What do You think about Christmas In Camelot (2010)?
We've been snowed in quite a bit in the last few weeks, so the kids and I have been getting our read on. Our favorite read-aloud books are The Magic Tree House series, and the best of those are the Merlin Missions. This one is the first of the Merlin Missions, and it's GREAT! My kids (my son is 8 and my daughter is 7) were so into it, they kept begging me to keep going whenever I came to the end of a chapter, and they were hanging on my arms and squealing while I read it, they found the adventure soooo exciting :) I love that we've found a series that both my son and my daughter can get so excited about. Keep 'em coming, Mary Pope Osborne :)
—Lisa
You can read this review and others on my blog at http://awriterswife-bcray.blogspot.co...So I read this out of order. I read the Halloween book before the Christmas book. I think I would have been more surprised at the end about who the Christmas Knight was if I hadn’t read them out of order.Nevertheless the story was still fun. Jack and Annie get to go to Camelot at Christmas-time. But Camelot is not what they were expecting. I think this is a fun way to introduce kids to the myth surrounding Camelot, King Arthur, and the Knights of the Round Table. I love when books and movies use myths – even if they completely change them. Are some kids going to think that the way the Disney Huntchback of Notre Dame ends is the way the book ends? Yes. But at least it is getting kids introduced to the story. And if they enjoyed it enough, they’ll pick up the book – or at least research it more. That is why I think I will like these stories.These books are super easy reads. This one felt to read even faster than the Halloween one did. I look forward to reading these with Brooklyn at bedtime when she gets a little older. What I really like is that the author gives details at the end of the book where various aspects of the story were inspired. She gives you more details surrounding the myths.Overall a fun book for kids. If you’re looking for ways to introduce your kids to history and myths, this has seemed like a fun way to do it so far.
—Kristen
The Magic Tree House series and the fact guides that are published along with the series by Osborne are good early chapter books and I have enjoyed the few I have read. However, Christmas in Camelot isn't one of the best for either fans of the series or those looking for King Arthur stories.Since the Athurian characters are dear to my heart I would have loved to see the legend described more, but perhaps Osborne did that in an earlier Tree House. In this book though, the characters were very flat and there is really very little to make this feel like a Christmas read. There wasn't much spark in the brief appearances of Morgan or Merlin either. Merlin was simply introduced and I assume will play more of a role in later Tree House volumes.There were some nice symbols and beautiful imagery in the story, including the dove and the white stag, but no cultural explanations of these. Again these may be explained in one of Osborne's Guides.For a young person, in particular, looking for more in-depth King Arthur, I would recommend The Road to Camlann by Rosemary Sutcliff, King Arthur by Geraldine McCaughrean, and Young Lancelot by Robert D San Souci.
—SarahC
