Magic Tree House #54 Read online

  Magic Tree House® Books

  #1: DINOSAURS BEFORE DARK

  #2: THE KNIGHT AT DAWN

  #3: MUMMIES IN THE MORNING

  #4: PIRATES PAST NOON

  #5: NIGHT OF THE NINJAS

  #6: AFTERNOON ON THE AMAZON

  #7: SUNSET OF THE SABERTOOTH

  #8: MIDNIGHT ON THE MOON

  #9: DOLPHINS AT DAYBREAK

  #10: GHOST TOWN AT SUNDOWN

  #11: LIONS AT LUNCHTIME

  #12: POLAR BEARS PAST BEDTIME

  #13: VACATION UNDER THE VOLCANO

  #14: DAY OF THE DRAGON KING

  #15: VIKING SHIPS AT SUNRISE

  #16: HOUR OF THE OLYMPICS

  #17: TONIGHT ON THE TITANIC

  #18: BUFFALO BEFORE BREAKFAST

  #19: TIGERS AT TWILIGHT

  #20: DINGOES AT DINNERTIME

  #21: CIVIL WAR ON SUNDAY

  #22: REVOLUTIONARY WAR ON WEDNESDAY

  #23: TWISTER ON TUESDAY

  #24: EARTHQUAKE IN THE EARLY MORNING

  #25: STAGE FRIGHT ON A SUMMER NIGHT

  #26: GOOD MORNING, GORILLAS

  #27: THANKSGIVING ON THURSDAY

  #28: HIGH TIDE IN HAWAII

  Merlin Missions

  #29: CHRISTMAS IN CAMELOT

  #30: HAUNTED CASTLE ON HALLOWS EVE

  #31: SUMMER OF THE SEA SERPENT

  #32: WINTER OF THE ICE WIZARD

  #33: CARNIVAL AT CANDLELIGHT

  #34: SEASON OF THE SANDSTORMS

  #35: NIGHT OF THE NEW MAGICIANS

  #36: BLIZZARD OF THE BLUE MOON

  #37: DRAGON OF THE RED DAWN

  #38: MONDAY WITH A MAD GENIUS

  #39: DARK DAY IN THE DEEP SEA

  #40: EVE OF THE EMPEROR PENGUIN

  #41: MOONLIGHT ON THE MAGIC FLUTE

  #42: A GOOD NIGHT FOR GHOSTS

  #43: LEPRECHAUN IN LATE WINTER

  #44: A GHOST TALE FOR CHRISTMAS TIME

  #45: A CRAZY DAY WITH COBRAS

  #46: DOGS IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT

  #47: ABE LINCOLN AT LAST!

  #48: A PERFECT TIME FOR PANDAS

  #49: STALLION BY STARLIGHT

  #50: HURRY UP, HOUDINI!

