of the Golden Age in Baghdad. They landed in a palm tree near a spring. They needed a magic rhyme right at the beginning of their mission. They used one to bring help. A magic sandstorm came and brought help from people who were going to Baghdad. They were surprised and excited when they saw the helpers that got into the sandstorm but then just got blown near the spring.
They finally knew the name of one of the helpers which was Mamoon. They also rode on two camels with Mamoon. Bandits came at a later time and only stole a little bit of cinnamon and other spices. After the bandits were gone a sandstorm came and Mamoon, Jack, and Annie got separated. Soon when they got to Baghdad they finally noticed that Mamoon was the Caliph. A Caliph is a leader of Baghdad.
They also went to a place called the House of Wisdom which was a library. They finally used the last magic rhyme they could, which was able to make a magic carpet. They got to the Magic Tree House before the moon rose.
I liked this book because Jack and Annie had a fun time riding the magic carpet.
[reviewed by an 8 year old, typed by his mama]
They finally knew the name of one of the helpers which was Mamoon. They also rode on two camels with Mamoon. Bandits came at a later time and only stole a little bit of cinnamon and other spices. After the bandits were gone a sandstorm came and Mamoon, Jack, and Annie got separated. Soon when they got to Baghdad they finally noticed that Mamoon was the Caliph. A Caliph is a leader of Baghdad.
They also went to a place called the House of Wisdom which was a library. They finally used the last magic rhyme they could, which was able to make a magic carpet. They got to the Magic Tree House before the moon rose.
I liked this book because Jack and Annie had a fun time riding the magic carpet.
[reviewed by an 8 year old, typed by his mama]
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2014
It may technically be #34. But, "Season of the Sandstorms", recommended to me by my eight-year old friend Abby (who also got me hooked on the Wardstone Chronicles, see review for "Revenge of the Witch"), is the first I've read of Mary Pope Osborne's immensely popular Magic Tree House series. With a vast Arabian desert, treasured, priceless writings, an ancient House of Wisdom, a flying carpet, and---of course--a magic treehouse reminiscent in a sense of Bill and Ted's phone booth, it was quite an adventurous and even educational introduction. A very, very, quick read, I wish that Osborne could have slowed down a bit, given Jack and Annie some time to really explore the sights and sounds of Baghdad, perhaps search for clues for their "mission". Still, this book was great fun and I'd love to read another! Maybe #35?
February 22, 2010
I can see why kids enjoy this series but...well, it really just wasn't all that entertaining. So 2 stars for my personal opinion but 5 stars for being a series that helps kids develop a love for reading.
April 25, 2013
At the school library where I work these are super popular. This is the first I've read in the series,and it wasn't especially interesting or charming. Has potential- maybe others in the series are better.
May 11, 2018
This is my first book to read in the series of magic tree house, and I pick it to read about baghdad city during golden age when I find this series is so fun so I think that won’t be the last book of it!
July 3, 2018
I was noy happy with this one at all. It seemed to drag so much that I never wanted to read it. I only got through it because the next one looks really good. I love this series and always reccomend this for kids but maybe skip this one.
June 22, 2010
I liked reading about Jack and Annie getting stuck in the sandstorm, when they ran into the desert bandits, and when they met the Caliph in Baghdad.
November 17, 2018
A favorite series of my 8 year old
February 9, 2021
This was interesting in that the author was inspired by her trip to Iraq.
I've seen this series at the book store and it looked cute, but I wasn't familiar with the story line.
So I found it surprising and quite far-fetched how this magical treehouse just appears, & on top of that Morgan le Fay, yes that Morgan le Fay, from Camelot is a magical librarian and they get missions from the magician Merlin! That's quite a tale.
They mentioned how they were just in Venice, and I'd be interested to read that one.
There's poems they can only use sparingly for help. I found all of them to be weird and just ridiculous-sounding.
'From far beyond, send helpers here!
Hah-ee-by, hah-ee-keer!'
