Tonight on the Titanic Read online

  Here’s what kids have to say to

  Mary Pope Osborne, author of

  the Magic Tree House series:

  WOW! You have an imagination like no other.—Adam W.

  I love your books. If you stop writing books, it will be like losing a best friend.—Ben M.

  I think you are the real Morgan le Fay. There is always magic in your books.—Erica Y.

  One day I was really bored and I didn’t want to read.… I looked in your book. I read a sentence, and it was interesting. So I read some more, until the book was done. It was so good I read more and more. Then I had read all of your books, and now I hope you write lots more.—Danai K.

  I always read [your books] over and over … 1 time, 2 times, 3 times, 4 times.… —Yuan C.

  You are my best author in the world. I love your books. I read all the time. I read everywhere. My mom is like freaking out.—Ellen C.

  I hope you make these books for all yours and mine’s life.—Riki H.

  Teachers and librarians love

  Magic Tree House® books, too!

  Thank you for opening faraway places and times to my class through your books. They have given me the chance to bring in additional books, materials, and videos to share with the class.—J. Cameron

  It excites me to see how involved [my fourth-grade reading class] is in your books.… I would do anything to get my students more involved, and this has done it.—C. Rutz

  I discovered your books last year.… WOW! Our students have gone crazy over them. I can’t order enough copies! … Thanks for contributing so much to children’s literature!—C. Kendziora

  I first came across your Magic Tree House series when my son brought one home.… I have since introduced this great series to my class. They have absolutely fallen in love with these books! … My students are now asking me for more independent reading time to read them. Your stories have inspired even my most struggling readers.—M. Payne

  I love how I can go beyond the [Magic Tree House] books and use them as springboards for other learning.—R. Gale

  We have enjoyed your books all year long. We check your Web site to find new information. We pull our map down to find the areas where the adventures take place. My class always chimes in at key parts of the story. It feels good to hear my students ask for a book and cheer when a new book comes out.—J. Korinek

  Our students have “Magic Tree House fever.” I can’t keep your books on the library shelf.—J. Rafferty

  Your books truly invite children into the pleasure of reading. Thanks for such terrific work.—S. Smith

  The children in the fourth grade even hide the [Magic Tree House] books in the library so that they will be able to find them when they are ready to check them out.—K. Mortensen

  My Magic Tree House books are never on the bookshelf because they are always being read by my students. Thank you for creating such a wonderful series.—K. Mahoney

  Dear Readers,

  During the past year, many of my readers have requested that Jack and Annie visit the Titanic. At first, I thought the story was too sad. However, as more and more requests came in, I began to think about it, for I take the suggestions of kids very seriously. So I tried to think of a way that Jack and Annie might actually be helpful in the midst of such a tragedy. I talked about my ideas with a lot of kids, including my nephews, Peter and Andrew. Finally, I decided to go ahead and write the story.

  Now I am glad I did. While researching the true story of the Titanic, I learned a lot about human dignity and courage in the face of disaster. So I thank all the readers who wrote a letter or raised a hand in a school assembly or sent an e-mail to our Web site that said, “Please write a Magic Tree House book about the Titanic.” This one’s for you.

  All my best,

  Text copyright © 1999 by Mary Pope Osborne.

  Illustrations copyright © 1999 by Sal Murdocca.

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.

  www.randomhouse.com/kids

  www.randomhouse.com/magictreehouse

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Osborne, Mary Pope.

  Tonight on the Titanic / by Mary Pope Osborne; illustrated by Sal Murdocca.

  p. cm. — (Magic tree house; #17) “A stepping stone book.” SUMMARY: The magic tree house transports Jack and Annie to the deck of the Titanic to find a mysterious gift that will free their puppy from a terrible magic spell.

  eISBN: 978-0-375-89474-9

  1. Titanic (Steamship)—Juvenile fiction. [1. Titanic (Steamship)—Fiction.

  2. Shipwrecks—Fiction. 3. Survival—Fiction. 4. Time travel—Fiction.

  5. Magic—Fiction.]

  I. Murdocca, Sal, ill. II. Title. III. Series: Osborne, Mary Pope. Magic tree house series; #17. PZ7.O81167To 1999 [Fic]—dc21 98-31007

  Random House, Inc. New York, Toronto, London, Sydney, Auckland

  A STEPPING STONE BOOK is a trademark of Random House, Inc.

  v3.0

  Cover

  Dear Readers

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Prologue

  1. A New Mission

  2. The Unsinkable Ship

  3. SOS

  4. Put on Your Life Belts!

  5. William and Lucy

  6. Women and Children First

  7. The Gift

  8. Every Man for Himself

  9. Time Stops

  10. A Touch of Magic

  More Facts

  Special Preview of Magic Tree House #18: Buffalo Before Breakfast

  For Bailey,

  the magic terrier in my life

  One 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 tree house. They found that it was filled with books.

