"One summer day in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, a mysterious tree house appeared in the woods. Eight-year-old Jack and his seven-year-old sister, Annie, climbed into the treehouse. They found it was filled with books." Mary Pope Osbourne continues the prologue to tell how Annie and Jack soon realized the tree house was magical and could take them to the places they saw in the books by pointing and wishing to go there. Jack and Annie explore and learn about pyramids, pirates, dinosaurs, ninjas, and nights. They also discover that the tree house belongs to a magical librarian named Morgan le Fay, from the time of King Arthur, and she travels through time collecting books. In the Night of the Ninjas adventure (#5), Jack and Annie learn Morgan is under a spell and need their help to be freed.
In this adventure, Afternoon on the Amazon, Jack and Annie travel in the tree house deep into the Amazon, encountering vampire bats, killer ants, a pesky monkey, and other Amazon critters. As the journey through the Amazon unfolds, Jack consults the book about the Amazon Rainforest, which tells them information they need to maneuver the dense foliage and the many creatures. Each time Jack consults the book, the reader learns a little bit more factual information about the Amazon, such as the rainforest is in three layers: the forest canopy, the understory, and the forest floor. Jack and Annie, running from a pack of ants, raft down the Amazon, run into a snake and a crocodile, meet a monkey who flings fruit, and eventually make it back to the tree house. However, Annie fears that if they return without the mystery item they are supposed to find, Morgan le Fay will be trapped under a spell forever. That is until the pesky monkey returns throwing fruit again, helping them to see that he had been trying to help them all along. Jack and Annie use the Pennsylvania book to return safely to Frog Creek, where it's business as usual, until their next adventure!
In terms of fantasy, the Magic Tree House books fall fairly low on the scale, being that the key element of fantasy is the children's ability to travel through time and space by simply pointing at pictures in their magic tree house, a time warp style story. While some of the adventures contain more elements of fantasy, such as the dragon in Day of the Dragon King, many of the books are fairly informational and have elements that resemble a work of historical fiction. The educational information in each book is delivered by Jack reading it from the book of the place/time they have traveled, helping keep the reader immersed in the action, but still aware of the context where Jack and Annie have found themselves.
Afternoon on the Amazon and other Magic Tree House are intended for younger readers who are just beginning to dive into chapter books. The publisher recommends the series for ages 8-12 and grades 3-7, but students in both 1st and 2nd grade who are reading above grade level will also enjoy these books, as the content is not too advanced and grabs the reader's full attention, transporting them to another time. The Magic Tree House series is a great adventure-based independent read for young readers, just beginning in the world of chapter books.
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