Hello everyone, and I’m back at it again with a new book series ranking post. In my last such post, I ranked the next ten Diary of a Wimpy Kid books in my own personal order of worst to best. Now, it’s time for me to head back to the Magic Tree House book series. Remember when I ranked the top ten best books in the original series? And remember when I said in that post that the Merlin Missions series deserves its own list? Well, I decided that it is now time to rank the top ten best books in that series.
Older fans are familiar with how the Merlin Missions series was initially ordered sequentially, with Christmas in Camelot originally being the 29th book. After the release of Night of the Ninth Dragon in 2016, Mary Pope Osborne started writing new books to the original series that I will refer to as the “add-ons”, beginning with A Big Day for Baseball in 2017. But with the release of the add-ons, the Merlin Missions books had to be separated into their own distinct series and re-numbered, with Christmas in Camelot now known as Merlin Missions #1. That was an interesting new direction to take the series after ending Merlin Missions, even if older fans like me will forever separate the first 28 books from the add-ons and forever remember the original numbering of the Merlin Missions books. If you’re a newer fan and didn’t already know this, I’m glad to teach you something today.
As with the Merlin Missions series, the add-ons deserve their own list, and like my last Magic Tree House book ranking post, I’m going to leave them out for the same two reasons. Osborne is not yet done writing the add-ons, so they cannot be fairly judged in their entirety yet. And even if she was done writing the add-ons, I have yet to catch up on them, which would add to the unfairness. I have also decided to leave out the Super Edition book World at War, 1944 (originally titled Danger in the Darkest Hour), since it is not considered part of the Merlin Missions series. I’ll bet it’s really good though, and it would nonetheless be interesting to see where it would rank in this list once I get around to it.
But even without the add-ons and Danger in the Darkest Hour, thanks to the sheer size of the series as a whole, an honorable mentions list will be possible this time. And while it won’t be long, I’d just like to make it clear that all the books in the Merlin Missions series are pretty much great, being even better than the original series. I think that’s partly due to the fact that the Merlin Missions books are geared towards slightly older readers, which allows for more mature themes. I was just searching for the absolute best, so it was a rather tough list to make in general. For this list, it was tempting to use the original covers, but I decided to use the re-numbered covers to keep things concise and familiar for newer fans. And of course, before I begin, I would like to give a heads up to some minor spoilers to the books as usual.
With that being said, it’s time to pick up those books, point to a place and wish to go there!
#10: Monday with a Mad Genius
In Jack and Annie’s second quest to find the four secrets of happiness for Merlin, Teddy and Kathleen send them to the Italian Renaissance to spend a day with Leonardo da Vinci in order to get his take on happiness. As a multidisciplined artist of partial Italian descent (didn’t notice from this blog’s name?), Leonardo da Vinci is one of my favorite historical figures, so Monday with a Mad Genius was a real treat in the series as the last Magic Tree House book I read as a kid.
Like its predecessor, the plot is pretty simple and straightforward, with the ways in which Osborne integrates aspects of Leonardo’s life into Jack and Annie’s quest being the most interesting part about it. The scene in which Leonardo is made to fly using magic was such a clever way to satisfy the historical Leonardo’s lifelong obsession with flight. The part in which Leonardo finishes painting the Mona Lisa was such a great choice for the final scene. And the book’s theme, while not quite as simple as its predecessor, is still pretty great: that happiness is not to be found in fame, but personal satisfaction and curiosity.
#9: Dragon of the Red Dawn
I still remember the day when Poptropica’s Red Dragon Island was announced. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I found out that my favorite virtual world was about to adapt one of my favorite book series. It made revisiting Dragon of the Red Dawn, the book Red Dragon Island adapted, especially fun. So what happens in the book itself, anyway? Now magicians themselves, Jack and Annie are enlisted by Teddy and Kathleen to find four secrets of happiness in four new time periods in order to alleviate a sickness Merlin has been afflicted with. Their first location? Feudal Japan, which they previously visited in original series book Night of the Ninjas, but this time, they’re heading to Edo itself.
