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Magic Tree House "Merlin Missions" #25
Shadow of the Shark
Jack and Annie are diving into danger when the magic tree house whisks them away to shark-infested waters in this NEW adventure in the New York Times bestselling Magic Tree House series!
It’s a dream vacation for Jack and Annie—or is it?
When Teddy, a young sorcerer, offers to send Jack and Annie on a dream vacation, they can’t wait to go. The brother-and-sister pair wish for a trip to a beach paradise, and the magic tree house whisks them off to the coast of Mexico. Everything starts out perfectly as they raft around a coral reef. But then a hungry shark attacks! And their dream vacation turns into a nightmare!
Have more fun with Jack and Annie on the Magic Tree House® website at MagicTreeHouse.com.
It’s a dream vacation for Jack and Annie—or is it?
When Teddy, a young sorcerer, offers to send Jack and Annie on a dream vacation, they can’t wait to go. The brother-and-sister pair wish for a trip to a beach paradise, and the magic tree house whisks them off to the coast of Mexico. Everything starts out perfectly as they raft around a coral reef. But then a hungry shark attacks! And their dream vacation turns into a nightmare!
Have more fun with Jack and Annie on the Magic Tree House® website at MagicTreeHouse.com.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published June 23, 2015
437 people are currently reading
1792 people want to read
About the author
Mary Pope Osborne
1,093 books2,574 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 102 reviews
August 12, 2025
Another delightful adventure with Jack and Annie. Off to Cozumel and the history of the Mayans. They are sent to just have fun, but with this brother and sister things are never what they seem.
Did I say I love these books? Did I say I wish I had had them growing up? Did I say your young people and children will love them, and learn a great deal as well? Saying it now. A good getaway when things get stressful.
Did I say I love these books? Did I say I wish I had had them growing up? Did I say your young people and children will love them, and learn a great deal as well? Saying it now. A good getaway when things get stressful.
March 9, 2016
The shark has a surprisingly small role for being on the cover. But sharks are cool no matter what!
January 18, 2016
In this installment of the Magic Tree House series, Jack and Annie are supposed to be headed to Cozumel for a vacation, courtesy of Teddy, their sorcerer friend. But when they arrive, they are attacked by a shark at sea and realize that they've reached the right destination but at the wrong time. To their dismay, Jack is supposed to be the heir of the current ruler when clearly his own daughter, Heart-of-the-Wind is more suited to lead. But females were never rulers at that time. Taping a message on their cellphone and leaving the device in the possession of Heart-of-the-Wind, they make sure that at least one thing changes. Fans of the series will enjoy this one too, but I kept asking myself what other effects might have been caused by that one change. Too bad the youngsters never really get to enjoy that promised vacation.
March 11, 2021
For the first time Jack and Annie have no mission. Merlin and Morgan decide (after 52 missions) it's time for the duo to have a vacation. They choose to take a snorkeling trip to Cozumel, Mexico. They make it to Cozumel but there is a mixup and find themselves over a thousand years in the past during the rule of the Mayans.
My son and I enjoyed it and look forward to the next book in the series.
My son and I enjoyed it and look forward to the next book in the series.
June 22, 2019
The Magic Tree House! My childhood in all its glory, which will forever remain crowned as one of my favourite series of all time. I grew up listening to the audio-books of books 1-40, though I suppose that's now books 1-28 + Merlin Missions 1-12, what with the rebranding. No joke, if given Night of the New Magicians, I can and will read it back to you in the exact same tone that Mary Pope Osborne did in the audio-book!
It's been some time since I've read any MTH books that aren't those that I listened to as a child, so I decided to hope back into the series. I didn't quite like books 41-44, mostly since I suffered greatly from second-hand embarrassment, (curse ye, Jack!), so I picked up some of the books afterwards. I can't exactly be bothered to find them in my libraries, so I had a peak at my library's digital library catalogue and found Soccer on Sunday and Shadow of the Shark!
