Carnival at Candlelight

"Carnival at Candlelight" by Mary Pope Osborne was a delight to read. I generally don't like the fantasy genre but I absolutely love the "Magic Tree House" series. One of the things that I love about this series of books is the author's ability to blend factual knowledge with adventure and excitement. As a teacher I appreciate this ability because I believe that students will learn a lot of facts from these books plus they will be enjoying a grand adventure too. "Carnival at Candlelight" is the fifth book in a group of Magic Tree House books called the "Merlin Missions." Jack and Annie (the main characters) have a fantasy adventure in real places in real times. In this book they travel to the city of Venice, Italy. There they discover the mystery and magic of Venice. This book is filled with factual informations such as, "Instead of roads, Venice has waterways called canals. People glide along the canals in shallow boats called gondolas." Not only is this book filled with adventure and factual knowledge but it also has great illustrations. The illustrations in this book make the story come alive. The illustrations really give you an idea of how Jack and Annie feel during key moments in the story. This is a great book for second graders as a read-aloud. Third graders could read it by themselves.

I loved this Magic Treehouse book; Venice, Italy is such a cool place. I learned quite a bit, except I do know the fact that Venice was flooded in the end, but in the book, Jack and Annie save the city from the seawaters. I wish there could have been something after the story, that told you what REALLY happened to Venice, because a young child may not know that true fact. Buy this book...and this whole series (including the Research Guides)! Other Recomended Books: Cam Jansen, Animal Ark, A to Z Mysteries, and Puppy Patrol.

Carnival at Candlelight is about two kids who go to Venice on a magical adventure! This story is fun, funny, exiting, cool and also educating. The two main characters, Josh and Annie, go to Venice. They meet the Great Lady of the Lagoon! I believe anyone who likes adventures should definitely read this book! By, Jeremy

Howdy Reader! I'd like you to know about this awesome book for all ages! I will tell you about the pictures first. They are in black and white, but still very good. Anyways, you can't judge a book by it's pictures!! The book is so interesting! Want to know about a big carnival? Well, read this book and you'll find out! You will love it! by, Ryan

If you like adventures then you should read this fantastic book. The characters in this story are Jack, Annie, Kathleen and Teddy. This story takes place in Venice, Italy. The plot of the story is that Jack and Annie go to Venice, Italy to save the grand lady of the lagoon by doing many things. For example: "When the water beneath the moon rises, visit the grand lady of the lagoon. To find out where you need to go seek out a painter named Tiepolo." This story is funny and cool because it also has a book of magic spells. This book would be for children from 7-10 years old who love magic. By, Reynor