  #51: HIGH TIME FOR HEROES

  #52: SOCCER ON SUNDAY

  #53: SHADOW OF THE SHARK

  Super Editions

  DANGER IN THE DARKEST HOUR

  Magic Tree House® Fact Trackers

  DINOSAURS

  KNIGHTS AND CASTLES

  MUMMIES AND PYRAMIDS

  PIRATES

  RAIN FORESTS

  SPACE

  TITANIC

  TWISTERS AND OTHER TERRIBLE STORMS

  DOLPHINS AND SHARKS

  ANCIENT GREECE AND THE OLYMPICS

  AMERICAN REVOLUTION

  SABERTOOTHS AND THE ICE AGE

  PILGRIMS

  ANCIENT ROME AND POMPEII

  TSUNAMIS AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS

  POLAR BEARS AND THE ARCTIC

  SEA MONSTERS

  PENGUINS AND ANTARCTICA

  LEONARDO DA VINCI

  GHOSTS

  LEPRECHAUNS AND IRISH FOLKLORE

  RAGS AND RICHES: KIDS IN THE TIME OF CHARLES DICKENS

  SNAKES AND OTHER REPTILES

  DOG HEROES

  ABRAHAM LINCOLN

  PANDAS AND OTHER ENDANGERED SPECIES

  HORSE HEROES

  HEROES FOR ALL TIMES

  SOCCER

  NINJAS AND SAMURAI

  CHINA: LAND OF THE EMPEROR’S GREAT WALL

  SHARKS AND OTHER PREDATORS

  VIKINGS

  DOGSLEDDING AND EXTREME SPORTS

  More Magic Tree House®

  GAMES AND PUZZLES FROM THE TREE HOUSE

  MAGIC TRICKS FROM THE TREE HOUSE

  MY MAGIC TREE HOUSE JOURNAL

  MAGIC TREE HOUSE SURVIVAL GUIDE

  ANIMAL GAMES AND PUZZLES

  This is a work of fiction. All incidents and dialogue, and all characters with the exception of some well-known historical and public figures, are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Where real-life historical or public figures appear, the situations, incidents, and dialogues concerning those persons are fictional and are not intended to depict actual events or to change the fictional nature of the work. In all other respects, any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  Text copyright © 2016 by Mary Pope Osborne

  Jacket art and interior illustrations copyright © 2016 by Sal Murdocca

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

  Random House and the colophon are registered trademarks and A Stepping Stone Book and the colophon are trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC. Magic Tree House is a registered trademark of Mary Pope Osborne; used under license.

  Visit us on the Web!

  SteppingStonesBooks.com

  MagicTreeHouse.com

  Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at

  RHTeachersLibrarians.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

  ISBN 9780553510850 (trade) — ISBN 9780553510867 (lib. bdg.) —

  ISBN 9780553510874 (ebook)

  This book has been officially leveled by using the F&P Text Level Gradient™

  Leveling System.

  Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.

  v4.1

  a

  For Bill Aquilar,

  Mr. Bezo’s best friend

  CONTENTS

  Cover

  Other Books in This Series

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Prologue

  1. Gold Dust, Stardust

  2. Quarantine

  3. A Race Against Time

  4. Champion Mushers

  5. Straight Ahead!

  6. Port Safety

  7. Jingle Bells

  8. Catastrophe

  9. Balto of the Blue Dawn

  10. A Gift?

  Author’s Note

  About the Author

  One summer day in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, a mysterious tree house appeared in the woods. It was filled with books. A boy named Jack and his sister, Annie, found the tree house and soon discovered that it was magic. They could go to any time and place in history just by pointing to a picture in one of the books. While they were gone, no time at all passed back in Frog Creek.

  Jack and Annie eventually found out that the tree house belonged to Morgan le Fay, a magical librarian from the legendary realm of Camelot. They have since traveled on many adventures in the magic tree house and completed many missions for both Morgan le Fay and her friend Merlin the magician. Teddy and Kathleen, two young enchanters from Camelot, have sometimes helped Jack and Annie in both big and small ways.

  Jack and Annie are about to find out what their next magic tree house mission will be!

  Jack was reading on the front porch when Annie peeked out the door. “Bike ride later?” she asked.

  “Sure,” said Jack. “Let’s go now, before it gets too dark. Tell Mom and Dad.”

  Annie slipped into the house to tell their parents. Jack closed his book about whales and sharks and stood up and stretched. He was tired from swimming at the lake all afternoon, but he felt good. He loved summer. A bike ride in the warm evening air seemed like the perfect way to end the day.

  “Good to go,” said Annie, coming out of the house with their bike helmets.

  Jack and Annie ran down the porch steps and climbed on their bikes. They put on thei
r helmets and pedaled out to the street. As they rode up their block, they waved to a neighbor mowing her lawn and to a couple walking two poodles.

  “We need a dog!” Annie called back to Jack.

  “What kind do you want?” he said.

  “Any kind. I like all dogs,” said Annie.

  “Big or small?” said Jack.

  “Well, both. I want a little dog and a big dog,” she said. “And maybe an in-between dog, too.”

  Jack laughed. “Yeah, I’d like a dog,” he said. “But probably just one.”

  “Whoa!” said Annie, putting on her brakes. “Did you see that?”

  “What?” said Jack, stopping beside her.

  “Above the woods—a bright flash of light,” she said.

  “You’re kidding,” he said.

  “Not kidding! I had a feeling, even before we left the house!” said Annie. Without another word, she bumped her bicycle over the sidewalk curb and headed into the Frog Creek woods.