Spoilers below
The premise of the book is that Jack and Annie get to go on a vacation adventure instead of a "we need to find something for Camelot" adventure, which sounds great! Finally, they're getting a bit of a break, since they've mostly been doing things for Camelot for 50-ish books straight. But of course, this is a Magic Tree House book, so something has to go wrong :P Leave it to Annie to accidentally do something that leads to another!
I didn't enjoy the book just as much as I do some of the older ones, especially my beloved Merlin Missions. Apparently, Shadow of the Shark is also considered a Merlin Mission, though I suppose the premise of it being a vacation leaves less material to delve into when compared to books like Winter of the Ice Wizard.
I always love how Osborne incorporates history time and time again in her books, such as Heart-of-the-Wind here, and I found it downright hilarious that when I myself Googled her, the description on Wikipedia almost matches that which Osborne used in the book word for word.
All in all, it was refreshing to read Jack and Annie go on another adventure where they encountered accidental danger just by exploring, just as they did in the earliest books in the series!
It's been some time since I've read any MTH books that aren't those that I listened to as a child, so I decided to hope back into the series. I didn't quite like books 41-44, mostly since I suffered greatly from second-hand embarrassment, (curse ye, Jack!), so I picked up some of the books afterwards. I can't exactly be bothered to find them in my libraries, so I had a peak at my library's digital library catalogue and found Soccer on Sunday and Shadow of the Shark!
Spoilers below
The premise of the book is that Jack and Annie get to go on a vacation adventure instead of a "we need to find something for Camelot" adventure, which sounds great! Finally, they're getting a bit of a break, since they've mostly been doing things for Camelot for 50-ish books straight. But of course, this is a Magic Tree House book, so something has to go wrong :P Leave it to Annie to accidentally do something that leads to another!
I didn't enjoy the book just as much as I do some of the older ones, especially my beloved Merlin Missions. Apparently, Shadow of the Shark is also considered a Merlin Mission, though I suppose the premise of it being a vacation leaves less material to delve into when compared to books like Winter of the Ice Wizard.
I always love how Osborne incorporates history time and time again in her books, such as Heart-of-the-Wind here, and I found it downright hilarious that when I myself Googled her, the description on Wikipedia almost matches that which Osborne used in the book word for word.
All in all, it was refreshing to read Jack and Annie go on another adventure where they encountered accidental danger just by exploring, just as they did in the earliest books in the series!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2024
I didn’t read a lot of these books growing up, so even though they are not at my usual level of reading, I’m reading these while I’m in between my usual reads. I don’t have anything bad to say about these books or series. They are fun from start to finish and they have some pretty awesome illustrations throughout. They’re educational, fun, and just downright awesome. Definitely worth the time!
This one follows Jack and Annie as they finally take a vacation from all the adventures they have, or so they think. What they think is starting out as a normal vacation turns into encounters with sharks, Mayan people, and jungle creates. It’s got a lot of fun things that take place!
This one follows Jack and Annie as they finally take a vacation from all the adventures they have, or so they think. What they think is starting out as a normal vacation turns into encounters with sharks, Mayan people, and jungle creates. It’s got a lot of fun things that take place!
May 5, 2023
Incest.
January 7, 2022
I liked it because near the middle they got to go on a vacation. They went to Mexico to the time of the Mayans, and they met up with the king. They tried to get out of the castle, and the queen's daughter told Annie that they wanted Jack to be a future king maybe? But they had to get back to the future, so they went back to the treehouse.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2023
I wish Jack and Annie were eaten by sharks, but there were HARDLY ANY SHARKS in this SHARK BOOK. False advertising, and Jack says slurs.
One star.
One star.
October 7, 2021
Love the Magic Tree House books!
January 23, 2018
actually didn't know what to think about this one...
June 29, 2020
Read aloud with my boys
January 8, 2021
Another great Magic Treehouse book!
