Haunted Castle on Hallow's Eve (Magic Tree House, 30) (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Sal Murdocca (Illustrator) "Maybe I should be a vampire instead of a princess," said Annie..." (more)
Key Phrases: hazel twig, Raven King, Pope Osborne, Diamond of Destiny (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In the second of the "Merlin Missions"--hardback additions to Mary Pope Osborne's Magic Tree House series--plucky heroes Jack and Annie must once again must travel back in time to rescue Camelot from looming danger.

One wonders why Merlin can't handle this sort of thing himself, but then of course we wouldn't get a chance to see Jack and Annie have another seat-of-the-pants adventure, getting mixed up with shape-shifting magic, armies of birds, a puzzling gem of power, and all sorts of other trouble. With the help of their old pal Teddy (Morgan le Fay's apprentice, last seen in dog form in four earlier Tree House stories), the two "Master Librarians and Magicians of Everyday Magic" must solve the mystery behind a castle full of ghosts and a menacing army of ravens. Not surprisingly, half the trouble comes in unraveling Merlin's riddles and helping Teddy use his rhyming magic correctly.

Osborne doesn't challenge readers overmuch (including the constant restatement of plot elements, perhaps worried that kids might otherwise forget or lose interest) and many parts of the story barely convince (like Teddy's "period" dialogue, e.g., "'Tis cool indeed"), but fans of the Magic Tree House will no doubt love another installment. (Ages 6 to 9) --Paul Hughes

Product Description

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!
a Stepping Stone Book™

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers; Later printing edition (August 26, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375825215
• ISBN-13: 978-0375825217
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,868 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 30 in The Magic Tree House Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hooray for the Osbornes, June 29, 2004

By	Atheen M. Wilson "Atheen" (Mpls, MN United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enticing for struggling readers, September 28, 2003

By A Customer

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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything is cool in this book, January 31, 2004

By A Customer

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.