Sunday, July 15, 2012

The Knight at Dawn by Mary Pope Osborne


Magic Tree House #2: The Knight at Dawn (AmazonKindle, Flipkart)
Mary Pope Osborne (Author), Sal Murdocca (Illustrator)
4 stars
This is the second adventure in the Magic Tree House series, and also the second book in the series that I read. The series revolves around the Jack and Annie, siblings, aged eight-and-a-half and seven years respectively, and their magical adventures that begin when they find a tree house full of books, books that take them on a magical adventure.

After their very first adventure the previous day, that takes them back to an adventure in the times of dinosaurs, Jack and Annie cannot wait to get back to the tree house. It is not even daylight, but Jack and Annie sneak out of the house to the tree house. The time they find a book on the state of Pennsylvania, about knights and castles, make a wish, and lo behold, they are transported in their tree house to the times of knights and castles! Jack and Annie explore the castle, escaping detection from people, and observe what would seem to be strange sights indeed. A drawbridge, a moat, a hawkhouse, and a large dining room where dogs fight for scraps thrown on the floor, and where peacocks may actually be part of the meal.

Unlike the first adventure, this time they are actually caught and may find themselves locked in a dungeon. Annie's ingenuity and a torchlight gets them out of trouble, and with the help of an anonymous knight, manage to escape back to their own time.

We are still not told the secret behind the secret "M", and we may have to wait a few more episodes before it is finally revealed. Annie is as impetuous as ever, but manages to keep her wits and courage about her. Jack loves books, and cannot stop taking notes wherever he goes.



Kindle Excerpt:



© 2012, Abhinav Agarwal (अभिनव अग्रवाल). All rights reserved.