  Jack followed, his bike bouncing over roots and twigs in the shadows beneath the trees. Growing darker by the second, the woods were filled with the sounds of crickets.

  “Am I brilliant or what?” cried Annie. She had stopped next to the tallest oak.

  “Brilliant,” said Jack, laughing.

  The magic tree house was perched high in the oak. Their friend Teddy was grinning at them from the window. “It’s about time!” he called. “I was getting ready to summon a crow or a rabbit to go get you.”

  Jack and Annie leaned their bikes against the tree and hurried up the rope ladder.

  Inside the tree house, Teddy greeted them with hugs. “We must hurry,” he said. “You are needed right away.”

  “Where? When? Why?” said Annie.

  “Where? A seaside town in a vast territory below the Arctic,” said Teddy. “When? February 1925. And why? Because Merlin and Morgan believe you can save lives there.”

  “Whoa,” said Jack.

  “Sounds serious,” said Annie.

  “And cold,” said Jack.

  “It is quite serious, and it will be quite cold,” said Teddy. “First, you’ll need this.” He handed Annie a small travel guide:

  “Alaska? Oh, boy, I’ve always wanted to visit Alaska,” she said.

  “This guide was published in 1925,” said Teddy.

  “So it will be a different Alaska than Alaska today,” said Jack.

  “Precisely,” said Teddy. “And you’ll need this.” He reached into his cloak and took out a small gold box. He handed it to Jack.

  “What’s this for?” said Jack. He started to take off the lid.

  “No! Don’t open it now,” said Teddy. “There is a thimbleful of enchanted gold dust inside. It is from Morgan. You can use it only once.”

  “Use it for what?” asked Jack.

  “In your time of need, you can use it to acquire a great skill that you both will share,” said Teddy.

  “Cool!” said Annie. “Like the time we used the magic mist of Avalon to give us the skill of great rock climbers.”

  “And the time we wished to be great magicians,” said Jack. “And great horse trainers.”

  “And great soccer players,” said Annie.

  “Yes, a bit like all those times,” said Teddy. “If you remember, on those missions, the magic lasted only for an hour. This time, the magic will last for twelve hours.”

  “Wow, that’s a lot,” said Annie.

  “Yeah,” said Jack, smiling. “That’s a really long time to be great at something.”

  “But there is another difference,” said Teddy. “Your skills on those past missions helped you solve your own problems. On this adventure, your great skill can only be used to save the lives of others.”

  “Hmm. So what kind of danger will others in Alaska be facing?” asked Jack.

  “Merlin and Morgan didn’t tell me that part,” said Teddy. “I imagine they were quite sure you’d be able to figure it out when you arrived in the Alaskan Territory.”

  “We’ll try,” said Jack.

  “One more thing,” said Teddy. “Merlin wants those you help on this mission to be celebrated as heroes. He does not wish his magic to be part of their story.”

  “Okay, but how do we help without anyone knowing that we’re helping?” said Annie.

  Teddy reached into his cloak and brought out a second tiny box. This one was made of shimmering dark blue stone. He handed it to Annie.

  She cradled the box in her hands. “It’s so beautiful,” she breathed.

  “Do not open it until you need what’s inside,” said Teddy. “It holds a bit of stardust, very rare and very precious.”

  “Ohhh. What’s it for?” whispered Annie.

  “If you toss the stardust into the air and make a wish to be forgotten,” said Teddy, “any memory or evidence of your visit will instantly be erased.”

  “Oh,” said Jack. “Okay.”

  “Put the magic away now,” said Teddy. “You must be on your way.”

  Jack hadn’t brought his backpack, so he put the gold box in the pocket of his jeans. Annie did the same with the dark blue box.

  “Ready,” they said together.

  “Be safe. Be well,” said Teddy. “And do not freeze to death.”

  “Gee, thanks,” Jack said. “Good advice.”

  Annie pointed at the cover of the travel guide. “I wish we could go to the Alaskan Territory!” she said.

  The wind started to blow.

  The tree house started to spin.

  It spun faster and faster.

  Then everything was still.

  Absolutely still.

  “Cold…face,” Annie said, her teeth chattering.