Read
December 12, 2023while, yes, i really did read this book with a child this year, i am mainly adding this as a place holder for another book.
please dont ask what book. lol
IYKYK
please dont ask what book. lol
IYKYK
October 8, 2015
What is Jack and Annie’s latest mission? To have fun! They return to Mexico where they saw the 1970 World Cup Soccer final game in their previous adventure. Their friends Randy and Jenny have just returned from a vacation at Cozumel near the Yucatan Peninsula, and the time-travelling siblings want to go there. So when their young sorcerer friend Teddy from Camelot with a thank-you message from Merlin and Morgan that enables them to have a holiday anywhere they want, they choose to go scuba diving at Cozumel. But facing a savage shark, unfriendly natives, and a growling jaguar, will they survive their trip? And why are there no luxury hotels, fine restaurants, theme parks, tourists, and cruise ships as their travel guide shows?
Annie uses the euphemistic exclamation “darn” a couple of times. Some might interpret Jack and Annie’s encouragement of Heart-of-the-Wind to aspire for leadership among her people as a form of feminism, although apparently historical records seem to indicate that there was a female ruler among the Mayans from 573 to 604. And in the accompanying information on sharks, there are some evolutionary assumptions regarding “millions of years ago). The biggest complaint I saw was that there is less really educational material in this book as compared to others in the series. However, from a positive standpoint, there is some information about the geography of Cozumel and the Yucatan Peninsula, the history of the Mayan Indians, and the scientific facts about coral reefs and sharks. Also, the new, full-opening drawings are extremely well done and greatly enhance the text.
Annie uses the euphemistic exclamation “darn” a couple of times. Some might interpret Jack and Annie’s encouragement of Heart-of-the-Wind to aspire for leadership among her people as a form of feminism, although apparently historical records seem to indicate that there was a female ruler among the Mayans from 573 to 604. And in the accompanying information on sharks, there are some evolutionary assumptions regarding “millions of years ago). The biggest complaint I saw was that there is less really educational material in this book as compared to others in the series. However, from a positive standpoint, there is some information about the geography of Cozumel and the Yucatan Peninsula, the history of the Mayan Indians, and the scientific facts about coral reefs and sharks. Also, the new, full-opening drawings are extremely well done and greatly enhance the text.
July 13, 2017
130 pages. Another great adventure with Annie and Jack as they travel in time to Mexico. This time they accidentally end up in a Mayan city. Their raft gets attacked by a shark. YIKES! Great fun for elementary kids. Highly recommended for Grades 3-4.
Read
February 10, 2023My son loves this series. I can see the evolution of the characters, and how their sibling relationship grows into friendship as the series progresses. It's a really fun series, and Mary Pope Osborn does a fantastic job relaying age appropriate history.
September 12, 2015
Another beautiful & vivid addition to the Magic Tree House collection!
July 16, 2016
My girls loved this adventure series in audiobook. And what could be better than fun for the whole family while commuting to uneventful places?
May 9, 2017
Of course Jack and Annie can't go on vacation without trouble, poor things. :/
Read
April 23, 2018easy to read, I will have in my classroom library
February 23, 2019
Many of the books in the Magic Tree House series were WOW books for me as a child and the Shadow of the Shark fell nothing short of this category. Although it was written more recently, the book still took readers on a magical, thrilling, unexpected adventure. I loved that this book incorporated today’s technology, Jack and Annie had a cell phone, with history, the Mayan civilization. Readers can’t know what is going to happen next which keeps things interesting but the book is also somewhat educational about historical events/places that really happened and existed. This fantasy/science fiction book could be great for a book club/literature circle in a 3rd grade classroom.
This book could be great to use alongside a unit about the ancient Mayan civilization and the Mayan ruins. I even want to say this can fall under the historical fiction category because of its retelling of events that did happen in history. An activity that could go along with this would be asking students to rewrite their own historical event of choice. In the story, Jack leaves a cell phone message for the King of the Mayan civilization which leads to them having their first female leader. It would be interesting for students to write a story like this about their own event of choice or about this specific time in history.