This seemed incredibly dangerous in that you're sending two white kids to places they might not have been to, with modern things like their glasses and dialogue. Didn't anyone wonder at their modern speech? Modern glasses? How they knew things they wouldn't have then?
They have to come up with flimsy excuses of why they're there, like their family left them behind in the desert.
It's just absurd to think these two kids would change the course of history.
The author painted a romantic & picturesque scene of the desert: camels being ships of the desert.
Reading the stars; telling the constellations for which directions.
The illustrations of the desert and them riding camels was nice.
"I wish to be reading the wind and the stars."
"How do you read the stars?"
"They have their own language."
"We must head east toward the morning sun."
The whistling sands, made by sand settling on the dunes.
"We have learned the whistling is made by sands settling in the drifts."
"Oh," said Annie. "I'd hoped it was magic."
"Learning the reasons for things is magic," said Mamoon. "True knowledge brings light to the world. And that is a magical thing, no?"
It was also interesting to learn sandstorms make a moaning sound.
They have this handy research book that contains anything they want to look up.
Their task, the poem they follow, was more like a premonition, because everything happened exactly like the poem said. They didn't have to do much at all,& they found themselves acting out parts of the poem, like riding ships of the desert. To help someone spread wisdom, they end up with Mamoon's book of Aristotle's words.
They're at an outdoor market in Baghdad,& don't know what it is, so they look it up. How would you even do that? Look up Baghdad and hope a market comes up? Or specifically look up Baghdad's markets?
It was ironic Annie said "This part of the mission is easy!" In reference to seeing the third walls they had to pass, cause I was thinking everything had been easy. Then they easily see the horse on the domed roof.
Perhaps Annie bragging to the boys about them being special and saving the treasure was used to show kids not to brag, cause otherwise idk why it's in here because it made Annie not likable.
Then there's their very handy friends, Teddy and Kathleen, who gave them a magical book apparently with rhymes they can use for help. Ones called Mend What Cannot Be Mended so they easily fix the torn book the camel ate.
'Heal what is broken beyond repair!
Avi-bree-all! Fen-a-mare!'
Harry Potter this isn't.
The pieces on the ground swirled together to reform the book. Not sure how the pieces inside the camel came out...
The Room of the Tree was cool, with a big tree with silver leaves and gold birds who sang,& a wooden black chair with jewels in it.
They're in the stables and a girl gets them and brings them to the very room they needed to find. As if she knew they were in the stables and knew they were coming there.
It's later explained the servant girl and boy were probably Teddy and Kathleen which makes sense considering it was so unusual. And it explains why Mamoon asked how they got into the throne room.
But by the end, I had completely forgotten who Teddy and Kathleen were. It was mentioned in the beginning, but I forgot because it took my three days to read it. More background needs to be given for people who haven't read others in the series.
It was a surprise that Mamoon ended up being the caliph.
I liked that the poem 'Greet a friend you once knew
And a new friend to be' turned out to be the same person. I expected Mamoon would be the old friend but not the caliph also.
Mamoon being the caliph tied into Merlin's letter: "Remember that life is full of surprises."
During the golden age of Baghdad, they had good hospitals, an excellent police system and public schools, libraries, stores, and a zoo with a hundred lions.
This painted a different picture of Baghdad than we know today, so that was interesting to see what it once was. But I didn't know when exactly their golden age was, because the author never came out and said the year this was set in.
It was interesting that al-Khwarizmi was in the library, the guy who perfected the Indian numbers we use today, Arabic numerals.
They have thousands of books, and scientists and scholars come to learn and share their wisdom. Like al-Kindi, the scientist, thought knowledge shouldn't belong to any one person or country, the world is only wise when wisdom is shared. That was a nice concept.
He shows them a book of the Tales from the Arabian Nights. When they say they've read it he says sometime from his land must have traveled to theirs and shared their stories,& he hopes their stories will make it to them. And that he hoped their land will hear of Aristotle's writing. He's gonna have it copied and share it's wisdom.
