Haunted Castle on Hallows Eve

Magic Tree House "Merlin Missions" #2

by Mary Pope Osborne, Sal Murdocca (Illustrator)

The intrepid Jack and Annie are summoned once again to the fantasy realm of Camelot. There, Merlin the Magician tells them that the Stone of Destiny has been stolen. The answer to its disappearance lies within a haunted castle. With a young magician named Teddy, Jack and Annie take on the challenge in an adventure that takes them to new heights and places they couldn't even imagine!

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Fiction, Chapter Books, Adventure, Halloween, Middle Grade

128 pages, Hardcover

First published August 26, 2003

About the author

Mary 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.

Reviews

[SheLovesThePages · Rating 5 out of 5]

Students loved it. Super engaged and looked forward to hearing it!

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter loves Magic Tree house we just started reading through the Merlin Mission series as she listens to the original series audio books from the library. This was a fun halloween story.

[debbicat *made of stardust* · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was well received during our spooky reads month in the classroom. It is second in the Merlin 🧙‍♀️ Missions. Jack and Annie are back. The Raven 🐦‍⬛ King is a scary character. We meet a young raven named ROC who needs to be rescued. A haunted castle is the setting. A lost diamond needs to be found. A mystery will be solved. Highly recommended!

[Isaac Montgomery · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this house we stan Teddy

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the second in the "Merlin Mission" series. It follows the first, with a magical trip to Camelot. Both this book and the one preceeding it diverge from her previous stories, by delving into the folklore and mythology that comes from Britain and other places, rather than actual historical events. Her stories are adventurous and exciting and we look forward to the next, but overall, I prefer her earlier stories.

[kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with a group of my 2nd graders and they LOVED it! They have been reading others in the series because of this book. There are fantastic ideas for extension activities on Osborne's website. If your child likes this book, check out the site!

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

These books are great to read to your kids. My niece loves them so I decided to read one and see what it was all about. These are a perfect book to read to little children.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Magic Tree House book! My son is addicted to these. This one was set with a Halloween theme and was just enough of a funny fright for it to be fun!

[Lover of books · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely one of my favorites so far!

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this book.It is the best book. I love the merlin missons.

[Malia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Annie and Jack have to get the crystal back to the castle.

[Dillan Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was soooo cool. I can't even tell you how much I liked it.

[Jaheem Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these books they are so good

[merr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Y’all, I read Magic Tree House when I was younger, but it was never a series I read all the way through. People told me to go back and give them a try, so that’s what I am doing as a filler in between my other reads. These books are not my usual reading level, but they are a good read!

This book follows Jack and Annie as they go back to All Hallows Eve to a Haunted Castle. They were given a mission by Merlin, to restore order back to the castle. You follow along as they encounter ravens, magic twigs, and invisible children! The book is well wrote and has some cool drawings of the story throughout. I don’t have anything bad to say about it! It was a good, quick read. Worth a try!

[Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

No because why was this book kinda fire

I mean it’s magic tree house like hello ofc it’s gonna be good

It was kinda funny too and a fast read obv

TWO MORE BOOKS

[Christina (Confessions of a Book Addict) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun read-aloud with my son. He is all about "spooky" things, so this was right up his alley. I loved the setting of an old castle and the fantasy elements were a lot of fun. This series never disappoints.

[Stephanie ((Strazzybooks)) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best MTH I've read, but an interesting take on old legends and folklore. I would've like more Halloween based on the title, but The Raven King and Merlin both make appearances.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid adventure for elementary school readers and middle school readers. My son loves it and I enjoy reading along with him.

[Chelsea Welch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided a few months ago that I wanted to start reading 1-2 children’s books a year, and this is one that I remember being one of my favorites when I was a kid. It feels kinda weird to rate it as an adult, but ultimately, I love how inspiring it is. Jack and Annie overcome instances of adversity during their journey and they work together as a team. It’s a mystery and a fantasy wrapped into one, and if I’m being honest, it had more suspense that some adult mystery novels that I’ve read! It’s very cute and heartwarming, the illustrations are fantastic, and I can absolutely understand why I loved it so much as a kid.

[Jenny Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second of the Merlin Missions, taking place amid mythology rather than real events, for the most part at least. As usual, lovely illustrations. These are slightly longer than the original series, making them an easy step up as kids advance in reading comprehension and skill. There is no fact tracker to this one.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another great tale in a great series. I love the author's notes at the end, explaining where Osborne got her inspiration from. The Raven King was definitely an interesting character, and I like that Teddy (as well as Merlin) is becoming a more developed character in the stories. I highly recommend this book and this children's series.

[Nyla Romiza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is amazing. I love how this adventure goes. While I was reading this book it felt like i was there too. At first I thought something bad was going to happen when they got to the castle then i realized that nothing bad happened.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick, cute story about how two kids helped save a whole kingdom by helping out one family. The family was supposed to be guarding a Stine, but the Raven King stole it anyway. The kids' mission was to find out who had the stone and to get it back.

[sarah fishsticks]

good stuff

[Shankar B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked when Jack and Annie defeated the Raven King. I gave it a four because it was a little creepy.

[Marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary Pope never misses!!!! 💅🏻 The perfect seasonal treat for a nostalgia trip.

[Amanda Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter (9) said this one was 15/10 and thought it was funny when the ravens talked.

[Sage Holman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and entertaining! My 2 year old and 4 year old loved it. Not too spooky and just short enough we finished it in 2 days!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love reading Jack and Annie with my children.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 7 year old says, “just spooky enough to get into the Halloween spirit, but not too scary so you don’t get bad dreams. I love the Merlin mysteries because I love Camelot and want to find Excalibur when I grow up.”