  Jack and Annie soon discovered that the tree house was magic. It could take them to the places in the books. All they had to do was point to a picture and wish to go there.

  Along the way, they discovered that the tree house belongs to Morgan le Fay. Morgan is a magical librarian from the time of King Arthur. She travels through time and space, gathering books.

  In Magic Tree House Books #5–8, Jack and Annie helped free Morgan from a spell. In books #9–12, they solved four ancient riddles and became Master Librarians.

  In Magic Tree House Books #13–16, Jack and Annie had to save four ancient stories from being lost forever.

  Now, in book #17, they are about to begin a new set of adventures …

  Jack opened his eyes.

  It was a stormy night. The rain tapped hard on his window pane.

  “Do you hear what the rain is saying?” said a voice.

  Jack turned on his lamp.

  Annie stood in his doorway. She wore her rain poncho over her pajamas and held a flashlight.

  “It’s saying, Come now!” she said.

  “You’re nuts,” said Jack.

  “Listen, just listen,” said Annie.

  Jack listened.

  The rain did seem to be tapping out Come now! Come now!

  “We have to go to the tree house,” said Annie. “Something important is about to happen.”

  “Now?” said Jack.

  Jack didn’t want to leave his warm, cozy room. But he had a feeling Annie was right. Something important was about to happen.

  “You coming?” she said.

  “Yeah, yeah,” he said.

  He climbed out of bed.

  “Just put on y
our rain poncho,” said Annie.

  Jack threw his rain poncho over his pajamas. He pulled on his sneakers and grabbed his backpack.

  “Don’t forget your Master Librarian card,” said Annie. “I have mine with me.”

  Jack put the card with the glowing letters ML on it into his backpack.

  “I’m ready,” he said.

  Jack and Annie went quietly down the stairs. Then they slipped out the door into the chilly, damp night.

  The storm had eased up. Rain fell gently as they ran up the street. The wet ground glistened in the beam of the flashlight.

  They headed into the Frog Creek woods. Wind blew through the trees, shaking water to the ground.

  Jack shivered. He wiped raindrops off his glasses.

  “Brrr,” said Annie. “I’m cold.”

  “Me, too,” said Jack.

  As they kept walking, Annie pointed the flashlight up into the trees.

  “There it is,” she said. Her light had found the tree house.

  “Morgan!” Jack called.

  There was no answer.

  “I wonder what’s wrong,” said Annie. “I was sure she’d be here.”

  “Let’s go up and see,” said Jack.

  Annie grabbed the rope ladder and started climbing.

  Jack followed. Rain dripped from the trees onto his poncho.

  They climbed into the tree house. Annie shined her light into each corner. The first three corners were empty.

  Then the flashlight beam hit the fourth. Jack and Annie gasped with surprise.

  Sitting in the corner was a small dog. He looked like a terrier puppy. He had scruffy light brown fur.

  He stared sadly at Jack and Annie.

  “Oh!” whispered Annie.

  “Where did you come from?” said Jack.

  Annie patted the dog’s head. He wagged his tail.

  “He’s so cute,” she said. “He looks like a little teddy bear. Hi, Teddy.”

  Teddy was actually a good name for him, Jack thought.

  “Where did you come from, Teddy?” he asked.

  The little dog whimpered.

  “Don’t be sad,” said Annie. “Everything’s okay.”

  “How did he get up here?” Jack asked.

  “I don’t know. But I bet Morgan had something to do with it,” said Annie.

  Jack’s gaze fell on a piece of paper lying on the floor.

  “I think you’re right,” he said.

  He picked up the paper. On it was fancy writing that said:

  This little dog is under a spell and needs your help. To free him, you must be given four special things:

  A gift from a ship lost at sea,

  A gift from the prairie blue,

  A gift from a forest far away,

  A gift from a kangaroo.

  Be wise. Be brave. Be careful.

  Morgan

  P.S. Your Master Librarian cards won’t help on this mission. Just be yourselves and all will be well.

  “What kind of spell do you think Teddy is under?” said Annie.

  “Who knows?” said Jack.

  “Poor thing,” said Annie. She patted the dog’s head. He licked her hand.

  “It looks like we have to take four trips,” said Jack.

  Teddy trotted over to a book. He pushed it with his nose.

  “Look!” said Annie. “I bet that will take us on the first trip.”

  She picked up the book that the little dog had chosen.

  “Good job, Teddy,” she said.

  The title of the book was The Unsinkable Ship.

  “Well, at least that’s good,” said Jack. “The ship won’t sink, even if it is lost.”

  “Ready, Teddy?” asked Annie.

  “Arf! Arf!” he answered.

  Jack pointed at the cover of the book.

  “I wish we could go there,” he said.

  The wind started to blow.

  The tree house started to spin.

  It spun faster and faster.

  Then everything was still.

  Absolutely still.

  “Arf! Arf!?”

  Jack opened his eyes. He shivered. Wherever they were now, it was cold—very cold.