Another activity students could do would be to come up with different names for everyday items, animals, etc. In the story, the Mayans refer to crocodiles as earth-monster-of-the-underworld and jaguars as he-who-kills-with-one-leap. Students could use their creativity, knowledge, and best adjectives to come up with interesting names of their own.
In book clubs and literature circles this book could spark many important discussions about women in history (in power positions), bravery and courage, as well as technology and how it has shaped today’s society. In the book they discuss how their could never be a women leader of the Mayans (but there ends up being one). Jack and Annie as well as the Mayan girl, heart-of-the-wind, show bravery and courage throughout the story. Technology also plays an interesting role in the story and could get students thinking and talking about what our world was like when there was no technology as we know it today.
This book could be great to use alongside a unit about the ancient Mayan civilization and the Mayan ruins. I even want to say this can fall under the historical fiction category because of its retelling of events that did happen in history. An activity that could go along with this would be asking students to rewrite their own historical event of choice. In the story, Jack leaves a cell phone message for the King of the Mayan civilization which leads to them having their first female leader. It would be interesting for students to write a story like this about their own event of choice or about this specific time in history.
Another activity students could do would be to come up with different names for everyday items, animals, etc. In the story, the Mayans refer to crocodiles as earth-monster-of-the-underworld and jaguars as he-who-kills-with-one-leap. Students could use their creativity, knowledge, and best adjectives to come up with interesting names of their own.
In book clubs and literature circles this book could spark many important discussions about women in history (in power positions), bravery and courage, as well as technology and how it has shaped today’s society. In the book they discuss how their could never be a women leader of the Mayans (but there ends up being one). Jack and Annie as well as the Mayan girl, heart-of-the-wind, show bravery and courage throughout the story. Technology also plays an interesting role in the story and could get students thinking and talking about what our world was like when there was no technology as we know it today.
March 20, 2019
Magic Tree House books have helped all my children learn to read and more importantly learn to love reading. Sibilings Jack and Annie explore different times and places on their missions from Merlin the Magician and the magical librarian Morgan le Fay. Merlin and Morgan need the help of these children to solve puzzles, collect artifacts and gather information. In each book, Jack and Annie travel in the magic tree house and then back home to Pennsylvania, always returning the same time they left. Most books are 10 chapters with less than 150 pages, perfect for building confidence and stamina in young readers. Books have an historical basis with characters from history and real events. Jack and Annie typically befriend a child in the place they visit as well.
Book # 53 begins differently than most. Jack and Annie are offered a vacation by Merlin's assistant, Teddy, as a reward for all their help. They want to go to Cozumel, Mexico for snorkling and sight seeing. They want to stay in a luxury hotel and visit the ancient Mayan pyramids. Teddy gives them three magical coins for three wishes and a travel guide. They begin their adventure snorkeling using a wooden raft. When a shark attacks, the first magic coin turns fear to fun as they zoom away on a wave for the shore. They wish for money for the hotel from the second coin. On what they think is the way to the hotel, they stop to watch what they think is a reenactment of an ancient Mayan musical ceremony. When Jack and Annie are captured, they realize they have arrived in ancient Cozumel, one thousand years ago. The only daughter of a visiting chief tells them their father believes Jack will be his heir since he has no sons. They will travel through the forest where Jack will become the leader of the people. Jack and Annie tell the girl, Heart of the Wind, that they must return to their own parents. Heart of the Wind agrees to help them escape and leads them through the mangrove forest, a cave and a dark tunnel to get back to the shore on the way to their tree house. They do not fear the howler monkey, jaguar, crocodile or bugs with Heart of the Wind speaking peace to the animals and leading them. Jack and Annie tell Heart of the Wind she must become the leader of her people. Using their parents' old cell phone, Jack records a video message for the chief urging him to name his own daughter as his successor. Jack and Annie leave the phone and use the last coin/wish to get back to the tree house in a fun way. They ride atop a whale shark and even Jack enjoys the adventure.
The realistic illustrations help transport the reader to Cozumel with the ocean, Mayan costumes and whale shark provided on fold out pages. The illustrations are typically displayed every 6-8 pages in the book adding interest. For readers, the illustrations enhance and confirm details from the book.