There again, they don't even try to be historically accurate. How could they have read it at that time? It's a flimsy excuse that someone from his land traveled to the U.S. and told the story.
They use the magic book right there in the library, don't even try to find a private place, so everyone sees them fly out the library on a carpet.
"Sail through the sky where you wish to go!
Sawn-ee-fore, sawn-ee-row!"
Boy, these are bad.
My favorite part of the book:
'The carpet soared over the House of Wisdom, over the caliph rising back to his palace in his carriage, and over the camel stable.
The carpet zipped over the green dome with the horse on top. It flew over the courtyard, where the boys were still playing ball, over the third wall, and past the green field and the grand avenue.
The carpet flew over the second wall, the houses, the hospitals, and the hundred lions in the zoo. It flew over the first wall, the arched bridge, and the moat.
The carpet zoomed over the bazaar with the maze of stalls, the shoemakers, porters, and weavers. It sailed high over the road to Baghdad. Below, Jack and Annie saw the men driving donkey carts, the boys leading sheep, and the women carrying pots.
The carpet flew faster and faster and faster--
over the river, the grazing fields,
and the dunes with the whistling sands,
over the red glowing desert
toward the setting sun
and the small oasis
in the middle of nowhere.'
It was nice how at the end, they wanted to go to the library and see Aristotle's book of wisdom, after all they had done concerning the book.
They said they had two more missions and five more rhymes. How did they know how many missions he'd send them on? What were they talking about?
They said this was their second mission so I thought this must be book two, but it's 34!! I'm so confused...
It didn't help that I started work and barely had any time to read, so a book that could have taken less than a day to read took me three. It never helps to be dragging out a book you're not enjoying reading in the first place. It ambled along with no real direction. I don't think this was fully realized. And it took a long time to get to the actual plot.
I found this whole plot, the whole story to be so far fetched and simple. Everything happened so easily. They didn't do anything, everything fell in their laps.
It was also just weird. There was a lot going on. Magic books, research books, poems, spells, Merlin, Morgan le Fey, who didn't make an appearance, two magic friends.
I was so glad to finally be done.
If they're all like this I wouldn't wanna read anymore. This is for little kids solely. It's just so simplistic and ridiculous and far-fetched. I like fantasy and make-believe, but for it to have some basis in reality.
I think the most impressive thing is that the author was inspired by her trip there. I think she painted the desert well. It made me wanna ride a camel and see the stars at night, and the sunset and hear the moaning of the settling sand.
Facts: Baghdad was called Mesopotamia in the past, meaning "between the rivers" because it sets between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. It's called Iraq today, and Baghdad is the capital.
I figured Mamoon was inspired by a real person, and it ended up being two different people, Harun al-Rashid and his youngest son Abdullah al-Mamoon. Stories say Harun disguised himself and went to the bazaars to listen to his people, which I think is pretty cool, and also like this character did when he disguised himself as a merchant to go on the journey to retrieve the book. His world inspired the stories A Thousand and One Nights, or Tales from the Arabian Nights.
His youngest son carried on his dad's work in honoring arts and science. He founded the House of Wisdom there. It was home to scholars all over the Eastern world. al-Kindi, known as "the philosopher of the Arabs" and mathematician al-Khwarizmi, who introduced algebra to the world were two important people who studied there.
Many ancient writings were housed and translated there. Among the most important were Aristotle's teachings, which helped the foundation of modern science. Harun started a golden age, when Baghdad was an important center of learning and culture for four hundred years, until 1258 when it was destroyed by invading Mongols. It was amazing one person could be responsible for a golden age like that.
I've seen this series at the book store and it looked cute, but I wasn't familiar with the story line.
So I found it surprising and quite far-fetched how this magical treehouse just appears, & on top of that Morgan le Fay, yes that Morgan le Fay, from Camelot is a magical librarian and they get missions from the magician Merlin! That's quite a tale.