Jack and Annie are essentially protected from samurai the whole time by the poet Basho, who serves as a guide for them throughout their journey to a much bigger extent than Mamoon did in Season of the Sandstorms. The quest is actually pretty simple and straightforward compared to previous installments, though it does culminate in a very cinematic and memorable first use of the Wand of Dianthus. But the simpler plot seems to be the point of the book’s theme: that there is joy to be found in the finer details of life. Unfortunately for the book, Red Dragon Island somehow ended up being better than the book as one of the best Poptropica islands, taking advantage of the book’s simpler plot to tell a much more complex and dramatic story, from Jack and Annie not being so lucky to a fascinating new relationship between Basho and the shogun. If I were to rank Red Dragon Island separately, it would easily be #2 on the list. Fortunately for the book, Poptropica has sadly faded into relative irrelevance, yet it doesn’t detract from the unique and wonderful legacy that Dragon of the Red Dawn has left on the series.
#8: Winter of the Ice Wizard
Winter of the Ice Wizard is probably the weakest book in the initial four-book arc set in Camelot, but it still has a lot going for it. It marked the first time Jack, Annie, Teddy and Kathleen went on a mission as a group, which was great to see. The initial tension of Teddy and Kathleen meeting Jack and Annie inside the tree house was really good, as well as their reactions to Jack and Annie’s world. But it was their initial interaction with the Ice Wizard, the book’s antagonist who was teased in the previous two books, that was especially dramatic.
This time, Morgan and Merlin have disappeared, and it is the Ice Wizard that sends Jack and Annie on a mission to retrieve his missing eye, or else they won’t ever see them again. It’s a great shift in stakes from the last three books, and there are a few darker moments that really add to the tension compared to its predecessors as well. Teddy and Kathleen seperate from Jack and Annie at one point, although the seperation pays off in a great way at the end. And the Ice Wizard’s story does a great job at conveying the book’s themes: that wisdom is learned not just by sight and mind, but by the heart as well.
#7: Haunted Castle on Hallow’s Eve
I mean, how could I not put the return of Teddy on this list? In Haunted Castle on Hallow’s Eve, Merlin sends Jack and Annie on a mission to bring order to the castle of a duke on the outskirts of Camelot. The duke’s family was tasked to protect a gem that determines King Arthur’s successor named the Diamond of Destiny, but it gets stolen by a half-human, half-bird antagonist named the Raven King. In his first reappearance since Dingoes at Dinnertime, Merlin enlists Teddy to help Jack and Annie on their quest, which was such a pleasant surprise after the limited time we saw of him as a human in the original series.
Osborne does a great job further exploring Teddy’s character, from his inexperience in magic to his slight penchant for mischief to even his parentage, as well as his sense of humor, which was especially enjoyable. His magical slip-ups play a major role in the plot when he accidentally turns himself, Jack and Annie into ravens, an echo of accidentally turning himself into a dog in the original series. And while the book’s theme isn’t as effectively communicated as in its predecessor, Jack learning that he didn’t need an object to be brave was still a really good lesson for him to learn.
#6: Dark Day in the Deep Sea
Two things stuck out to me going into Dark Day in the Deep Sea: it is the longest book in the Merlin Missions series, and the time and place in history Jack and Annie travel to isn’t immediately clear. That, combined with the simpler plots of the four-book happiness arc, made me wonder why the book was so long. And I’m actually still not sure, but perhaps it’s a testament to the book’s fast pacing. But in this book, Teddy and Kathleen send Jack and Annie to the middle of the ocean near the HMS Challenger in the 1870’s to find the third secret of happiness for Merlin.
This one actually had quite a bit of dramatic moments once it became clear how the events were going to unfold. From Jack panicking back for Frog Creek to the kids being repeatedly threatened off the ship to actually being yanked off the ship towards certain doom, it’s perhaps no wonder the book is so long. Annie’s compassion for the octopus was also one of the more dramatic interactions she’s had with an animal in the series. And the events tie really cleanly to the book’s theme: that happiness is found in compassion for all living creatures. It’s a message that’s as simple as the one in Dragon of the Red Dawn, and a much more important one for wildlife conservation.
#5: Night of the New Magicians
In Jack and Annie’s third mission to become magicians, Merlin sends them on a mission to the 1889 Paris World’s Fair to rescue four magicians from an evil sorcerer, each with a unique secret to share. Like in the previous book, Teddy and Kathleen don’t appear in any obvious capacity aside from another heavily implied disguise they take that plays a much bigger role than in Season of the Sandstorms (which Jack and Annie promise to call them out on in their next mission at the end). Yet the more investigative approach to the plot makes Night of the New Magicians the most interesting book in its four-book arc so far.