I'd recommend this book for 5-10 year olds. Typically, these books are mostly read by second and third grade children. For families traveling to the Yucaton Penninsula on vacation, this book provides interesting historical context in a manner appropriate for young readers. For any reader, the book provides a great vicarious adventure with Jack and Annie snorkleing, climbing a cliff, and meeting Ancient people.
Book # 53 begins differently than most. Jack and Annie are offered a vacation by Merlin's assistant, Teddy, as a reward for all their help. They want to go to Cozumel, Mexico for snorkling and sight seeing. They want to stay in a luxury hotel and visit the ancient Mayan pyramids. Teddy gives them three magical coins for three wishes and a travel guide. They begin their adventure snorkeling using a wooden raft. When a shark attacks, the first magic coin turns fear to fun as they zoom away on a wave for the shore. They wish for money for the hotel from the second coin. On what they think is the way to the hotel, they stop to watch what they think is a reenactment of an ancient Mayan musical ceremony. When Jack and Annie are captured, they realize they have arrived in ancient Cozumel, one thousand years ago. The only daughter of a visiting chief tells them their father believes Jack will be his heir since he has no sons. They will travel through the forest where Jack will become the leader of the people. Jack and Annie tell the girl, Heart of the Wind, that they must return to their own parents. Heart of the Wind agrees to help them escape and leads them through the mangrove forest, a cave and a dark tunnel to get back to the shore on the way to their tree house. They do not fear the howler monkey, jaguar, crocodile or bugs with Heart of the Wind speaking peace to the animals and leading them. Jack and Annie tell Heart of the Wind she must become the leader of her people. Using their parents' old cell phone, Jack records a video message for the chief urging him to name his own daughter as his successor. Jack and Annie leave the phone and use the last coin/wish to get back to the tree house in a fun way. They ride atop a whale shark and even Jack enjoys the adventure.
The realistic illustrations help transport the reader to Cozumel with the ocean, Mayan costumes and whale shark provided on fold out pages. The illustrations are typically displayed every 6-8 pages in the book adding interest. For readers, the illustrations enhance and confirm details from the book.
I'd recommend this book for 5-10 year olds. Typically, these books are mostly read by second and third grade children. For families traveling to the Yucaton Penninsula on vacation, this book provides interesting historical context in a manner appropriate for young readers. For any reader, the book provides a great vicarious adventure with Jack and Annie snorkleing, climbing a cliff, and meeting Ancient people.
July 31, 2023
Magic Tree House Shadow of the Shark, Jack and Annie, the main characters, are sent on a special vacation by Teddy the sorcerer because they've done so many amazing things. And guess where they're going? Mexico! I love that place too, so I was really excited for them.
But you know what? Their dream vacation turned into a wild adventure! They were having so much fun, and Teddy gave them three gold coins to use for magic. These coins were super cool because when they tossed them and made a wish, something magical happened! Isn't that awesome?
So here comes the funny and scary part. They end up at a scary park with sharks! Can you imagine that? Sharks can be really scary, right? But don't worry, Jack and Annie are really smart. They took one of their coins and wished for a fun way to escape the sharks. How cool is that? They used magic to have fun and get away from the danger.
But wait, it gets even more exciting! They accidentally ended up in the ancient Mayan civilization instead of a resort with a spa. That's like traveling back in time! I won't spoil everything, but they meet this little man and learn all about the Mayan culture. It's like a history lesson and an adventure combined!
Then they have one coin left, and they decide to wish for five thousand dollars! That's a lot of money, right? But you know what? They realized that the ancient Mayans didn't use money, so it didn't really make sense for them to have it. It's a great lesson about understanding different cultures and being grateful for what you have.
I had so much fun reading this book! Jack and Annie are brave and clever, and they teach us that we should always have the courage to do anything, even if it means escaping from a shark! So, if you want to go on a thrilling adventure, you should definitely read Magic Tree House Shadow of the Shark. Happy reading!