They mentioned how they were just in Venice, and I'd be interested to read that one.
There's poems they can only use sparingly for help. I found all of them to be weird and just ridiculous-sounding.
'From far beyond, send helpers here!
Hah-ee-by, hah-ee-keer!'
This seemed incredibly dangerous in that you're sending two white kids to places they might not have been to, with modern things like their glasses and dialogue. Didn't anyone wonder at their modern speech? Modern glasses? How they knew things they wouldn't have then?
They have to come up with flimsy excuses of why they're there, like their family left them behind in the desert.
It's just absurd to think these two kids would change the course of history.
The author painted a romantic & picturesque scene of the desert: camels being ships of the desert.
Reading the stars; telling the constellations for which directions.
The illustrations of the desert and them riding camels was nice.
"I wish to be reading the wind and the stars."
"How do you read the stars?"
"They have their own language."
"We must head east toward the morning sun."
The whistling sands, made by sand settling on the dunes.
"We have learned the whistling is made by sands settling in the drifts."
"Oh," said Annie. "I'd hoped it was magic."
"Learning the reasons for things is magic," said Mamoon. "True knowledge brings light to the world. And that is a magical thing, no?"
It was also interesting to learn sandstorms make a moaning sound.
They have this handy research book that contains anything they want to look up.
Their task, the poem they follow, was more like a premonition, because everything happened exactly like the poem said. They didn't have to do much at all,& they found themselves acting out parts of the poem, like riding ships of the desert. To help someone spread wisdom, they end up with Mamoon's book of Aristotle's words.
They're at an outdoor market in Baghdad,& don't know what it is, so they look it up. How would you even do that? Look up Baghdad and hope a market comes up? Or specifically look up Baghdad's markets?
It was ironic Annie said "This part of the mission is easy!" In reference to seeing the third walls they had to pass, cause I was thinking everything had been easy. Then they easily see the horse on the domed roof.
Perhaps Annie bragging to the boys about them being special and saving the treasure was used to show kids not to brag, cause otherwise idk why it's in here because it made Annie not likable.
Then there's their very handy friends, Teddy and Kathleen, who gave them a magical book apparently with rhymes they can use for help. Ones called Mend What Cannot Be Mended so they easily fix the torn book the camel ate.
'Heal what is broken beyond repair!
Avi-bree-all! Fen-a-mare!'
Harry Potter this isn't.
The pieces on the ground swirled together to reform the book. Not sure how the pieces inside the camel came out...
The Room of the Tree was cool, with a big tree with silver leaves and gold birds who sang,& a wooden black chair with jewels in it.
They're in the stables and a girl gets them and brings them to the very room they needed to find. As if she knew they were in the stables and knew they were coming there.
It's later explained the servant girl and boy were probably Teddy and Kathleen which makes sense considering it was so unusual. And it explains why Mamoon asked how they got into the throne room.
But by the end, I had completely forgotten who Teddy and Kathleen were. It was mentioned in the beginning, but I forgot because it took my three days to read it. More background needs to be given for people who haven't read others in the series.
It was a surprise that Mamoon ended up being the caliph.
I liked that the poem 'Greet a friend you once knew
And a new friend to be' turned out to be the same person. I expected Mamoon would be the old friend but not the caliph also.
Mamoon being the caliph tied into Merlin's letter: "Remember that life is full of surprises."
During the golden age of Baghdad, they had good hospitals, an excellent police system and public schools, libraries, stores, and a zoo with a hundred lions.
This painted a different picture of Baghdad than we know today, so that was interesting to see what it once was. But I didn't know when exactly their golden age was, because the author never came out and said the year this was set in.
It was interesting that al-Khwarizmi was in the library, the guy who perfected the Indian numbers we use today, Arabic numerals.
They have thousands of books, and scientists and scholars come to learn and share their wisdom. Like al-Kindi, the scientist, thought knowledge shouldn't belong to any one person or country, the world is only wise when wisdom is shared. That was a nice concept.
