The Magic Tree House series is a quality series for young readers, ages 6 to 9. In the series, the main characters, sister and brother, Annie and Jack, travel through time thanks to a magic tree house they found in Frog Creek woods near their house. In this adventure, they travel to the time of Abraham Lincoln to receive a feather from him. This feather will help undo a spell that had turned a penguin into a statue. So far the children have collected two of the four special objects that will undo the spell on the penguin. The feather will be the fourth item. Through time travel, the children meet up with Abraham Lincoln's children first, Willie and Tad. Later they travel back into time to the Indiana homestead of the young Abe Lincoln, but he tells the children his name is "Sam." They don't realize that he was the young version of Abraham Lincoln until the end of the story.I like this series because it appeals to my enjoyment of historical fiction. There are many facts that young children can learn about history via this fantasy series. There is a companion piece called "Abraham Lincoln Fact Tracker" that goes with this story, but I did not read that book. However, I think it would be very interesting for a teacher and her student to read the non-fiction piece so that they could pull out the actual facts embedded in the fantasy book. The print is large, but not too large as to appear "babyish." There are occasional illustrations, but not on every page like a picture book.As a teacher-librarian, I find Magic Treehouse books are ways that beginning readers, struggling older readers, and ELL students can find history to be accessible and fun. I recommend these Mary Pope Osborne books highly. Most are only about 100-120 pages, so they are a quick read. --Barb Zachwieja A continuation of the Merlin Series where brother and sister Jack and Annie travel back to 1861 a week after the Lincolns have moved into the White House just prior to the Civil War. The siblings are on a quest to find an item to break a spell cast on their friend Merlin’s penguin Penny - - a feather, which they are supposed to retrieve from President Lincoln himself and “use it wisely to give him hope – the hope he needs to heal his land.” As soon as they arrive in Washington, D. C., they meet up with Lincoln’s two sons, Tad and Willie. This book does a good job of blending the fictional on-going tale of the quests and adventures of these fictional characters with factual information about Abraham Lincoln as a boy, as a father and as a leader during a time of turmoil.
What do You think about Abe Lincoln At Last! (2011)?
Her books are the best for introducing primary kids to a wide world of topics.
—steph
Cute story, but always brings up other questions.
—Chi