  Teddy barked again.

  “Shhh,” said Jack.

  Annie shined the flashlight on her clothes.

  “Wow, we’re dressed like old-fashioned kids!” she said.

  Instead of pajamas and a poncho, she wore a sailor dress and a long wool cloak.

  Jack had on an overcoat and knee-length pants with long socks. His backpack had turned to leather. He also had on a shirt and tie.

  “Where are we?” he wondered aloud.

  Jack and Annie looked out the window.

  The moonless sky glittered with stars.

  There was a soft wind and the sound of water lapping.

  The tree house seemed to be resting on a wooden deck between two giant columns.

  Jack looked up and saw smoke coming out of the columns.

  “We must have landed on the ship between the smokestacks,” he said.

  Then Jack looked straight ahead and saw a box high in the air, near the front of the ship.

  “That must be the lookouts’ nest,” he said.

  Jack sat back in the tree house and opened their book. Annie handed him the flashlight.

  “Let’s find out where we are,” he said.

  He turned to a picture of a huge ocean liner. By the light of the flashlight, he read:

  Late at night, on April 14, 1912, an English ocean liner was making her first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. She was going to New York City. Carrying 2,200 passengers, the ship was four city blocks long. Most people believed the ship was unsinkable.

  “Oh, man, we’re in 1912,” said Jack. He pulled out his notebook and wrote:

  “This ship is huge,” said Annie. “How will we ever find the gift to help free Teddy?”

  “You can’t go looking for a gift,” said Jack. “You have to wait until someone gives it to you.”

  “Right,” said Annie with a sigh. “Well, I guess we just have to be ourselves, like Morgan said. And maybe we’ll get lucky.”

  “This is hard,” said Jack.

  The little dog whined.

  “Don’t worry, Teddy,” said Annie. “We’ll free you from your spell.”

  Just then, a shout came from the lookouts’ nest: “Iceberg ahead!”

  Jack and Annie turned back to the window—just in time to see a huge iceberg looming out of the sea.

  The iceberg was dark with a fringe of white at the top. And it was right in front of the ship!

  Jack felt a jolt. Then he heard a grinding sound. The ship was scraping against the mountain of ice.

  “Arf! Arf!” Teddy barked.

  “Shhh, don’t be scared,” said Annie.

  She picked the dog up and hugged him.

  The scraping sound stopped. The ship slid past the iceberg until they lost sight of it.

  The night was calm again.

  “See?” Annie said to Teddy. “It was just a little bump. This ship is unsinkable.”

  But Jack was worried. “Wait. I have to read more about this,” he said.

  “Don’t read now, Jack,” said Annie. “It’s time to get the gift. Come on, Teddy.”

  She picked up the little dog and the flashlight. And she climbed out the tree house window.

  “Hey—don’t take the flashlight!” said Jack.

  But Annie was gone.

  “Annie!” called Jack.

  He heard a soft “Yikes.”

  Annie stuck her head back in the tree house.

  “Bad news,” she said in a whisper. “I think you’d better see this.”

  Jack threw his stuff into his knapsack. He put it on and climbed out the window.

  Annie was standing by the ship’s railing, holding Teddy.

  Without a word, she shined the flashlight on a life preserver hanging from the railing.

  In big black letters wer
e the words:

  R.M.S. TITANIC

  Jack stared at the name of the ship.

  “You know what happened to the Titanic, don’t you?” he said softly.

  Annie nodded.

  “It hit an iceberg and sank,” she said. “But I don’t get it. I thought this ship was unsinkable.”

  “That’s what people thought when the Titanic was built,” said Jack. “But they were wrong.”

  Suddenly, steam gushed out of the ship’s smokestacks. Then the engines cut off. The Titanic stopped moving.

  “We’d better go home,” said Jack. “There’s nothing we can do here. We’ll have to find another lost ship—a safer one.”

  “No! We have to stay and help,” said Annie. “We can escape in the tree house anytime we want.”

  “But what can we do?” said Jack. “This ship’s going to sink no matter what. We can’t change history. And we can’t take anyone into our time with us.”

  “Yeah, but maybe there’s some way we can help,” said Annie.

  “How?” said Jack.

  “I don’t know,” said Annie. “Let’s look around.” Holding Teddy, she disappeared down a small stairway.

  Jack followed her to a lower level.

  Annie put Teddy down on the deck. The dog sniffed the chunks of ice that had fallen off the iceberg.

  The ship seemed strangely empty.

  “Where is everyone?” Annie asked.

  “Maybe they’re still asleep,” said Jack. “They probably don’t even know the ship hit something.”

  Annie and Jack started toward the front of the Titanic.

  “Come on, Teddy,” said Annie.

  The little dog scampered after them.

  They passed the round windows of different rooms on the ship. Jack looked through them as they went by.

  He saw exercise bikes and rowing machines in one room. In another, there were palm trees, bamboo chairs, and tables. Next, they passed a library filled with books.