He shows them a book of the Tales from the Arabian Nights. When they say they've read it he says sometime from his land must have traveled to theirs and shared their stories,& he hopes their stories will make it to them. And that he hoped their land will hear of Aristotle's writing. He's gonna have it copied and share it's wisdom.
There again, they don't even try to be historically accurate. How could they have read it at that time? It's a flimsy excuse that someone from his land traveled to the U.S. and told the story.
They use the magic book right there in the library, don't even try to find a private place, so everyone sees them fly out the library on a carpet.
"Sail through the sky where you wish to go!
Sawn-ee-fore, sawn-ee-row!"
Boy, these are bad.
My favorite part of the book:
'The carpet soared over the House of Wisdom, over the caliph rising back to his palace in his carriage, and over the camel stable.
The carpet zipped over the green dome with the horse on top. It flew over the courtyard, where the boys were still playing ball, over the third wall, and past the green field and the grand avenue.
The carpet flew over the second wall, the houses, the hospitals, and the hundred lions in the zoo. It flew over the first wall, the arched bridge, and the moat.
The carpet zoomed over the bazaar with the maze of stalls, the shoemakers, porters, and weavers. It sailed high over the road to Baghdad. Below, Jack and Annie saw the men driving donkey carts, the boys leading sheep, and the women carrying pots.
The carpet flew faster and faster and faster--
over the river, the grazing fields,
and the dunes with the whistling sands,
over the red glowing desert
toward the setting sun
and the small oasis
in the middle of nowhere.'
It was nice how at the end, they wanted to go to the library and see Aristotle's book of wisdom, after all they had done concerning the book.
They said they had two more missions and five more rhymes. How did they know how many missions he'd send them on? What were they talking about?
They said this was their second mission so I thought this must be book two, but it's 34!! I'm so confused...
It didn't help that I started work and barely had any time to read, so a book that could have taken less than a day to read took me three. It never helps to be dragging out a book you're not enjoying reading in the first place. It ambled along with no real direction. I don't think this was fully realized. And it took a long time to get to the actual plot.
I found this whole plot, the whole story to be so far fetched and simple. Everything happened so easily. They didn't do anything, everything fell in their laps.
It was also just weird. There was a lot going on. Magic books, research books, poems, spells, Merlin, Morgan le Fey, who didn't make an appearance, two magic friends.
I was so glad to finally be done.
If they're all like this I wouldn't wanna read anymore. This is for little kids solely. It's just so simplistic and ridiculous and far-fetched. I like fantasy and make-believe, but for it to have some basis in reality.
I think the most impressive thing is that the author was inspired by her trip there. I think she painted the desert well. It made me wanna ride a camel and see the stars at night, and the sunset and hear the moaning of the settling sand.
Facts: Baghdad was called Mesopotamia in the past, meaning "between the rivers" because it sets between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. It's called Iraq today, and Baghdad is the capital.
I figured Mamoon was inspired by a real person, and it ended up being two different people, Harun al-Rashid and his youngest son Abdullah al-Mamoon. Stories say Harun disguised himself and went to the bazaars to listen to his people, which I think is pretty cool, and also like this character did when he disguised himself as a merchant to go on the journey to retrieve the book. His world inspired the stories A Thousand and One Nights, or Tales from the Arabian Nights.
His youngest son carried on his dad's work in honoring arts and science. He founded the House of Wisdom there. It was home to scholars all over the Eastern world. al-Kindi, known as "the philosopher of the Arabs" and mathematician al-Khwarizmi, who introduced algebra to the world were two important people who studied there.
