What do You think about Thanksgiving On Thursday (2002)?
Before leaving for their Grandmother's for the Thanksgiving holiday, Jack and Annie make a quick visit to the magic tree house and find a message from Camelot librarian Morgan le Fay; she has given the children a third "special magic" assignment: "To find a special magic, When work and toil are done, Gather all together, Turn three worlds into one."With a stroke of magic, Jack and Annie are catapulted to Plymouth Colony; it is now 1621. They are about to take part in the first Thanksgiving. They are assigned such exotic chores as feet-fishing for eels and fowling for water birds; they are quite maladroit at these duties; they realize that Pilgrim children work hard! Captain Standish, Governor Bradford and Squanto are three prominent historical figures that Jack and Annie meet. The children are amazed by the contributions of the Wampanoag Americans to the Pilgrim's success in the new world. Thanksgiving on Thursday is an interesting, informational adventure to Plymouth Colony; this novel is #27 in the Magic Tree House series.
—Sharon
This book I too only read in full for the first time this year. I find it funny, but at the same time don't really care. I have missed a lot of Magic Tree House from my time growing up to myself now. Things have changed, events have happened, and my life had shifted away from Magic Tree House, but I'm back now and happy to be reading it again. I have missed it.This adventure to the first Thanksgiving was a pretty neat idea and a fun way to meet the pilgrims and offer their assistance in the preparation of the feast that is celebrated every November (October for us Canadians)I really liked the way the story rolled out and the way Jack and Annie interacted with famous figures and became one with the place they were. I think the only thing that bothered me was that the pilgrims still spoke in old English with thou and thee. I found it funny that when Jack or Annie used a term from modern day, the pilgrims were confused but found it amusing. Way to introduce 20th century terms to the pilgrims of yester-year.
—Simon
I loved this book. Annie and Jack went back to the time of the Pilgrims and learned that there are many things to be grateful for. The children then used to work really hard, just as hard as adults and without complaint. They lost loved ones to disease and starvation, yet they gave thanks for what they did have and did everything they could to help their community. Jack and Annie ended up feeling useless because they couldn't do any of the work at all. I also learned that the Native American that helped them was once kidnapped as a slave and returned to find his whole village dead. It is amazing that he then turned around and helped those foreigners in need. In this story he even covered for Annie and Jack, stating that he knew what it felt like to be afraid and in a strange place. Jack and Annie promised to be more considerate of others. It's a lesson we should all apply. We shouldn't make fun of foreigners and make life harder for them. We should help them. I myself have traveled and can say that I enjoyed countries with friendly and helpful people and really found that in countries where that was not the case....if felt hard, and frustrating. This story was really well written.I also like the fact that Osborne mentioned how 'Thanksgiving' really started and that the traditional "1st Thanksgiving" we think of wasn't a holiday at all or a "thanksgiving" but a harvest festival. I learned something new. If one does research, one would find that many holidays we celebrate originally were created to celebrate something else haha
—Rubi
