Adventure on the Amazon Read online

  Contents

  Cover

  About the Book

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Prologue

  1. Where’s Peanut?

  2. Creepy-Crawlies

  3. Oh, No

  4. Millions of Them!

  5. Pretty Fish

  6. Monkey Trouble

  7. Freeze!

  8. Vampire Bats?

  9. The Thing

  10. Halfway There

  Also by Mary Pope Osborne

  Copyright

  About the Book

  Climb the ladder to the Magic Tree House. There’s a world of adventure inside!

  The tree house takes Jack and Annie to the most beautiful place they’ve ever seen. But they’re very high up in the trees of the Amazon Rainforest!

  Getting down is just the first of their adventures. Lost on the Amazon river, they have to face piranhas, snakes and even a crocodile! Will they be stuck in the rainforest forever?

  For Piers Pope Boyce

  Prologue

  One summer day in Frog Valley, 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 be there.

  Jack and Annie visited the time of dinosaurs, knights, pyramids, pirates and ninjas. Along the way, they discovered that the tree house belonged to Morgan le Fay. Morgan is a magical librarian from the time of King Arthur. She travels through time and space, gathering books.

  In their last adventure, Night of the Ninjas, Jack and Annie learned that Morgan was under a spell. To free her, Jack and Annie have to find four special things.

  In ancient Japan, they found the first thing: a moonstone.

  Now Jack and Annie are about to set out in search of the second thing … in Adventure on the Amazon.

  1

  Where’s Peanut?

  “HURRY, JACK!” SHOUTED Annie.

  She ran into the Frog Valley woods.

  Jack followed her.

  “It’s still here!” Annie called.

  Jack caught up with her. She was standing beside a tall oak tree.

  Jack looked up. The magic tree house was shining in the afternoon sunlight.

  “We’re coming, Peanut!” Annie called.

  She grabbed the rope ladder and started to climb up.

  Jack followed. They climbed and climbed. Finally they climbed into the tree house.

  “Peanut?” said Annie.

  Jack took off his rucksack. He looked around.

  Sunlight slanted across a stack of books – books about ninjas, pirates, mummies, knights and dinosaurs.

  The letter M shimmered on the wooden floor. M for Morgan le Fay.

  “I don’t think Peanut’s here,” said Jack.

  “I wonder where she is,” said Annie.

  “How do you know Peanut’s a she?” asked Jack.

  “I just know it,” said Annie.

  Squeak!

  Annie laughed. “Look, Jack!”

  A small pink sock was moving across the floor. Yesterday Annie had turned her sock into a bed for Peanut.

  Annie picked up the tiny lump.

  Squeak.

  A brown-and-white mouse peeped out of the sock. She looked from Annie to Jack with her big eyes.

  Jack laughed. “Hi, Peanut,” he said.

  “Will you help us again today?” asked Annie.

  In ancient Japan, Peanut had helped them when they got lost.

  “We have to find three more things for Morgan,” said Annie.

  Jack pushed his glasses into place. “First we have to find a clue that tells us where to begin,” he said.

  “Guess what,” said Annie.

  “What?” said Jack.

  “We don’t have to look very far.” She pointed at a corner of the tree house.

  In the shadows was an open book.

  2

  Creepy-Crawlies

  “WOW,” SAID JACK, picking up the book.

  “The ninja book was open yesterday. Now this one. Who opened them?”

  He closed the book and looked at the cover.

  It showed a picture of a green forest. The trees were very tall and close together.

  On the cover were the words The Rainforest.

  “Oh, wow,” said Jack.

  “Oh, no,” said Annie.

  “What’s wrong?” said Jack.

  “I learned about the rainforest at school,” said Annie. “It’s filled with creepy-crawlies.”

  “I know,” said Jack. “Half of them have never even been named.”

  “It’s creepy,” said Annie.

  “It’s great,” said Jack. He wanted to take lots of notes in the rainforest. Maybe he could even name some unknown insects.

  “Great? Yuck,” said Annie. She shivered.

  “I don’t understand,” said Jack. “You weren’t afraid of dinosaurs.”

  “So?”

  “You weren’t afraid of the castle guards or the mummy’s ghost.”

  “So?”

  “You weren’t afraid of pirates or ninjas.”

  “So?”

  “You’re not afraid of really scary things. But you’re afraid of little insects. That doesn’t make sense.”

  “So?”

  Jack sighed. “Listen,” he said. “We have to go there. To help Morgan. That’s why the book was left open.”

  “I know that,” said Annie, frowning.

  “Plus, the rainforests are being cut down,” said Jack. “Don’t you want to see one before it’s too late?”

  Annie took a deep breath and slowly nodded.

  “OK, then, let’s go,” said Jack.

  He opened the book again. He pointed to a picture that showed blue sky, green leaves and bright flowers.

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

  The wind began to blow.

  Squeak.

  “Stay here, Peanut,” said Annie as she put the mouse in her pocket.