Many ancient writings were housed and translated there. Among the most important were Aristotle's teachings, which helped the foundation of modern science. Harun started a golden age, when Baghdad was an important center of learning and culture for four hundred years, until 1258 when it was destroyed by invading Mongols. It was amazing one person could be responsible for a golden age like that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 27, 2020
In the magic treehouse series, not only in Merlin Missions, there are two kids named Jack and Annie. Jack and Annie found a magic treehouse. They soon discovered that there were lots and lots of books inside the treehouse and when you point to a picture in a book and wish to go there, the magic treehouse magically transports you there! They soon learned that this magic treehouse belongs to Morgan Le Fay from Camelot. So far they have helped Morgan with a humongous amount of things by completing missions in all places and time periods with the help of the magic treehouse. However in Merlin Missions, it is not however Morgan who sends them on the missions, it is Merlin. A fantastic magician. During their adventures they make friends named Teddy and Kathleen. However on the next four missions they are on their own because Merlin wants to know if they can handle magic properly. Teddy and Kathleen has given them ten magic rhymes to use on four missions. Each rhyme can only be used once.
In this book as usual, Jack and Annie are ready for another Merlin Mission. In this mission they figure out that that they need to spread wisdom to a place named Baghdad. By pointing at the research book they magically transported to the place they needed to be! But soon it became clear that they had arrived in the middle of nowhere. Jack and Annie decided to use one of the magic rhymes which is get helpers to appear out of nowhere. Then a sandstorm came. After the sandstorm they saw helpers! The helpers were really nice. At night, they start to ride camels to Baghdad. Annie is going fine with the camels, but Jack is not going well. He does not like his camel. Then bandits attack, and come out of nowhere! The leader of the helpers, Mamoon, gives them a special box to protect with their lives and to hide while they fight the bandits. Jack and Annie want to see what is inside but the box is locked. Soon they hurried on their camels and continued their journey to Baghdad. Soon a sandstorm came! The saddlebag blew off Mamoon’s camel, and the precious box inside the saddlebag tumbled away because of the sandstorm. In a sandstorm it was dangerous to run after something, but Mamoon said to protect with his life! What should Jack do? Furthermore, in the rhyme Jack and Annie were supposed to meet the ruler of Baghdad. Every helper laughed except Mamoon, and said that children do not get to meet the ruler. This worries Jack. If the ruler of Baghdad won’t listen to Jack and Annie, how will they spread wisdom to Baghdad? What wisdom will they try to spread anyway?
In this book as usual, Jack and Annie are ready for another Merlin Mission. In this mission they figure out that that they need to spread wisdom to a place named Baghdad. By pointing at the research book they magically transported to the place they needed to be! But soon it became clear that they had arrived in the middle of nowhere. Jack and Annie decided to use one of the magic rhymes which is get helpers to appear out of nowhere. Then a sandstorm came. After the sandstorm they saw helpers! The helpers were really nice. At night, they start to ride camels to Baghdad. Annie is going fine with the camels, but Jack is not going well. He does not like his camel. Then bandits attack, and come out of nowhere! The leader of the helpers, Mamoon, gives them a special box to protect with their lives and to hide while they fight the bandits. Jack and Annie want to see what is inside but the box is locked. Soon they hurried on their camels and continued their journey to Baghdad. Soon a sandstorm came! The saddlebag blew off Mamoon’s camel, and the precious box inside the saddlebag tumbled away because of the sandstorm. In a sandstorm it was dangerous to run after something, but Mamoon said to protect with his life! What should Jack do? Furthermore, in the rhyme Jack and Annie were supposed to meet the ruler of Baghdad. Every helper laughed except Mamoon, and said that children do not get to meet the ruler. This worries Jack. If the ruler of Baghdad won’t listen to Jack and Annie, how will they spread wisdom to Baghdad? What wisdom will they try to spread anyway?
