Night of the Ninth Dragon (Magic Tree House #55) by Mary Pope Osborne

 Night of the Ninth Dragon (Magic Tree House #55) by Mary Pope Osborne-144 pages

Jack and Annie receive an urgent note telling them to return to Camelot. It isn't from Morgan Le Fay per usual, however. It is from Queen Guinevere of Camelot. King Arthur has been gravely wounded by invaders and Morgan, Merlin, Teddy, and Kathleen are all in Avalon. Avalon is one of the nine mystical realms of Camelot. It is where King Arthur must go to be healed. However, the ninth dragon was stolen by the invaders because it is made of gold. Jack and Annie are asked to help find it so that King Arthur can travel to Avalon and so that Morgan and the others can return from Avalon. I enjoyed reading this one just as I have all the others.

Earthquake in the Early Morning by Mary Pope Osborne

Earthquake in the Early Morning by Mary Pope Osborne-72 pages

In this adventure, Jack and Annie are taken back to the Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake to find the last writing to help save Camelot. Once they find the writing, they are taken to Camelot by Morgan le Fay to cheer up King Arthur, who is somber because of a recent military defeat. I am really enjoying reading the Magic Tree House books (over again, for the most part).

Christmas in Camelot by Mary Pope Osborne

Christmas in Camelot by Mary Pope Osborne (audiobook)-128 pages in print

I really enjoyed reading this series as a kid (though I don't remember which ones I have read), as they take readers to faraway lands in distant times. It would be really fun to go to the places and witness the events that Jack and Annie go to in these novels, especially in a magic tree house. I loved to read as a kid, and still do, and these novels took me to magical lands and helped shape my imagination and curiosity. In this novel, Jack and Annie are invited by an "M" (which turns out to be Merlin and not Morgan) to Camelot for Christmas, where they meet King Arthur for the second time and his Knights of the Roundtable for the first time. They end up going to "The Other World" to save Camelot from black magic at the behest of "The Christmas Knight." It turns out that Merlin was angry at King Arthur for banishing Magic from Camelot and got back at him by using magic to put Camelot in a dark slumber and send for Jack and Annie, hoping that they would volunteer to save Camelot. Jack and Annie are able to save Camelot with Merlin's help. Overall, it was still pretty fun to listen to this, though kids are the target audience.

Avalon Rising by Kathryn Rose

Avalon Rising by Kathryn Rose  352 pages

In the aftermath of Morgan le Fay's war on Camelot, the once great kingdom struggles to rebuild. Knights scour the world, attempting to restore the Round Table's glory by locating Avalon and the Holy Grail before the dreaded Black Knight can do so first.
Vivienne, Merlin's former apprentice, toils in secret day and night on orders from the Lady of the Lake to build an aeroship. The Lady has seen the future and promised that the ship will ensure Camelot's knights succeed in their quest.
But when a company of knights goes missing―including Owen, Vivienne's brother, and Marcus, her beloved―Vivienne changes the plan and commandeers the aeroship for a rescue mission, altering the fates of all involved. Now, the Lady sees danger in Vivienne's future. And for Marcus, either betrayal or death.

Company of Liars by Karen Maitland

Company of Liars by Karen Maitland   465 pages

Reminiscent  of Chaucer this is a Medeival tale of a group of travelers and their stories and what happens to them in their travels.  At the heart of the story is Camelot who is a  peddler of religious artifacts (all of which are bogus).  He soon meets Narigorm, a child with supernatural abilities.
One by one we are introduced to the other 6 travelers and eventually are told their stories.

As the book progresses tragedy befalls the travelers and several are killed or die.  In the end Camelot returns to his home in the Cheviot Hills of northern England but the author is not done with us yet and we are treated to a surprise ending.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have enjoyed other books by this author.