Lions at Lunchtime - Mary Pope Osborne [9]
She jumped off the porch and headed across their dark yard.
Jack groaned. How did Annie know exactly what the owl said? he wondered.
Still, he didn’t want to be left behind. So he took off after her.
The moon lit their way as they ran down their street. When they entered the Frog Creek woods, Jack turned on his flashlight.
The beam of light showed shadows and swaying branches.
Jack and Annie stepped between the trees. They stayed close together.
“Whoo.”
Jack jumped in fear.
“It’s just the white owl,” said Annie. “He’s somewhere nearby.”
“The woods are creepy,” said Jack.
“Yeah,” said Annie. “In the dark, it doesn’t even feel like our woods.”
Suddenly the owl flapped near them.
“Yikes!” said Annie.
Jack shone his flashlight on the white bird as it rose into the sky. The owl landed on a tree branch—right next to the magic tree house.
And there was Morgan le Fay, the enchantress librarian. Her long white hair gleamed in the beam of Jack’s flashlight.
“Hello,” Morgan called softly in a soothing voice. “Climb up.”
Jack used his flashlight to find the rope ladder. Then he and Annie climbed up into the tree house.
Morgan was holding three scrolls. Each one held the answer to an ancient riddle that Jack and Annie had already solved.
“You have journeyed to the ocean, the Wild West, and Africa to find the answers to these three riddles,” said Morgan. “Ready for another journey?”
“Yes!” said Jack and Annie together.
Morgan pulled a fourth scroll from the folds of her robe. She handed it to Annie.
“After we solve this riddle, will we become Master Librarians?” asked Annie.
“And help you gather books through time and space?” said Jack.
“Almost … ” said Morgan.
Before Jack could ask what she meant, Morgan pulled out a book and gave it to him. “For your research,” she said.
Jack and Annie looked at the book’s title: ADVENTURE IN THE ARCTIC.
“Oh, wow, the Arctic!” said Annie.
“The Arctic?” said Jack. He turned to Morgan. “Are you serious?”
“Indeed I am,” she said. “And you must hurry.”
“I wish we could go there,” said Annie, pointing at the cover.
“Wait—wait a minute—we’ll freeze to death!” said Jack.
“Fear not,” said Morgan. “I am sending someone to meet you.”
The wind started to blow.
“Meet us? Who?” said Jack.
“Whoo?” said the snowy owl.
Before Morgan could answer, the tree house started to spin.
It spun faster and faster.
Then everything was still.
Absolutely still.
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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