  The wind picked up. The tree house started to spin.

  Jack squeezed his eyes shut.

  The wind was whistling now. The tree house was spinning faster and faster.

  Then everything was still.

  Absolutely still.

  Wild sounds broke the silence.

  Screeeeeech!

  Buzzzzzzz!

  Chirp! Chirp!

  3

  Oh, No!

  JACK OPENED HIS eyes.

  The air was hot and steamy.

  “It looks like we’ve landed in some bushes,” said Annie.

  She was peeping out of the tree-house window. Peanut was peeping out of Annie’s pocket.

  Jack peeped out of the tree house too.

  They had landed in a sea of shiny green leaves. Outside there were flowers, bright butterflies and birds. Just like the book.

  “That’s strange,” said Jack. “I wonder why we didn’t land in a tree. The way we always do.”

  “I don’t know,” said Annie. “But let’s hurry and find the thing for Morgan. Then we can get back home before we meet any big insects.”

  “Wait. This seems weird,” said Jack. “I don’t understand why we landed in some bushes. I’d better read about this.”

  “Oh, come on,” said Annie. “We don’t even need the ladder. We can just climb out of the window.”

  Annie put Peanut in her pocket. She stuck one leg out of the window.

  “Wait!” Jack grabbed Annie’s other leg. He read:

  The rainforest is in
three layers. Thick treetops, often over 50 metres high, make up the top layer. This is called the forest canopy. Below the canopy is the understorey, then the forest floor.

  “Get back in here!” cried Jack. “We’re probably more than fifty metres above the ground! In the forest canopy!”

  “Oh, no!” said Annie. She slipped back into the tree house.

  “We have to use the ladder,” said Jack. He got down on his hands and knees. He moved leaves away from the hole in the floor. He looked down.

  The ladder seemed to fall between the branches of a giant tree. But Jack couldn’t see beyond that.

  “I can’t tell what’s down there,” he said. “Be careful.”

  Jack put the rainforest book in his rucksack. Then he stepped onto the rope ladder.

  He started to climb down. Annie followed with Peanut in her pocket.

  Jack pushed through the leaves.

  He came to the understorey below the canopy.

  He looked down at the forest floor. It was very far away.

  “Oh, wow,” whispered Jack.

  This world was completely different from the one above the treetops.

  Now that they were out of the sun, it was cooler. It was also damp and very quiet.

  Jack shivered. It was the spookiest place he had ever seen.

  4

  Millions of Them!

  JACK DIDN’T MOVE. He kept staring down at the forest floor.

  “What’s wrong?” Annie called from above.

  Jack didn’t answer.

  “You don’t see any giant spiders, do you?” Annie said.

  “Well … no.” Jack took a deep breath.

  We have to keep going, he thought. We have to find the special thing for Morgan.

  Jack and Annie climbed down through the understorey. Finally they stepped onto the forest floor.

  Only a few rays of light slanted through the gloom.

  The trees were very, very tall and very wide. Creepers and moss were hanging everywhere. The ground was covered with dead leaves.

  “Before we do anything, I’d better check the book,” said Jack.

  He pulled out the rainforest book. He found a picture of the dark world under the treetops. He read:

  In the rainforest, many living creatures blend in with their surroundings. This is called camouflage.

  “Oh, wow,” said Jack. He closed the book and looked around. “There’re lots of creatures down here. We just can’t see them.”

  “Really?” whispered Annie.

  She and Jack peered around at the quiet forest. Jack felt unseen eyes watching them.

  “Let’s hurry and find the special thing,” whispered Annie.

  “How will we know when we find it?” Jack said.

  “I think we’ll just know,” said Annie. She headed off through the gloom.

  Jack followed. They crept between the huge trees and past hanging creepers.

  Annie stopped. “Wait – what’s that?”

  “What’s what?”

  “Listen – that weird sound.”

  Jack listened. He heard a crackling sound.

  It sounded like a person walking over leaves.

  Jack looked around. He didn’t see anyone.

  But the sound got louder.

  Was it an animal? A giant insect? One that had never been named?

  Just then the silent forest came alive.

  Birds flew off into the air. Frogs hopped over the leaves. Lizards ran up the tree trunks.

  The weird noise grew louder and louder.

  “Maybe the book explains it,” said Jack. He opened the book. He found a picture of different animals running together. He read:

  When animals hear a crackling sound, they flee in panic. The sound means that 30 million flesh-eating army ants are marching through the dead leaves.

  “It’s army ants!” cried Jack. “Millions of them!”

  “Where?” cried Annie.

  Jack and Annie looked around wildly.

  “There!” Annie pointed.

  Army ants – millions and millions of them – were marching over the leaves!

  “Run to the tree house!” cried Annie.

  “Where is it?” said Jack, whirling round. All the trees looked the same. Where was the rope ladder?

  “Just run!” cried Annie.

  Jack and Annie set off.

  They ran over the dead leaves.

