This book has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine. It is the 17th book in the “Magic Tree House” series.
This book has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine. It is the 17th book in the “Magic Tree House” series.
Jack and Annie hear the rain hitting the window and believe it is calling them to the tree house. When they arrive, Morgan le Fay, the enchantress, is not there. Instead, they find a small terrier puppy and name him Teddy.
A note from Morgan informs them that the dog is under a spell. To free him, the children must gather four special gifts. The note also warns them that their Master Librarian cards will not help them on this particular mission. The first gift on the list must come from a ship lost at sea.
After the children find a book entitled The Unsinkable Ship and wish to go to the setting of the book, they find themselves between the smokestacks of a large ocean liner. Jack reads about the ship, including the date of its voyage: April 14, 1912. Before they can exit the tree house, the ship hits an iceberg. The children listen as the large chunk of ice scrapes along the hull. When the scraping stops, Annie exits the tree house to investigate, and the children discover they are on the Titanic.
Jack insists on going home, but Annie wants to stay and help. When they overhear the captain instructing a crew member to send an SOS, Jack looks in the book and learns no one will arrive in time to help the sinking ship. After the captain instructs the crew to begin loading the lifeboats, Jack reads more facts in the book. He finds out the ship needed twice as many lifeboats as it had to get all the passengers to safety.
After deciding to help someone find a lifeboat, Jack and Annie make their way to the third-class deck. While walking there, they encounter many calm travelers who are unaware of the danger. Annie warns them, but they don’t give her words much attention. With the help of Teddy, they find William and Lucy, two children traveling to New York to meet their parents.
As the four children run to the top deck, they continue to meet adults who aren’t worried about the state of the ship. Annie warns the travelers, but Jack urges their group onward, always wary of the time. On the top deck, Jack and Annie help a frightened William and Lucy find a lifeboat. Before Lucy boards the boat, she thanks Annie and Jack by giving them a silver watch on a chain, one of the four special gifts they need to collect.
Jack and Annie begin searching for the tree house as the ship’s stern begins to rise out of the water. When they get to the smokestacks, the tree house is not there. As the boat continues to sink, Teddy helps them find the tree house. They escape as the boat cracks in two. Once they return to their time, the two sit in silence, petting the dog and shedding a few tears for the people lost at sea.
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In this series, the tree house is magic. Jack and Annie, who live in Frog Creek, can see it, but others can’t. Morgan le Fay is an enchantress and the owner of the tree house. Her magic allows the tree house to transport Jack and Annie through time. They go to places they find images of in the books within the tree house. In a previous book, Morgan le Fay became trapped by a magic spell. She needs four items to break the spell. The children traveled through time to find those items for her. Then they went on quests to become Master Librarians.
Morgan’s note says the puppy in the tree house has a magic spell cast on him. The only way to undo the spell is to obtain four gifts. Later, Annie decides Teddy is a magical dog.
Jack and Annie watch the captain make a decision to begin loading the lifeboats.
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