September 16, 2018
I think this book is very informational and interesting and I read this twice. This book is about a brother and sister named Jack and Annie that were on a mission to save the legendary realm of Camelot in a treehouse full of books. This mission was to help the caliph spread wisdom to the world and they picked up a book that said, “The Golden Age of Baghdad”. All they have to do is to say, “I wish I could go there.” When the tree house finally settled, Jack and Annie took a look outside. Jack decided that they would use magic to help them on their journey and chose one that said, “Make helpers appear out of nowhere.” Soon, a bunch of travelers riding camels appeared and both kids ran toward them. One of the travelers’ name was Mamoon and he dicided to take Jack and Annie with them on their way to Baghdad. When they reached Baghdad, they were on their way to meet the caliph. They had to pass 3 thick walls to reach the main building. When they reached the main building, they once again met Mamoon. Jack and Annie finally realized that Mamoon was the Caliph. The siblings gave Mamoon the book of Artisole and Mamoon explained that he wanted to spread wisdom across the world. After that, Jack and Annie went back home and waited for another mission... I think the author’s strengths are putting lots of information in the book. Some improvements I would suggest is to make the book longer so the reader can have a better understanding of what’s going to happen next. I think this book has unrealistic elements because it talks about made up places and people. I would rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars and I hope you could read this and the other books made from the author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 1, 2017
Season of Sandstorms
Mary Pope Osborne wrote the book, Magic Tree House #34: Season of the Sandstorms. It is the story of two kids named Jack and Annie who find a magic tree house. The book is about Jack and Annie completing a Merlin mission back in time in the desert near Bagdad. The mission is to take a book to the caliph. Meanwhile, bandits and sandstorms cause them trouble!
The story begins with Jack and Annie doing their math homework. Then, they stop that and go to the magic tree house. The tree house takes them back in time to a desert near Baghdad where they meet Mamoon and his men. As the story continues, Jack and Annie travel to Baghdad with Mamoon. Next, some bandits attack and steal stuff! Later, a sandstorm comes and they almost lose the book! Will they get the book to the caliph and complete their mission? Read the book to find out!
The message of this book is to never give up. The theme is to never give up because Jack and Annie didn’t give up on their mission when there were bandits. They didn’t give up when there was a sandstorm.
I like Magic Tree House #34: Season of Sandstorms because it was exciting. I learned to never give up. I am like Jack because I am adventurous too. I think you should read this book because it is very thrilling!
Mary Pope Osborne wrote the book, Magic Tree House #34: Season of the Sandstorms. It is the story of two kids named Jack and Annie who find a magic tree house. The book is about Jack and Annie completing a Merlin mission back in time in the desert near Bagdad. The mission is to take a book to the caliph. Meanwhile, bandits and sandstorms cause them trouble!
The story begins with Jack and Annie doing their math homework. Then, they stop that and go to the magic tree house. The tree house takes them back in time to a desert near Baghdad where they meet Mamoon and his men. As the story continues, Jack and Annie travel to Baghdad with Mamoon. Next, some bandits attack and steal stuff! Later, a sandstorm comes and they almost lose the book! Will they get the book to the caliph and complete their mission? Read the book to find out!
The message of this book is to never give up. The theme is to never give up because Jack and Annie didn’t give up on their mission when there were bandits. They didn’t give up when there was a sandstorm.
I like Magic Tree House #34: Season of Sandstorms because it was exciting. I learned to never give up. I am like Jack because I am adventurous too. I think you should read this book because it is very thrilling!
September 24, 2020
This book is filled with adventure, magic, and history that kids love to read about! Jack and Annie travel back in time to a desert in the Middle East. As they venture out for their Merlin mission on their camels, they experience wild sandstorms. This book is a level N (early third grade level) and I would consider it to be a historical fiction genre book. I usually read this book in one of my guided reading groups. I usually have 3-4 students in a reading group and we take turns reading the story aloud. This really helps students follow along and helps with their fluency also. After we read a chapter or two we usually respond to questions in written form. They have a notebook that they keep all of their book responses in. I always start my students off by telling them to use part of the question in their answer. This always helps them to write in complete sentences for their response. This book really helps children expand their imagination. I love the magic tree house books because they are always so creative and keeps students on their toes. This book is also a great book to have discussion on geography and history as well. For this particular book you could discuss deserts in the Middle East and where they are located on a globe or map. Some students may not be familiar with what a desert is or what it looks like. Providing visuals and some background history is a great way to help them understand and visualize the story as they are reading it.