  They ran between wide tree trunks.

  They ran past the hanging creepers and moss.

  They climbed over thick roots.

  Jack saw a clearing ahead. It was filled with sunlight.

  “That way!” he cried.

  Jack and Annie hurried towards the light. They pushed their way through the bushes.

  They burst out onto the bank of a river.

  They stared at the slow-moving brown water.

  “Do you think the ants will come this way?” Annie said, panting.

  “I don’t know,” said Jack. “But if we wade a couple of metres into the river, we’ll be safe. The ants won’t go into the water. Come on.”

  “Look!” said Annie.

  She pointed to a big log rocking at the edge of the river. The inside of the log was dug out.

  “It looks like a canoe,” said Jack. He listened to the crackling sound in the distance. “Let’s get in it. Quick!”

  Jack shoved the book into his rucksack. Then he and Annie carefully climbed into the dug-out log.

  Annie leaned out of it. She pushed away from the bank with her hands.

  “Wait!” said Jack. “We don’t have any paddles!”

  “Oops,” said Annie.

  The canoe started moving slowly down the muddy river.

  5

  Pretty Fish

  SQUEAK.

  Annie patted the little mouse in her pocket.

  “It’s OK, Peanut. The ants can’t get us in the river. We’re safe,” she said.

  “Maybe safe from the ants,” said Jack.

  “But where is this canoe going?”

  Jack and Annie stared at the river. Branches spread over the water. Creepers and moss hung down from them.

  “We’d better look this up,” said Jack. He pulled the rainforest book out of his rucksack and flipped through it.

  Soon he found a picture of a river. He read:

  The Amazon River stretches over 4000 miles from the mountains of Peru, across Brazil, to the Atlantic Ocean. The river basin contains over half of the rainforests in the world.

  Jack looked at Annie. “We’re on the Amazon River,” he said. “It’s more than four thousand miles long!”

  “Wow,” Annie whispered. She looked at the river. She trailed her hand through the water.

  “I have to make some notes,” Jack said. He pulled his notebook out of his bag. He wrote:

  The Amazon rainforest is

  “Jack, look at those pretty fish with the teeth,” said Annie.

  “What?” Jack glanced up from his writing.

  Annie was pointing at some blue fish swimming near the boat. The fish had red bellies and razor-sharp teeth.

  “Watch it!” cried Jack. “Those aren’t pretty fish. They’re piranhas! They’ll eat anything! Even people!”

  “Oh, no,” whispered Annie.

  “We better get back to the shore,” said Jack, putting the books in his rucksack.

  “How?” said Annie. “We can’t go in the water now. And we don’t have any paddles.”

  Jack tried to stay calm. “We need a plan,” he said.

  He stared at the river. The canoe would soon float under some creepers.

  “I’ll grab a creeper,” said Jack. “And pull us to shore.”

  “Good idea,” said Annie.

  As they glided under the branches, Jack stood up.

  The canoe rocked. He nearly fell out.

  “Balance the canoe,” said Jack.

  Annie leaned to one side. Jack reached – and missed!

  The canoe floated unde
r more branches.

  Jack reached for another thick creeper.

  He grabbed it!

  It was cold and scaly. It wiggled and jerked!

  “Ahhh!” Jack screamed and fell back into the canoe.

  The creeper was alive!

  It was a long green snake!

  The snake fell from the tree. It splashed into the water and swam away.

  Jack and Annie stared in horror at each other.

  “What now?” said Annie, making a face.

  “Well …” Jack looked at the river. There were no creepers up ahead. But there was a big branch floating on the water.

  “Grab that branch near you,” said Jack. “Maybe we can use it as a paddle.”

  The canoe floated closer to the branch. Annie reached for it.

  Suddenly the branch rose into the air!

  It was a crocodile!

  “Help!” screamed Annie, and she fell back into the canoe.

  The crocodile opened and closed its huge, long jaws. Then it moved past the canoe and swam up the river.

  “Oh, no,” whispered Jack.

  A screeching sound split the air.

  Jack and Annie jumped.

  “Help!” said Jack.

  He expected to see another terrible creature.

  But all he saw was a small brown monkey, hanging by its tail from a tree.

  6

  Monkey Trouble

  SQUEAK! SQUEAK! PEANUT poked her head out of Annie’s pocket. She seemed to be yelling at the monkey.

  “Don’t worry, Peanut,” said Annie. “He’s just a little monkey. He won’t hurt us.”

  But suddenly the monkey grabbed a big red fruit hanging from the tree. He hurled it at the canoe.

  “Watch it!” shouted Jack.

  The fruit fell into the water with a splash.

  The monkey screeched even louder.

  He grabbed another fruit.

  “Don’t throw things at us!” shouted Annie.

  But the monkey hurled the red fruit right at them.

  Jack and Annie ducked again. And the fruit splashed into the water.

  “Stop that!” Annie shouted.

  But the monkey only waved his arms and screeched again.