It becomes clear pretty early on that the magicians were actually historical figures, specifically inventors that were at the fair, and their secrets were their contributions to society perceived as magic. Jack and Annie use Teddy and Kathleen’s spells with the restraint they showed in Carnival at Candlelight this time, making it clear that they’re going to go all out on the rest of the spells in their final mission. The twist involving the evil sorcerer was genuinely surprising, even if it made the mission misleading and more of a lesson on who Jack and Annie are as characters, which was arguably better than simply saving the day again. The wisdom of the inventors provides many themes for the book, but its most important theme – that problems are what make us the best version of ourselves – is actually one of the best in the series so far.
#4: Blizzard of the Blue Moon
Of the first ten books in the Merlin Missions series I read as a kid before I stopped reading Magic Tree House, Blizzard of the Blue Moon was definetly among the more memorable, and not just because I live in the city it’s set in. It definetly delivered as the conclusion to the four-book arc that made Jack and Annie magicians. In their final mission, the duo are sent to New York City during the Great Depression, specifically the blizzard of 1938, to rescue a unicorn. Believing that they finally spotted Teddy and Kathleen first, Jack and Annie are surprised to find that two new antagonists named Balor and Grinda had been following them instead, who are by far the book’s biggest strength.
Magic Tree House isn’t a series known for its villains, but Balor and Grinda were even better villains than the Raven King, who even threw Merlin off guard. They serve the Dark Wizard, who wanted to keep the unicorn’s magic for himself. Jack and Annie didn’t disappoint in going all out on the rest of their spells in this mission, especially Annie’s cleverly long-anticipated use of Turn Into Ducks. And the reunion with Teddy and Kathleen (who still managed to spot Jack and Annie first anyway) and Morgan and Merlin at the end was such a great final scene, from the lore surrounding the unicorn, Balor, Grinda and the Dark Wizard to Jack and Annie receiving the Wand of Dianthus. And while the book doesn’t have much of a theme (though Annie being considered a treasure was cute!), it more than makes up for everything else that the book sets up for the next four-book arc and beyond.
#3: Summer of the Sea Serpent
Of the first ten books in the Merlin Missions series I read as a kid before I stopped reading Magic Tree House, Summer of the Sea Serpent was pretty much my favorite. And a lot of that has to do with the debut of Kathleen, which made putting this book on the list another no-brainer. In Summer of the Sea Serpent, Jack and Annie are sent to a distant seacoast in Camelot’s past, where they must retreive one of the most iconic artifacts of Arthurian legend: Excalibur, or the Sword of Light as it is nicknamed. It was great to see Teddy again, establishing him as a series mainstay after his return in the previous book. But it’s the introduction of Kathleen that’s one of the most memorable parts of the book.
Kathleen is a selkie, an already underrepresented fictional sea creature that is a nice break from the usual mermaid in kids’ fiction. Jack’s crush on her is also really interesting, even if it’s not usually explored beyond a means for him to get more courage in his missions. Excalibur’s portrayal is also really fascinating, particularly its creation of light constructs and beams of light. This was my introduction to it as a kid, and although the sword doesn’t quite do these things in the original stories, it showed me the possibilities of creative liberties that can be taken with it. The confrontation with the sea serpent was especially cinematic (that full spread illustration was especially great!). And the book’s themes of peace over fighting and not being consumed by fear and misunderstanding were also pretty great. When (and I mean when!) we get the live-action Magic Tree House film, I wouldn’t mind skipping Haunted Castle on Hallow’s Eve to adapt this book for the sequel.
#2: Night of the Ninth Dragon
Upon revisiting the Merlin Missions series, I was very excited to get to Night of the Ninth Dragon, and not because I couldn’t wait to get reading the series over with. It was because the cover alone suggested that the series was going to go out with a bang, and it kind of does, even if it wasn’t completely satisfying. For one thing, the premise is VERY worthy of the final book: Queen Guinevere requests Jack and Annie to help her recover a dragon statue to save King Arthur, who was wounded during an attack on Camelot. The stakes are perfect, and it was very refreshing to see a book with Guinevere as the focus. Okie, who was introduced in the last book, joins Jack and Annie on this mission (as I had hoped!), who somewhat helps them find their way in some scenes but also becomes a bit of a liability in others, adding a light but unique edge to the stakes.
