Mary Pope Osborne - Midnight on the Moon

Magic Tree House #8 Midnight on the Moon Mary Pope Osborne Prologue One summer day in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, a mysterious tree house appeared in the woods. Eight-year-old Jack and his seven-year- old sister, Annie, climbed into the tree house. The tree house was filled with books and it was magic. It could go any place that was in a book. All Jack and Annie had to do was to point to a picture and wish to go there. They visited dinosaurs, knights, an Egyptian queen, pirates, ninjas, and the Amazon rain forest.

Along the way, they discovered that the tree house belonged to Morgan le Fay. Morgan was a magical librarian from the time of King Arthur. She traveled through time and space, gathering books for her library. One day, Jack and Annie found a note that said Morgan was under a spell. Jack and Annie set out in the magic tree house to find four special things that would free her. With the help of a mouse named Peanut, Jack and Annie found the first thing in old Japan, the second in the Amazon rain forest, and the third in the Ice Age.

Now Jack, Annie, and Peanut are ready to find the last thing in Midnight on the Moon.
Chapter One By Moonlight "Jack!" whispered a voice. Jack opened his eyes. He saw a figure in the moonlight. "Wake up. Get dressed." It was his sister, Annie.

Jack turned on his lamp. He rubbed his eyes. Annie was standing beside his bed. She wore jeans and a sweatshirt. "Let's go to the tree house," she said. "What time is it?" asked Jack.

He put on his glasses. "Don't look at your clock," said Annie. Jack looked at his clock. "Oh, man," he said. "It's midnight. It's too dark." "No it isn't.

The moon makes it bright enough to see," said Annie. "Wait till morning," said Jack. "No--now," said Annie. "We have to find the fourth M thing. I have a feeling that the full moon might help us." "That's nuts," said Jack. "No time will have passed." Jack sighed. "Oh, brother," he said. "Oh, brother," he said.

But he got out of bed. "Yay!" whispered Annie. "Meet you at the back door." She tiptoed out of Jack's room. Jack yawned. He pulled on his jeans and sneakers and a sweatshirt. He put his notebook and pencil into his backpack.

Then he crept down the stairs. Annie opened the back door. Quietly, they stepped outside. "Wait--" said Jack. "We need a flashlight." "No, we don't. I told you--the moon will light our way," said Annie.

And she took off. Jack sighed, then followed her. Annie was right, thought Jack. The moon was so bright that he could see his shadow. Everything seemed washed with silver. Soon they left their street.

Annie led the way into the Frog Creek woods. It was much darker under the shadows of the trees. Jack looked up, searching for the tree house. "There!" said Annie. The magic tree house was shining in the moonlight. "Careful--go slowly," said Jack. "Careful--go slowly," said Jack.

He followed her up the ladder and into the tree house. Moonlight streamed through the window. It shone on the letter M that shimmered on the wooden floor. It shone on the three M things that rested on the M: a moonstone from the time of the ninjas, a mango from the Amazon rain forest, and a mammoth bone from the Ice Age. "We need just one more M thing," said Annie, "to free Morgan from her spell." Squeak. "Peanut!" said Annie.

In the dim light, Jack saw a tiny mouse. She sat on an open book. "You didn't expect to see us this late, did you?" said Annie. She picked up Peanut. And Jack picked up the open book. "So where are we going this time?" Annie asked him.

Jack held the book up to the moonlight. "Uh-oh," he said. "I knew we should have brought a flashlight. I can't read a thing." He could make out diagrams and shadowy pictures. But he couldn't read a word. "Look at the "said Annie.

The letters were bigger on the cover. Jack squinted at them. "It's called Hello, Moon," he said. Annie gasped. "We're going to the moon?" "Of course not," said Jack. "It's impossible to go to the moon without tons of equipment." "Why?" "There's no air.

We couldn't breathe. Not only that, we'd boil to death if it was day and freeze to death if it was night." "Yikes," said Annie. "So where do you think we are going?" "Maybe a place where people train to be astronauts," said Jack. "That sounds neat," said Annie. "Yeah," said Jack. "So say the wish," said Annie. "So say the wish," said Annie.

Jack opened the book again. He pointed to a picture of a dome-shaped structure. "I wish we could go there;" he said The wind started to blow. The tree house started to spin. It spun faster and faster and faster. Then everything was silent.

Absolutely silent. As quiet and still as silence could be.
Chapter Two Space Motel Jack opened his eyes. He looked out the window. The tree house had landed inside a large white room. "I don't know," said Jack. "I don't know," said Jack.

The room was round. It had no windows. It had white floors and a curved wall lit by bright lights. "Hello!" Annie called. There was no answer. "There's nobody here," said Annie. "How do you know?" said Jack. "I just feel it," said Annie. 'We'd better find out where we are," said Jack. 'We'd better find out where we are," said Jack.

He looked at the page in the moon book. He read the words below the picture of the dome. A moon base was built on the moon in the year 2031. The top of the dome slides open to let spacecrafts enter and leave. "Oh, man--" Jack whispered. "What's wrong?" said Annie.

Jack's heart pounded with excitement. He could hardly speak. "We've landed inside a moon base," he said. "So...?" said Annie. "So the moon base is on the moon!" said Jack. "We're on the moon?" she asked. "We're on the moon?" she asked.

Jack nodded. "The book says the moon base was built in the year 2031," he said. "So this book was written after that! Which means this book is from the future!" "Oh wow," said Annie. "Morgan must have gone forward in time to borrow it from a future library." "Right," said Jack. "And now we're in the future, on the moon." Squeak, squeak! Annie and Jack looked at Peanut. "Poor Peanut," said Annie. "Poor Peanut," said Annie.

She tried to pick the mouse up. But Peanut hid behind the mango on the letter M. "Maybe she's nervous about being on the moon," said Annie. "She's not the only one," said Jack. He let out a deep breath, then he pushed his glasses into place. "So what's a moon base?" asked Annie.

Jack looked at the book. He read aloud: When scientists visit the moon for short periods, they eat and sleep in the moon base. "A space motel!" said Annie. "I guess," said Jack. He read more: The small base has a landing chamber and a room for storing spacesuits. "So that's why we can breathe," Jack said. "Let's explore," said Annie. "We have to find the fourth thing for Morgan." "No, first we should study this map," said Jack. "We have to find the fourth thing for Morgan." "No, first we should study this map," said Jack.

He pulled out his notebook. "You study it," said Annie. Jack copied the map. Then he drew in the tree house. "Okay," he said. "We're here." Jack looked up. "We're here." Jack looked up.

Annie was gone. "Oh, brother," Jack said. As usual, she had left without him. Before they could even make a plan. Jack put the moon book and pencil into his pack. Carrying his notebook and backpack, he started out the window.

Squeak! Squeak! Jack looked back at Peanut. The mouse was running back and forth on the M. "Stay here and be safe," said Jack. "We'll be back soon." Jack swung himself over the windowsill. His feet touched the floor of the landing chamber. "Annie!" he called.

There was no answer. Jack looked at his diagram. It showed only one way to go. Jack walked along' the curved white wall to the stairs. He climbed the steps to a hallway. "Jack--hurry!" Annie was at the end of the hallway, standing in the airlock.

She peered out a window in a giant door. Jack hurried toward her. Annie stepped aside so he could look out the window, too. "Oh, man," said Jack. What he saw took his breath away. He stared at a rocky gray land.