Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dark
Written by Mary Pope Osborn
Illustrated by Sal Murdocca
Reviewed by Frank S. (age 9)
Are you ready to go on an adventure? Well then come along with Jack and Annie. They go on some freaky adventures! I know they are ready to leave, because they love adventures. This book is about Jack and Annie going on an adventure and finding the Magic Tree House for the first time. It all starts when Annie (Jack’s little sister) pretends there is a monster chasing her. Jack is yelling, “Annie it’s time to go home.” But Annie disappears when racing into the forest alone. She finally responds, “Jack come here.” Jack says, “This better be good.” When he finds Annie he gets a big surprise….. The Magic Tree House! They don’t know who this tree house belongs to, so they look inside. The tree house has a lot of books. “Books?” Jack asked. “Yes books” Annie replies. Oh boy Jack loves books so he climbs the rope ladder and he see’s all kinds of books. He opens a book and sees a dinosaur and says, “I wish I could go there. Then the wind starts to blow, the tree house starts to spin faster and faster. Then everything is silent, absolutely silent. Suddenly a pterodactyl flies below the tree house! Oh wow! They went back in time. Read the book to see if Jack and Annie survive.
My favorite part is when Annie finds the tree house. I like that the youngest character in the story stumbles upon the Magic Tree House, because it made me feel good that a kid like me could accomplish big things. I also liked the illustrations because the drawings look like actual dinosaurs. It was interesting to watch Jack change his opinion of Annie. As the story moved on he learned to trust her.
I recommend this book to the people who like historical fiction and adventure books. Kids from 8-100 years old would enjoy this fun way to learn interesting facts.