It could’ve been so good to see Teddy and Kathleen join the mission again, or even Morgan and Merlin given the stakes, but the reason for keeping them out of the story was explained well enough. Though it could’ve also been better for the ending if they were aware of the attack on Camelot. I also would’ve liked the invaders to be more tangible antagonists, being the perfect opportunity to make the Dark Wizard appear or even have Balor and Grinda return. I also thought the dragon on the cover was going to be an antagonist, and he has a much shorter role than I thought he would when compared to the dragons in Christmas in Camelot and Dragon of the Red Dawn, but his scenes are still really great. The scene in which Jack and Annie reflect on their differences was excellent, and it could’ve been the perfect buildup to an explicit reveal that they are chosen ones after being implied in Abe Lincoln At Last. The book’s theme also wasn’t very clear, but a lesson of using hope, strength and imagination to win your battles was a good one to learn. Despite my many nitpicks, it was still a really great end to the Merlin Missions series, which is really saying something.
And before we get to number one, here are the…
Honorable Mentions
#5: Leprechaun in Late Winter
In Jack and Annie’s third quest to spread happiness to the entire world by reinspiring four young artists throughout history, Teddy and Kathleen send them to 1800’s Ireland to spend time with a young Lady Gregory. As someone born on St. Patrick’s Day, I have a great affinity for Ireland, so it was cool to get a Magic Tree House book set there that’s more focused on it culturally, unlike original series book Viking Ships at Sunrise. And Leprechaun in Late Winter is easily the best book in its four-book arc so far.
This was one of the few Magic Tree House books focused on a historical figure that I was unfamiliar with before reading it, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, which made it even better. Osborne makes good use of Gregory’s kindness in the beginning, who goes by her middle name “Augusta” here. But she is also stubborn and miserable about being an artist in the face of the opportunities denied to women in her time. That is until Jack and Annie resort to using their magic, which is where the book really takes off. The book’s biggest strength was easily the intersection between Jack and Annie’s British-derived Arthurian magic and the Irish magic of the fairy world, which felt so natural for a book set in the real world. Willy was especially a standout here, particularly his ties to Merlin. And the book’s subtly communicated message of knowing and embracing what it is that you are good for was pretty decent too.
#4: Shadow of the Shark
Interestingly, there are 27 books in the Merlin Missions series compared to the 28 books in the original series. That meant that Merlin Missions wasn’t going to end with another four-book arc, but something new entirely that upends the usual Magic Tree House formula in order to keep things interesting. And Osborne delivers on this in the best way in Shadow of the Shark. As a reward for all the missions Jack and Annie had done for Camelot, Teddy sends them on a vacation to any place in the world that they desire. And Jack and Annie settle on Cozumel off the coast of Mexico in the Caribbean. However, Annie makes a mistake as the tree house whisks them to Cozumel that isn’t revealed until later in the story. I deeply appreciate how it isn’t Teddy that makes the mistake after his character development in A Perfect Time for Pandas.
The book’s first half involves Jack and Annie’s confusion around Annie’s mistake, which builds up to a great twist. The second half involves Jack and Annie getting helped by a younger version of another historical figure, until they end up helping her towards the end. Osborne chooses a figure with unclear details about her life, presenting the perfect opportunity for Jack and Annie to intervene in it. It’s actually a remarkably cleaner example of a predestination paradox in the series than in Abe Lincoln At Last, even despite the much more unconventional method they went with. The theme wasn’t really emphasized that much, but the book’s message of feminist encouragement is a nice echo of Annie’s disdain for misogyny throughout history in Stallion by Starlight.
#3: A Perfect Time for Pandas
In Jack and Annie’s final mission to find four objects to free Penny from stone, Teddy and Kathleen leave behind instructions for them to head to China during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, marking their first trip to China since original series book Day of the Dragon King. This makes A Perfect Time for Pandas the Magic Tree House book set closest to the present-day, making it a uniquely interesting read (considering that Jack and Annie initially assumed they didn’t travel back in time at all, though Annie’s reaction to them having traveled only a few years back was oddly indifferent).
I really loved the casual downtime Jack and Annie had throughout the first half, almost as if they were just kids being kids again. It was a nice segway into Annie’s love for pandas, which just so happened to be the focus of their mission. The good vibes helped cushion the sudden grim shift into the earthquake in the second half, and Jack’s use of the spell Teddy and Kathleen gave them was also really cool. But the best part of the book was not the mission itself, but the effort to reverse Penny’s spell at the end. It was such an excellent moment of character development for Teddy, offering a major lesson he needed to learn on using magic responsibly. Osborne’s decision to end the arc without Merlin and Morgan finding out about what happened to Penny was also really smart restraint. Everything ties really neatly into a pretty good theme about protecting not just pandas and penguins, but all living things.
