Civil War on Sunday Magic Tree House #21 Written by: Mary Pope Osborne. Illustrated by: Sal Murdocca. Genre: Historical Fiction. Copyright: 2000. pages:65.
"Dear Jack and Annie,
Camelot is in trouble. To save the kingdom, please find these four special kinds of writing for my library: Something to follow, something to send, something to learn, something to lend.
Thank you,
Morgan."
Finding nothing more than a note than the note above, Jack and Annie embark on a quest across time. Where will they end up? Will they complete their mission? Read Civil War on Sunday to find out if they can help Morgan save Camelot.
Summary:
Jack and Annie are off a new type of adventure in book 21 of The Magic Tree House series. When the Tree House arrives in the Frog Creek woods, a surprised Jack and Annie only discover a cryptic note from Morgan. Camelot appears to be in trouble and they are to find certain types of writings and bring them back to Morgan's library. The first thing they must find is something to follow. Quickly, they are suddenly whisked away to the the middle of the Civil War. Although Jack is excited by the prospect of war because in his opinion, sometimes it is fun and game like, Annie is very much fearful and saddened by what she might find, after all there is nothing fun about war.
As quickly as they arrive, Annie is convinced that she needs to do something to help out the wounded soldiers. Much to Jack's chagrin, Annie volunteers them to be nurse's aides. He is quickly quieted and looses all ideals of war being fun once he is amongst the wounded. A very nice young lady sends them off to help feed two tents worth of soldiers, but not before she gives them a list with very simple directions to follow. Instantly Jack realizes that this is the list that they are meant to find and tries to insist that they return home immediately. Bound by a sense of duty, Annie insists that they stay and help, as they have promised to do. Begrudgingly they do and Jack discovers all sorts of things about himself. He soon discovers that war is pain and it makes him uncomfortable. He tries to follow Annie's lead but has a difficult time meeting the eyes of soldiers. Until he meets his final tent patient. A former slave who was fighting against slavery in hopes of one day all his brothers and sisters could be free. Jack gives him the only comfort that he could and whispers to him that one day, his efforts will not be in vein. This brings comfort to the ailing old man.
Once outside the tents, they meet, Clara Barton, the "Angel of the Battlefield" together they join her in her horse drawn ambulance and tend to the wounded in battle. It is here that she teaches them that although soldiers may stand for different things, an injured soldier is an injured soldier and they are all entitled to assistance. They end up rescuing a young drummer boy by the name of John that bares a striking resemblance to Jack. Once they nurse him back to health they make their way back home. Having learned all sorts of things they come to realize that merely returning home with a list for Morgan was not sufficient, they would have to experience the list to truly understand. And in a bonus twist of fate, when they returned home, Jack in passing asks his father if any of their relatives ever fought in the Civil War. As it turns out, his great-great-great-great-great grandfather John was a drummer boy.
My Assessment:
This was the first of the Magic Tree House series that I have ever read and I absolutely love it! I love the way that Mary Pope Osborne is able to thread real facts throughout her stories. It reads exactly like a fictional story yet it is laced with non-fiction which is a great way to make learning fun. She also has this incredible way of depicting the reality of the situation but also explaining the emotions that the characters are feeling which I think is an amazing way to teach children about the truth in their feelings. I am really excited to introduce this series to not only my students but also to my nieces and nephews.
Teaching Tips:
This book is riddled with teachable moments. In fact, there are entire websites dedicated to using this series in your classroom. One of the most striking things that I was learning through this book was being able to discuss with students the importance of their emotions. Jack was able to discern that his discomfort stemmed from both sadness and fear. Those are very powerful connections that he was able to model for children reading this. I also like the way that facts were strewn throughout the book. This makes for lots of research friendly moments where students can break off and do more fact finding on their own or in groups. This was a great way to introduce the Civil War to students as well in a risk free environment.
My Favorite Part:
This is going to sound really nerdy but I am huge fan of a British TV series called Dr Who. In this series, The Doctor and his companion fly through space and time rediscovering history. As I began reading this series I was delighted to discover that this is the kid version of that series. I am so excited to read this series and find out about all of the fantastic adventures that Jack and Annie embark on! I love the play on fantasy and fact. It is brilliant!
"Dear Jack and Annie,
Camelot is in trouble. To save the kingdom, please find these four special kinds of writing for my library: Something to follow, something to send, something to learn, something to lend.
Thank you,
Morgan."
Finding nothing more than a note than the note above, Jack and Annie embark on a quest across time. Where will they end up? Will they complete their mission? Read Civil War on Sunday to find out if they can help Morgan save Camelot.
Summary:
Jack and Annie are off a new type of adventure in book 21 of The Magic Tree House series. When the Tree House arrives in the Frog Creek woods, a surprised Jack and Annie only discover a cryptic note from Morgan. Camelot appears to be in trouble and they are to find certain types of writings and bring them back to Morgan's library. The first thing they must find is something to follow. Quickly, they are suddenly whisked away to the the middle of the Civil War. Although Jack is excited by the prospect of war because in his opinion, sometimes it is fun and game like, Annie is very much fearful and saddened by what she might find, after all there is nothing fun about war.
As quickly as they arrive, Annie is convinced that she needs to do something to help out the wounded soldiers. Much to Jack's chagrin, Annie volunteers them to be nurse's aides. He is quickly quieted and looses all ideals of war being fun once he is amongst the wounded. A very nice young lady sends them off to help feed two tents worth of soldiers, but not before she gives them a list with very simple directions to follow. Instantly Jack realizes that this is the list that they are meant to find and tries to insist that they return home immediately. Bound by a sense of duty, Annie insists that they stay and help, as they have promised to do. Begrudgingly they do and Jack discovers all sorts of things about himself. He soon discovers that war is pain and it makes him uncomfortable. He tries to follow Annie's lead but has a difficult time meeting the eyes of soldiers. Until he meets his final tent patient. A former slave who was fighting against slavery in hopes of one day all his brothers and sisters could be free. Jack gives him the only comfort that he could and whispers to him that one day, his efforts will not be in vein. This brings comfort to the ailing old man.
Once outside the tents, they meet, Clara Barton, the "Angel of the Battlefield" together they join her in her horse drawn ambulance and tend to the wounded in battle. It is here that she teaches them that although soldiers may stand for different things, an injured soldier is an injured soldier and they are all entitled to assistance. They end up rescuing a young drummer boy by the name of John that bares a striking resemblance to Jack. Once they nurse him back to health they make their way back home. Having learned all sorts of things they come to realize that merely returning home with a list for Morgan was not sufficient, they would have to experience the list to truly understand. And in a bonus twist of fate, when they returned home, Jack in passing asks his father if any of their relatives ever fought in the Civil War. As it turns out, his great-great-great-great-great grandfather John was a drummer boy.
My Assessment:
This was the first of the Magic Tree House series that I have ever read and I absolutely love it! I love the way that Mary Pope Osborne is able to thread real facts throughout her stories. It reads exactly like a fictional story yet it is laced with non-fiction which is a great way to make learning fun. She also has this incredible way of depicting the reality of the situation but also explaining the emotions that the characters are feeling which I think is an amazing way to teach children about the truth in their feelings. I am really excited to introduce this series to not only my students but also to my nieces and nephews.
Teaching Tips:
This book is riddled with teachable moments. In fact, there are entire websites dedicated to using this series in your classroom. One of the most striking things that I was learning through this book was being able to discuss with students the importance of their emotions. Jack was able to discern that his discomfort stemmed from both sadness and fear. Those are very powerful connections that he was able to model for children reading this. I also like the way that facts were strewn throughout the book. This makes for lots of research friendly moments where students can break off and do more fact finding on their own or in groups. This was a great way to introduce the Civil War to students as well in a risk free environment.
My Favorite Part:
This is going to sound really nerdy but I am huge fan of a British TV series called Dr Who. In this series, The Doctor and his companion fly through space and time rediscovering history. As I began reading this series I was delighted to discover that this is the kid version of that series. I am so excited to read this series and find out about all of the fantastic adventures that Jack and Annie embark on! I love the play on fantasy and fact. It is brilliant!