Abe Lincoln at Last! — “Magic Tree House” Series

Jack and Annie have a magic tree house that will take them anywhere in history. In several “Magic Tree House” books prior to this one, they’ve helped Teddy and Kathleen, young enchanters from the past. Teddy accidentally cast a spell that turned Merlin the magician’s penguin to stone. Jack and Annie must collect four items for Teddy so he can break the spell. When this story opens, they’ve collected two of the needed items and are preparing to search for number three. They sneak out of their house before school and make their way to the tree house in the woods nearby.

Teddy and Kathleen have left them a bottle of magic potion and a book about Abraham Lincoln. An accompanying riddle says they must get a feather from Lincoln and give him the hope he needs to heal his land. Using the magic potion, they make a wish to be at the White House depicted on the cover of the Lincoln book. They and the tree house land on the lawn of the White House in 1861. They even find themselves dressed in period clothing. An obnoxious little boy, Tad, and his older brother, Willie, come to investigate the tree house. The boys tell Jack and Annie they can get them in to see President Lincoln. Jack and Annie later learn Tad and Willie are the president’s sons.

Despite Tad and Willie’s best efforts, they can’t get Jack and Annie past the security and other people waiting for meetings with Lincoln. Jack and Annie use the remainder of their magic potion to wish for a meeting alone with Lincoln. They find themselves in a forest and run into a boy who calls himself Sam. Sam says he can help them find Lincoln. Then Sam’s horse kicks him in the head and leaves him reeling. Jack and Annie get him to his log home and into his bed in the loft. They learn his mother is dead, his father is out of town, and his sister won’t be home until late in the evening. They try to help him by doing his chores, such as chopping wood, milking the cow, fetching water and making cornbread. They fail at each task. Sam is eventually able to recover enough to finish the chores himself. When Sam learns how much Annie and Jack enjoy writing, he gives them a feather pen and ink he made. Just then, his father returns from out of town with a new wife and several new siblings for Sam. Before the children can get Sam to tell them about Lincoln, they’re whisked back to 1861.

On the White House lawn, they see Lincoln walking alone. The president looks puzzled and confused when he sees the kids. He says he remembers them from a day in his childhood when they helped him and then vanished right before his eyes. He had played a joke on them, saying his name was Sam. In keeping with Teddy and Kathleen’s riddle, the kids offer Lincoln hope. They assure him the Civil War will end well and bring freedom for everyone. They return home in the magic tree house with Lincoln’s feather pen, feeling thankful for the comforts of modern life.