#2: A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time
A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time was a really good conclusion to its four-book arc. In Jack and Annie’s final quest to spread happiness to the entire world by reinspiring four young artists throughout history, Teddy and Kathleen send them to Victorian London to spend time with a (not-so-young) Charles Dickens. Osborne does a great job at using the classism of the time period and Dickens’ fierce opposition to it to create dramatic twists and turns that lead Jack and Annie to cross paths with Dickens.
But it was Dickens’ skepticism in the impact of writers on the world that was the best part of the book. Annie’s solution to Dickens’ dilemma, inspired by his magnum opus, A Christmas Carol, was especially creative, even if Jack and Annie started going down the grandfather paradox route yet again with Dickens at the end. And unlike the other books in its four-book arc, the book’s theme was very easy to pick up at the moment Dickens explained his woes, being one of my personal favorite quotes that I’ve always believed in: that the pen is mightier than the sword, or that writers can inspire others to make an impact on the world through the messages in their books. And while the scene with Teddy, Kathleen, Merlin and Morgan at the end wasn’t as epic as the scenes at the end of other books concluding four-book arcs, it was still a pretty fun end to the arc.
#1: Eve of the Emperor Penguin
In Jack and Annie’s quest to find the final secret of happiness for an ailing Merlin, Teddy and Kathleen send them to Antarctica, this time in the present-day, the first book in the Merlin Missions series outside of the initial fantasy-focused arc set in our time. The plot of Eve of the Emperor Penguin is about as simple as the previous three books in its four-book arc, though not for a lack of interesting events. Nancy was easily the best part about the book, as Osborne pulls no punches in addressing the issue of a couple of children sneaking into an Antarctic research station despite Jack and Annie’s best (and hilariously creative) efforts.
I was a bit perplexed with the character of the emperor of the Cave of the Ancient Crown, though, interesting as he was. While an emperor penguin with a crown on its head was a clever play on the species’ name, the explanation for this wasn’t really addressed beyond “magic”, but it actually wasn’t enough for me. Penny was a great new addition to the series though, making the book one of the more wholesome in the series, which is fitting for the conclusion of a four-book arc about happiness. The wholesomeness continued through Jack and Annie’s return to Camelot, tying well to the book’s theme: that happiness can be found in taking care of others. If not anything else, Merlin comes out of Eve of the Emperor Penguin as a much more different version of the original Arthurian character, which was bound to be played with in later installments.
And the number one choice is…
#1: Christmas in Camelot
I was trying to be unpredictable with my first-place choice, but sometimes you just got to know when the best is the best. When people think of Magic Tree House, one of two books probably come to mind: Dinosaurs Before Dark, and Christmas in Camelot. That’s because Christmas in Camelot is just that iconic, which is why putting it on this list was such a no-brainer. As the first Merlin Missions book, Christmas in Camelot laid the foundation for the longer and slightly more mature stories that would come to define the rest of the series. And Osborne did it in such a way that made it become a true classic. It’s been some time since Jack and Annie have seen the tree house, until it suddenly appears with an invitation to a Christmas party in Camelot. But upon arriving, they find that the kingdom has been afflicted with a spell that robbed it of its joy. A mysterious knight then comes to Camelot to give Jack and Annie a quest to find the Water of Memory and Imagination in order to reverse this spell.
What ensues is a quest across a land inspired by Arthurian legend, already making Christmas in Camelot stand out from the books of the original series by teaching children not about history, but folklore, which is educational all the same. The reveal at the end that Merlin, in his first appearance in the series, was the one who sent Jack and Annie on the quest, was a cleverly subtle way to have him replace Morgan as the one who sends them on their missions. And the book’s lesson – to keep myth alive by contributing to it – was beautifully integrated into Jack and Annie’s quest in a way few other books in the original series did. It’s no wonder this book was chosen to be adapted for the upcoming live-action film. Is that still happening, by the way? Let’s just say I’m going to be absolutely ecstatic when we get another update on it, let alone when it finally comes out.
Again, as Mary Pope Osborne is such a great writer, making this list was not easy. I get it if your list is largely different if not completely different from mine because of that, but regardless of the order, I nonetheless hope that you can agree with many of my thoughts. I will be posting modified versions of all these reviews to my Goodreads shortly. I’ll also gradually add my reviews of the remaining books in the series that I have read.
Until we see that tree house in the woods again, folks.
