Magic Tree House 4: Pirates Past Noon

Osborne, Mary Pope. Magic Tree House 4: Pirates Past Noon. Random House, Inc., 1993. ISBN 0-679-82425-1

Plot

On a rainy day, Jack and Annie climb into the mysterious magic tree house for another adventure. The tree house belongs to the mysterious "M" and is filled with books. Each time they visit the tree house, they choose a book which magically transports them to another place and time. Once they arrive at their adventure's destination, they must search for something that they have been sent there to bring back. In this adventure the children choose a book with a picture of a sunny beach, a palm tree, and a green parrot. Just then a green parrot appears outside the tree house window, and they are magically transported to the Caribbean. Cap'n Bones and his pirate crew force Jack and Annie to lead the way to Captain Kidd's treasure. Jack finds a gold medallion and the children manage to escape back to the tree house and Frog Creek. There the parrot who accompanied them on their adventure reveals herself to be the mysterious "M," or Morgan Le Fay. She is a librarian, and she travels through time to collect books.

Critical Evaluation

This story is a fast read, and the action is fun to follow. Kids learn about pirates times and the history of the Caribbean. The treasure map is included in the story. The reader can interpret the map along with Jack and Annie. This makes the reading experience immersive and engaging.

Annotations

Jack and Annie are off to the Caribbean when they enter the magic tree house and open a book to an illustration of a beautiful beach. They are forced to help pirates find treasure, but they find a gold medallion which belongs to "M."

Author

Mary Pope Osborne has written dozens of well-loved magic tree house stories starring Jack and Annie. Companion non-fiction research guides have been published by the author as well.

Genre

Fiction - history

Curriculum Ties

Language arts

Booktalk Ideas

Open with, "If you could open a book and magically transport to another time and place, where would you like to go? In Pirates Past Noon, Jack and Annie open a book about pirates then meet some." Then read aloud from the first chapter.

Reading Level/Interest Age

Grade 2 (age 7) and up.

Challenge Issues and Defense

None.

Why is it here?

Here is something for the youngest tweens to love and for slightly older tweens to look back on to remember their first chapter books.