Blizzard of the Blue Moon (9 page)

I
have illustrated all the Magic Tree House books, but illustrating
Blizzard of the Blue Moon
has been the most enjoyable so far.

My research for this project brought back many fond memories because as a student I often visited many of the places mentioned in the story, especially in Central Park, where I loved to sketch.

Since I still live close to New York City, I came to the city several times and followed the same route that Jack and Annie took from Central Park to the Cloisters.

Many of the places in the story are not very
different than they were in 1938, and I was able to sketch and photograph them. The taxis and the subway trains have changed, but I was able to find pictures of these in books.

Here’s a special preview of
Magic Tree House #37
(A Merlin Mission)
Dragon of the Red Dawn

Available now!

Excerpt copyright ©
2007
by Mary Pope Osborne.
Published by Random House Children's Books,
a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

T
ap, tap, tap.

Jack was dreaming that a white bird was pecking at his window.
Tap … tap.
A red bird appeared and pecked with the white bird.
Tap … tap.

“Jack, wake up!” said Annie.

Jack opened his eyes.

“They’re here!” said Annie.

“Who? The birds?” said Jack.

“No! Teddy and Kathleen!” Annie rushed to the window and waved outside. “They’re tossing pebbles at our windows.”

“Teddy and Kathleen!” Jack jumped out of bed and joined Annie at the window.

The two young enchanters of Camelot were standing in Jack and Annie’s front yard. They were dressed in long, dark cloaks. They smiled and waved up at Jack and Annie.

“Merlin must have sent them!” said Jack.

Teddy made a walking motion with his fingers and pointed toward the Frog Creek woods.

Annie nodded eagerly. “They want us to meet them at the tree house!” she said to Jack. “Hurry and get dressed! Before Mom and Dad wake up!”

Annie started out of Jack’s room. When she got to the door, she turned. “Oh, and don’t forget to bring the Wand of Dianthus!”

Jack threw on his clothes. He grabbed his backpack and peeked inside. The wand was there. Jack put his pack on his back. Then he slipped quietly downstairs and out the door.

Annie was standing on the front porch. “Let’s go!” she said.

Jack and Annie ran across their yard and dashed up the sidewalk.

“I wonder why they came for us!” said Annie.

“I wonder where we’re going!” said Jack.

“I wonder
everything
!” said Annie.

Jack and Annie crossed the street and hurried into the Frog Creek woods. The early-March trees looked weary from winter, gray and brown with no leaves on them yet.

“Look—” said Annie, out of breath. “They’re waiting for us!”

Jack looked up. Teddy and Kathleen were waving from the window of the magic tree house.

Jack grabbed the rope ladder and started up. Annie followed. When Jack and Annie climbed inside the tree house, they threw their arms around Teddy and Kathleen.

“We’re so glad to see you!” cried Annie.

“And we are happy to see you, also,” said Kathleen. The sea girl’s lovely water-blue eyes sparkled.

“Indeed,” said Teddy. “It has been too long.”

“What’s our mission this time?” asked Jack. “Where’s Merlin sending us?”

Teddy glanced at Kathleen. “I fear Merlin does not even know we are here,” said Teddy. “We have come not at his bidding, but for his sake.”

“What does
that
mean?” asked Jack.

“Merlin is not well,” said Kathleen. “He complains that he is getting old and feeble and that life is full of sorrows. He does not eat or sleep.”

“Oh, no!” said Annie.

“All of Camelot wishes to help him,” said Teddy. “But no one knows quite how.”

“What can
we
do to help?” asked Jack.

Teddy picked up a book from the corner of the tree house. “Throughout the ages, people all over the world have sought the secrets of happiness,” he said. “Morgan wants you to search for four of these secrets to share with Merlin. She believes that the first one might be found
here.”

Jack took the book from Teddy. He read the title aloud.

“Oh, wow, we’ve been to Japan before!” said Annie.

“Before we met you,” Jack said to Teddy and Kathleen. “We had an adventure with ninjas.”

“Yes, Morgan told us,” said Teddy. “But she said that on that journey, you visited the countryside. This time you must travel to the capital city.”

“Are you guys coming with us?” asked Annie.

“I am afraid not,” said Kathleen. “We must return to Camelot now to help Morgan. Since
Merlin has fallen ill, she has taken on much of his work.”

“You have the wand, do you not?” asked Teddy.

“Yep,” said Jack. He reached into his backpack and took out the Wand of Dianthus. The spiraled wand was shaped like a unicorn’s horn.

“With the help of the wand, you will make your own magic,”
said Teddy.

“That’s what Merlin said when he gave it to us,” said Annie.

“But he didn’t say
how,”
said Jack.

“It is very simple,” said Teddy. “The wand has three rules. First, it only works for the good of others. The wand can never be used for selfish reasons.”

“Second, the wand works only after you have tried your very hardest without its help,” said Kathleen. “Do not attempt to use its magic too quickly.”

“And third, the wand only works with a command
of five words,” said Teddy. “So you must choose your words carefully.”

“Can we review all that, please?” asked Jack.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it,” said Annie. “We have to go. We have to help Merlin as soon as we can.”

“If the tree house takes us to Japan, how will you go back to Camelot?” Jack asked Teddy and Kathleen.

Teddy and Kathleen held up their hands. They each wore a sparkling blue ring. “Our magic rings will take us home,” said Kathleen.

“And this book from Camelot’s library will bring
you
back home to Frog Creek,” said Teddy, “after you have completed your mission.” He picked up another book lying in a corner. It was the book about Pennsylvania that Jack and Annie had used on their first magic tree house adventures.

“Thanks,” said Jack.

“Good-bye,” said Annie. “Take good care of Merlin.”

“We will try,” said Kathleen. She and Teddy raised their magic rings to their lips. They whispered words too softly for Jack and Annie to hear, then blew on the rings. As they blew, the young sorcerers began to fade into the cool morning air. In a moment, they had disappeared completely.

Silence filled the tree house.

Annie turned to Jack. “Ready?” she said.

Jack nodded. He pointed to the cover of the Japan book. “I wish we could go
there
!” he said.

The tree house started to spin.

It spun faster and faster.

Then everything was still.

Absolutely still.

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