If you're a fan of this book, you won't want to miss my full review on my YouTube channel.
https://youtu.be/8aQHZlMv1Gk
But you know what? Their dream vacation turned into a wild adventure! They were having so much fun, and Teddy gave them three gold coins to use for magic. These coins were super cool because when they tossed them and made a wish, something magical happened! Isn't that awesome?
So here comes the funny and scary part. They end up at a scary park with sharks! Can you imagine that? Sharks can be really scary, right? But don't worry, Jack and Annie are really smart. They took one of their coins and wished for a fun way to escape the sharks. How cool is that? They used magic to have fun and get away from the danger.
But wait, it gets even more exciting! They accidentally ended up in the ancient Mayan civilization instead of a resort with a spa. That's like traveling back in time! I won't spoil everything, but they meet this little man and learn all about the Mayan culture. It's like a history lesson and an adventure combined!
Then they have one coin left, and they decide to wish for five thousand dollars! That's a lot of money, right? But you know what? They realized that the ancient Mayans didn't use money, so it didn't really make sense for them to have it. It's a great lesson about understanding different cultures and being grateful for what you have.
I had so much fun reading this book! Jack and Annie are brave and clever, and they teach us that we should always have the courage to do anything, even if it means escaping from a shark! So, if you want to go on a thrilling adventure, you should definitely read Magic Tree House Shadow of the Shark. Happy reading!
If you're a fan of this book, you won't want to miss my full review on my YouTube channel.
https://youtu.be/8aQHZlMv1Gk
Read
November 6, 2017Summary
Jack and Annie are rewarded by Teddy, the young sorcerer, for all their hard work on the missions they've done. They get to take a dream vacation that can be any place of their choice. Their only mission is to have fun! The two decide on a beach vacation off the coast of the Yucatan peninsula in Cozumel, Mexico. They have plans to snorkel along the coral reef, enjoy a tropical paradise in resort-style hotels and explore the ancient Mayan culture that were displayed in a travel guide. But shortly after they've arrived to their paradise, they find out that they have traveled back over 1000 years on their paradise vacation. Together they must find a way to get back home safely while still finding ways to have fun!
Activity
1) Jack and Annie got to pick a dream vacation of their choice, where did they go? If you could pick a dream vacation where would you go and why?
2) What were the items that Teddy gave Jack and Annie to have fun with on their trip? Did they end up using them? Explain how.
3) What did Jack and Annie encounter as they went into the Mayan "amusement park"? What did they discover after they encountered the thing they had?
4) Who did Jack and Annie help as they were on their trip and how did they do so?
5) What was the important take-away from the book that Jack and Annie taught to their Mayan friend? Why do you think this is important?
Citation
Pope Osborne, M. (2015). Shadow of the Shark (Magic Tree House, #53). New York, NY. Penguin Random House LLC.
Jack and Annie are rewarded by Teddy, the young sorcerer, for all their hard work on the missions they've done. They get to take a dream vacation that can be any place of their choice. Their only mission is to have fun! The two decide on a beach vacation off the coast of the Yucatan peninsula in Cozumel, Mexico. They have plans to snorkel along the coral reef, enjoy a tropical paradise in resort-style hotels and explore the ancient Mayan culture that were displayed in a travel guide. But shortly after they've arrived to their paradise, they find out that they have traveled back over 1000 years on their paradise vacation. Together they must find a way to get back home safely while still finding ways to have fun!
Activity
1) Jack and Annie got to pick a dream vacation of their choice, where did they go? If you could pick a dream vacation where would you go and why?
2) What were the items that Teddy gave Jack and Annie to have fun with on their trip? Did they end up using them? Explain how.
3) What did Jack and Annie encounter as they went into the Mayan "amusement park"? What did they discover after they encountered the thing they had?
4) Who did Jack and Annie help as they were on their trip and how did they do so?
5) What was the important take-away from the book that Jack and Annie taught to their Mayan friend? Why do you think this is important?
