Thursday, February 14, 2013

Vacation Under the Volcano by Mary Pope Osborne

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
80 pages

In the thirteenth book of the Magic Tree House series Morgan LeFay sends Jack and Annie back in time to Pompeii, on the same day the volcano erupts, to find a lost scroll for her library collection.
Jack and Annie wear the ancient clothing of the time to blend in with the crowd as they search the town for the scroll. They are warned by a mysterious old woman that the end is near. As the young brother and sister see gladiators and a coliseum, they soon realize the volcano is going to erupt and run for cover.

They enter a fancy vacation home and search the building for the scroll. An earthquake hits right before  the volcano erupts. Jack and Annie scramble away and run through the streets of the town looking for their tree house to return home. When they appear to be in danger, a mysterious and large man rescues them and they get to the magic tree house in time. They witness lava from Mt. Vesuvius covering the town.


Morgan congratulates Jack and Annie on finding the scroll and assures them they will always receive help if necessary when they go on missions back in time. Annie figures out that the large mystery man was Hercules.
The Magic Tree House series is great for the definitions and the historical information included in the story through Jack's search for knowledge in the fact book he carries with him. Jack and Annie's travels are exciting, adventurous and great for the imagination. The Magic Tree House books are highly recommended for early childhood education classrooms.

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