This is a WOW book for me mainly because I love how creative and imaginative students can be with this book. It pulls them in and keeps them entertained throughout the whole book. They are always eager to see what is going to happen next.
This is a WOW book for me mainly because I love how creative and imaginative students can be with this book. It pulls them in and keeps them entertained throughout the whole book. They are always eager to see what is going to happen next.
June 8, 2020
Jack and Annie travel to Baghdad in the golden age of the Caliphate where they help deliver a treasured text to the Caliph, dealing with bandits, sandstorms, and a pair of not-always-cooperative camels.
The bandit raid takes place mostly "off-screen", although I must admit to having a voice in my head yelling "roll for initiative!" when the bandits make their appearance.
This story went for some major plot twists, which my son enjoyed when we read this together. I could see them coming, but they were still generally satisfying and fun.
The historical details were good, and this was an interesting setting to explore.
The bandit raid takes place mostly "off-screen", although I must admit to having a voice in my head yelling "roll for initiative!" when the bandits make their appearance.
This story went for some major plot twists, which my son enjoyed when we read this together. I could see them coming, but they were still generally satisfying and fun.
The historical details were good, and this was an interesting setting to explore.
January 26, 2019
My 9-year-old daughter and I have a lot of good memories reading Magic Tree House books! Yesterday she read aloud half of this book and I got caught immediately by the story. I personally learned some facts about camels: these Oasis’s animals can drink 2 barrels of water in 10 minutes and then go without water or food for weeks (Yeah, Incredible!) Also, my daughter enjoyed the other facts and biographical part of this book. Wonderful story! 💝
March 25, 2019
I love this series. What a beautiful way for kids to travel back in times to learn about the Middle East with Jack and Annie. For example, kids will learn about the "miracle" of camels and their role in trade. As an aside, I love how the camel names - Beauty and Cutie - reflect Osborne's adorable humor. Kids will also learn about the great philosopher Aristotle and how his work was translated into Arabic in the Middle Ages.
Finally, Osborne shows how Jack and Annie recollect how to be humble through not bragging or taking rewards for services rendered.
Season of the Sandstorm is a must read for anyone wanting to go on a magical carpet ride into a whole new world.
Finally, Osborne shows how Jack and Annie recollect how to be humble through not bragging or taking rewards for services rendered.
Season of the Sandstorm is a must read for anyone wanting to go on a magical carpet ride into a whole new world.
May 19, 2021
Interesting story, but Jack and Annie's presence was entirely unnecessary. Like if they didn't do the spell at the beginning that brought a sandstorm and blew Mamoon off course the entire book wouldn't exist. He would have arrived in Baghdad no problem, they literally only caused problems. If that plot point was different and they were the actual cause for the conflict, this book would have been 5 stars.
May 22, 2017
Jack and Annie were setting off to the tree house. They now begin their 34th adventure. They went to the desert and they found someone named Mamoon. Mamoon helped them to on their mission. Later on they found bandits. They ended up in a sandstorm that was blowing everything around everywhere. Mamoon was my favorite character in this, as he was really wise.
September 22, 2019
I read this book in just one day and I thought it was really good! Jack and Annie travel to Baghdad on their mission in hopes of spreading wisdom to the world. This book was adventurous and it also had little fun facts about Baghdad sprinkled throughout and I thought that was a very creative way for the author to provide her readers with even more knowledge.
October 29, 2020
In this adventure we travel to Baghdad on a mission for Merlin the Magician. We learn about the desert, the city of Baghdad, the Caliph and the learning library. We learn about camels, flying carpets and honesty. I always feel like I learn something from these books, a simple wisdom for everyday life. I'm happy my son loves to read these books.
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