  “Y-yeah, yeah,” said Jack. His breath billowed white into the sharp air.

  “I feel like a fat b-brown bear,” said Annie.

  Jack laughed. He and Annie were covered with fur from head to toe. They wore fur pants, fur mittens, knee-high fur boots, and long fur jackets with fur hoods.

  “Welcome to Alaska,” said Jack. He pulled up his hood and tied it tightly under his chin. Annie did the same. Then they looked out the window together.

  The tree house had landed in one of a few trees at the edge of a snowy field. Beyond the field was a coastal town. The winter sun was setting over an ice-covered sea.

  “I wonder why we’re needed to save lives here,” said Jack.

  “Do you think something scary is about to happen?” said Annie.

  “Scary?” said Jack.

  “Like an earthquake or a volcano?” said Annie.

  “I don’t know,” Jack said. He picked up their guide to the Alaskan Territory. He pulled off one of his fur mittens, opened the book, and read:

  About 12,000 years ago, people and their dogs crossed a land bridge over the Bering Sea from Russia into Alaska. When they reached Alaska, they became the first humans and dogs to live in North America.

  “Cool,” said Annie. “I like the dog part.”

  Jack kept reading:

  Until Russian explorers came to Alaska a few hundred years ago, only native Alaskan people lived there. For thousands of years, the native people survived by making use of the few resources of the rugged, icebound land.

  “Wow, they must be tough people,” said Annie.

  “No kidding,” said Jack. He read more:

  In the late 1800s, the United States purchased Alaska from Russia, and it became a territory of the U.S.

  “That’s why this guide is called the Territory of Alaska,” said Jack. “It’s from 1925—that’s before Alaska became a state.”

  “Got it,” said Annie. “Okay. Let’s go find some lives to save.”

  “Wait,” said Jack. “Where’s our magic?”

  “Check your pockets,” said Annie. Annie pulled off her mittens, and they both reached into the big side pockets of their parkas.

  “Got it!” said Jack as he pulled out the tiny gold box.

  “Me too!” said Annie. She held up the
tiny stone box.

  “Gold dust, stardust,” said Annie. “One to save lives, one to make everyone forget that we saved lives.”

  “Yep,” said Jack. “Let’s not lose them.” They tucked the boxes back into their pockets and put their mittens on.

  As Annie started down the tree house ladder, Jack crammed the Alaska guide into another one of his pockets. Then he clumsily followed Annie down the rope ladder in his bulky clothes.

  As they started across the snow-covered field, their boots squeaked in the snow. Jack’s throat hurt from breathing the dry, cold air.

  In the fading winter light, they crossed a bridge and walked along a frozen creek until they came to a boardwalk that ran along the icebound seashore. A sign said FRONT STREET. The town was empty. There were no old cars or wagons, only piles of ice and snow.

  As Jack and Annie tramped through the snow, they passed stores and saloons and restaurants with crooked signs and broken windows. They all looked abandoned. There were only a few shops that looked as if they were closed but still might be in business: Nome Pharmacy, Nome Laundry, and Nome Bakery.

  “I guess we’re in Nome,” said Annie.

  “Good guess,” said Jack. He took off one of his mittens, pulled out their Alaska guide, and found Nome. He read:

  Around 1900, gold was discovered in Nome, a remote Alaskan town on the Bering Sea. More than 30,000 gold seekers rushed to the boom town. But within ten years, Nome’s gold rush was over, and the town fell on hard times.

  “Hard times? No kidding,” said Annie. “Nome looks more like a ghost town than a boom town.”

  “Let’s keep going,” said Jack. He pulled his mitten back on and put their guide in his pocket.

  As he and Annie kept walking down the snow-covered boardwalk, they passed the Dream Movie Theater and the Golden Gate Hotel. Both had signs that said:

  TEMPORARILY CLOSED.

  Finally, they came to a white two-story wooden building that looked like someone’s house. They could see lights and people inside. The black sign above the front door said:

  MAYNARD-COLUMBUS HOSPITAL

  “At least there are a few people in town,” said Annie.

  “But why is the hospital the only place that seems open?” said Jack.

  “Yeah, weird,” said Annie. They walked down the boardwalk until they came to a schoolhouse with a sign that said: