Blizzard of the Blue Moon

Product Description Magic. Mystery. Time-travel. Join Jack, Annie and the Magic Tree House as they travel to the past on a daring unicorn rescue mission--from the #1 bestselling chapter book series of all time! Jack and Annie must rescue a beautiful magical creature—the unicorn. But when they land in New York City during the Depression of the 1930s, Jack and Annie are confused. Where will they find a unicorn in a big city? Formerly numbered as Magic Tree House #44, the title of this book is now Magic Tree House Merlin Mission #16: Blizzard of the Blue Moon. The Merlin Missions books are more challenging adventures that will delight experienced readers who are fans of the original chapter book series! The Magic Tree House series has been a favorite for over 25 years and is sure to inspire a love of reading—and adventure—in every child who joins Jack and Annie! Did you know that there’s a Magic Tree House book for every kid? • Magic Tree House: Adventures with Jack and Annie, perfect for readers who are just beginning chapter books • Magic Tree House Graphic Novels: Jack and Annie's original adventures come to life with full-color, vibrant art, perfect for graphic novel fans and reluctant readers • Merlin Missions: More challenging adventures for the experienced reader • Super Edition: A longer and more dangerous adventure • Fact Trackers: Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House adventures About the Author MARY POPE OSBORNE is the author of the New York Times number one bestselling Magic Tree House series. She and her husband, writer Will Osborne (author of Magic Tree House: The Musical), live in northwestern Connecticut with their three dogs. Ms. Osborne is also the coauthor of the companion Magic Tree House Fact Trackers series with Will, and with her sister, Natalie Pope Boyce. SAL MURDOCCA has illustrated more than 200 children's trade and text books. He is also a librettist for children's opera, a video artist, an avid runner, hiker, and bicyclist, and a teacher of children's illustration at the Parsons School of Design. Sal lives and works in New York with his wife, Nancy. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. CHAPTER ONE The Last Unicorn The November sky was gray with clouds. Jack sat reading in front of the living room fire. “Who wants hot chocolate?” his dad called from the kitchen. “Me, please!” said Jack. The front door burst open, and with a gust of cold wind, Annie rushed inside. “Jack! Guess what!” she whispered. “It’s back!” “How do you know?” said Jack. “I was walking home from the library”— Annie paused to catch her breath—“and I saw a flash in the sky above the woods. The last time that happened—” Before she could finish the sentence, Jack jumped up. “Dad, Annie and I are going to go outside for a while!” he shouted. “Can the hot chocolate wait till we get back?” “Sure, have fun!” their dad called from the kitchen. “I have to get my pack,” Jack said to Annie. “Meet you on the porch.” “Don’t forget the rhyme book!” said Annie. Annie slipped outside and Jack ran up to his room. He grabbed his backpack. He checked to make sure their book of magic rhymes was inside. Good, there it was. Jack charged back downstairs. He pulled on his boots, put on his jacket, tied a scarf around his neck, grabbed his mittens, and headed out the door. “Come on!” said Annie. Jack could see his breath in the cold air. “Brrr,” he said. “Let’s hurry!” Jack and Annie ran down the street and into the Frog Creek woods. They wove between the trees, their boots crunching through the fallen leaves. Jack stopped. The magic tree house was back. High in a tall oak tree, it was silhouetted against the gray November sky. “You were right,” he said to Annie. “Good work.” “Thanks,” Annie said. She ran to the rope ladder and started up. Jack followed her. When they climbed inside the tree house, Jack and Annie saw a book and a scroll of parchment paper lying on the floor. Annie picked up th