Haunted Castle on Hallows Eve (Magic Tree House, #30)

As an undergraduate elementary education major, I was introduced to Jim Trelease and his explanation of why reading aloud to children can awaken their imaginations and improve their language skills. Now, as a second grade teacher, I read aloud every day for at least fifteen minutes after we return to the classroom from lunch. The books I choose to read aloud range from books that correspond with the content of the curriculum the class is learning or the closest upcoming holiday. Halloween is just around the corner and I just picked up a copy of Mary Pope Osborne's Haunted Castle on Hallow's Eve. I can't wait to start reading it to my class. Lots of my students are avid fans of Jack and Annie, the main characters of the series, and now I can see why they are always checking out books from the series from the library at school. Osborne does a wonderful job of continuing the English/Welsh/Irish/Celtic mythology and folklore surrounding Merlin the magician and the life and times of living in a castle. This book will increase my students vocabulary and expanded their imaginations that Halloween (Hallow's Eve) doesn't always mean that mummies, goblins, haunted castles are involved. Since reading this book, I plan to go back to the beginning of the series and start from the beginning to see what the other adventures Jack and Annie have been through and see if I can figure out how they can always solve the mystery of the rhyming clues so easily.

For some reason I've gotten into reading children's books. Maybe only a nostalgia for lost youth or something, but I have found some very enjoyable entertainment in some of those I've read recently that were not available when I was a kid myself. The Magic Tree House series is just such. I picked up Haunted Castle on Hallow's Eve as my introduction to Miss Osborne's work and was thoroughly delighted with it. Simple and direct, it is instructive without being pedantic, and introduces new words in contexts where their meanings are apparent-or explains them when they aren't. The story hangs together well, introducing the protagonists and some of their past exploits sufficiently to engage the reader no matter where in the series one starts. I think that some of the better children's stories are written to capture the attention of adults as well. If an adult can read them, or reread them as an adult, and not lose interest in the narrative, the book is a good one. Children have as complex a gift for understanding plot and theme as adults do. I think years of television have made them better at it than they were when I was a kid. It's not the structure or complexity of the tale that loses them so much as the reading vocabulary. Language and relationships are probably "hotwired" into humans. The written word is something else again! The Haunted Castle on Hallow's Eve was interesting enough to keep the reader involved with the story and working through the new vocabulary. One of the most significant things about the author's work is her background in history, literature, and culture. As she explains in the final pages of the book, she put her tale together from many sources, including English history, Welsh and Irish poetry and Celtic mythology and folk beliefs. In looking over the titles of her other stories, I see that she and her husband have been able to weave into their children's adventure stories information about historical topics of a wide variety making learning something fun to do. I say hooray for the Osbornes. I expect to read some of their other books and share them with others.

I love this book.It is the best book. I love the merlin missons. You have to read it. But it's better to read it in order. Get "the magic tree house #1 Dinosaurs Before Dark" it's about two brother and sister finds a tree house and find out that the tree house was magic. It takes them anywhere they want to go. Just point to a cover on the book and their there. The magic tree house #1 is a good book. The magic tree house #30 is the best book ever its about a castle that have been haunt by a big raven king and Jack and Annie have to save the castle. Luckly Old Maggie told some riddles as hints to help them. Not only Jack and Annie is alone to save the haunted castle, Teddy was helping them too. Teddy help them to become a raven and help them get to the raven nest where Merlin's diamond is. The raven king stole Merlin's diamond and Merlin need it. So he need Teddy,Jack,and Annie. Please read this series.

I think that this book was great!!! it really was different and unique. Not this book but all of the magic treehouse books are awesome. I say that mary Pope Osbourne is on of he best childeren authors.

In August, there was a waiting list for this latest edition of the Magic Treehouse Series at our intermediate school. I bought 3 copies for our school's library. The kids love them for their readability and the puzzles. The teachers use them regularly in partner reading.A great set of beginning chapter books for 2nd to 4th graders.