Citation
Pope Osborne, M. (2015). Shadow of the Shark (Magic Tree House, #53). New York, NY. Penguin Random House LLC.
June 13, 2019
Merlin gives Jack and Annie a fun vacation on the sugar-white beaches of Cozumel, Mexico, as a reward for their previous adventures to save civilization. Misadventure ensues when the children, expecting luxury spas and beach resorts, accidentally return to the time of the Ancient Mayans. My child begged me to read the last chapter, even though it was past his bedtime, and I happily conceded. This series impresses me because it can be a springboard to many other educational concepts that parents could explore as a supplement to the story. Through this book (and with a little help from YouTube), my child learned about Ancient Mayan rituals, coral reefs, friendly whale sharks, The Yucatan Peninsula, The Great Sun of Palenque, snorkeling, mangrove forests, and sinkhole-caves. Most importantly, this book helped me teach my son that girls can do anything and be anything. One of the heroes of the book is a young Mayan girl, named Heart-of-the-Wind, daughter of the Mayan King who helps Jack and Annie return home. In turn, the American children devise a plan to help the Mayan girl persuade her father to inherit the throne—with an assist from modern technology. This book provided an opening for me to teach my son that his gender invests him with no inherent privilege or entitlement and that women of merit can be anything, including the ruler of the Mayan City of Palenque from 583-604, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the Chancellor of Germany, and the next President of the United States.
October 21, 2020
Jack and Annie go on yet another wild adventure! How can someone not LOVE this series? So well detailed and every story is so different from the next. The entire series can be read in order or it can be skipped around in any order the reader chooses. The magic tree house spun faster and faster until it stopped and was perfectly still, that's when Jack and Annie found themselves in ancient times where the means still lived. They needed to escape. There were no hotels, no tourists, no snorkeling. They were now time travelers who got caught by the King. The king's daughter, eventually helps Jack and Annie escape the capture and find their magic coins so they could wish to find their way back up into their magic treehouse to go home. The entire series begins with Jack and Annie in their normal life, usually with their family. They always have to go to their treehouse for some reason that differs in every book. Once in the treehouse, they go on their adventure where they are usually faced with a problem and have to solve it. The books always include some sort of educational factor too. At the end of the book, after their "mission" or problem is solved, they return to the treehouse, it magically transports home, then they ride their bikes home to their house where mom and dad always ask about their day.
March 1, 2022
My kids and I have read quite a few of the books in this series (not all, but a lot). The title inclusion of a shark was underwhelming, as there were only two short scenes with sharks (I guess more shark may have been a little frightening of a plot for younger kids, a la Jaws). I did enjoy the descriptions of the land throughout the book—the setting was well done. Also, the storyline as a whole was well done—Jack and Annie’s dream vacation accidentally turns into another suspenseful mission for them to work out of. However, I was a little unsure of what to make of the cell phone bit that “solved their problem” with Heart-of-the-Wind. I’ll simply leave it at that, but because of this and the lack of sharks I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I have many, many of the Magic Tree House adventures.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 14, 2021
This was another fun adventure with Jack and Annie. This also changed up the formula a bit as well. This time, the only mission is to relax, and there is no overarching mission to connect to the next book, at least not that I have seen yet. This also has several two page drawings, rather than several smaller ones. The Fact Tracker for this is Sharks and Other Predators: A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House #53: Shadow of the Shark
June 16, 2024
I honestly can't believe this book. I absolutely love the magic Tree house series. But this book really really got on my nerves. Annie is really really stupid and clutsy. I thought that she would have been better after they've been on 50 missions. I think she's regressing. And the fact that she always makes the wrong choices and Jack dumbly agrees with her. He should be the smart one. Also Annie should be not allowed to speak she makes a mesa out of everything and because Ms. Osborne needs to make sure the book ends nicely everything "magically" gets better.
But the siblings never get better at learning their lesson before the next book starts
I'm furious sorry
But the siblings never get better at learning their lesson before the next book starts
I'm furious sorry
Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews