Common Sense Media Review
Merlin mission fantasy teaches as it entertains.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Jack and Annie are sent by the wizard Merlin to rescue a unicorn in New York, circa 1938.
Is It Any Good?
Osborne is a pro, and children won't know -- or mind -- that they're getting an education as they dive into the somewhat thin but generally entertaining plot. It's not great literature, but for kids hungry to graduate to chapter books (and for the parents who are hungry to see them move ahead, too) this book offers plenty of a low-key adventure. A couple of bad guys show up to keep things interesting, but the action never rises above a G-rated level.
This 36th book in Mary Osborne's wildly popular Magic Tree House, continues a sort of "Merlin Mission" sub-series. Kids won't need to have read any of the previous books to fall into this one. Previous books in the series had more realistic settings -- despite the magic portal that got them there. But the Merlin Mission books have added elements of fantasy to help the history lessons go down easy.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about -- and look up -- the Unicorn Tapestries. Kids might want to see a picture of the unicorn that Jack and Annie set out to rescue. They might also want to dig deeper into the mythology surrounding unicorns.
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Mary Beth Owens
- Genre : Fantasy
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Random House
- Publication date : September 26, 2006
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 7 - 10
- Number of pages : 128
- Last updated : July 19, 2018
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