Vacation Under the Volcano - Mary Pope Osborne [1]
p. cm. — (The magic tree house ; #13) “A Stepping Stone book.” SUMMARY: Their magic tree house takes Annie and Jack to Pompeii just as Vesuvius is about to erupt, and they must find a Roman scroll before everything is covered with burning ash.
eISBN: 978-0-375-89470-1
[1. Time travel—Fiction. 2. Vesuvius (Italy)—Eruption, 79—Fiction. 3. Pompeii (Extinct city)—Fiction. 4. Tree houses—Fiction.]
I. Title. II. Series: Osborne, Mary Pope. Magic tree house series ; #13.
PZ7.O81167Vag 1998 [Fic]—dc21 97-39765
Random House, Inc. New York, Toronto, London, Sydney, Auckland
RANDOM HOUSE and colophon are registered trademarks and A STEPPING STONE BOOK and colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc. MAGIC TREE HOUSE is a registered trademark of Mary Pope Osborne; used under license.
v3.0
For Louis deWolf-Stein,
who wanted me to
write about Pompeii.
Cover
Title Page
Dear Readers
Copyright
Dedication
1. A Secret Code
2. The End Is Near
3. Gladiators!
4. Scary Things
5. Books? Books?
6. The End Is Here
7. The Sky Is Falling
8. Nightmare at Noon
9. Save Us!
10. A Simple Explanation
More Facts
Special Preview of Magic Tree House #14: Day of the Dragon King
Jack reached into his drawer and took out his secret library card. He held the thin piece of wood and ran his finger over its shimmering letters: M L.
“Master Librarian,” he whispered.
Jack couldn’t believe that he and his sister, Annie, were finally Master Librarians.
He wondered if he should pack the secret card to take on vacation. His family was about to leave for a week in the mountains.
Just then Annie stuck her head into Jack’s room.
“Want to check the woods?” she asked.
Every morning, they looked in the Frog Creek woods to see if Morgan le Fay and her magic tree house had returned.
“We can’t,” said Jack. “We’re leaving soon.”
“But what if Morgan’s there?” said Annie. “What if she’s waiting for us?”
“Oh, okay,” said Jack. “Let’s look fast.”
He grabbed his backpack. He threw in his notebook, his pencil, and his secret library card. Then he followed Annie downstairs.
“We’ll be back soon!” Annie called.
“Don’t go far!” their dad called. “We’re leaving in twenty minutes.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll be back in ten!” said Annie.
Right, thought Jack. Five minutes to the woods, and five minutes back. Even if Morgan sent them on an adventure, they would return at exactly the same time that they left.
Jack and Annie ran out their front door. In the bright morning sunshine, they hurried across their lawn and down the street.
“I had a nightmare last night,” said Annie.
“What was it?” said Jack.
“I dreamed fires were burning,” said Annie. “Everything was smoky and dark, and the ground was shaking. Do you think it was a warning?”
“Nah,” said Jack. “Nightmares never come true.”
They left the sidewalk and headed into the Frog Creek woods. The woods were quiet and peaceful. They walked between sunlit trees until they came to the tallest oak in the woods.
“Yay!” said Annie.
There it was—the magic tree house. And Morgan le Fay was waving from the window.
“Hail, Master Librarians,” she said.
Jack and Annie bowed playfully.
“At your service,” said Annie.
“Then come on up!” said Morgan.
They grabbed the rope ladder and started up. When they climbed inside the tree house, they found Morgan holding a book and a piece of paper.
“I have an important mission for you,” she said. “Are you ready?”
“Yes!” they both answered.
Jack’s heart pounded. Ever since Morgan had made them Master Librarians, he had been longing for their first mission.
“You know I collect books for Camelot’s library?” she said.
Jack and Annie nodded.
“Well, there have been many great libraries lost in history,” said Morgan. “And with them, we have lost many wonderful stories.”
“That’s sad,” said Annie.
“It is,” said Morgan. “But luckily, with the help of the tree house and you two Master Librarians, some of those stories can be saved. Such as this one—”
Morgan showed them the piece of paper. There was strange writing on it:
Vir Fortissimus in Mundo
“Is that