Stallion by Starlight by Mary Pope Osborne

Stallion by Starlight by Mary Pope Osborne-120 pages

In this Magic Tree House adventure, Jack and Annie meet Alexander the Great of Macedonia before he becomes ruler. Merlin has tasked Jack and Annie with learning something of greatness from Alexander. They also meet Aristotle, who is in Macedonia tutoring Alexander at the request of Alexander's father, King Phillip the 2nd. This was a fairly fun read, although not as fun as many other Magic Tree House books I have read.

Abe Lincoln at Last! by Mary Pope Osborne

Abe Lincoln at Last! by Mary Pope Osborne-130 pages (Kindle Edition)

Jack and Annie meet Abraham Lincoln in this Magic Tree House adventure, along with his two sons Tad and Willie. The magic given to Jack and Annie by Teddy and Kathleen takes them back to when Lincoln was a boy in Indiana, which gives them an in when they need to meet him again later as President. Merlin has tasked Jack and Annie to give Abraham Lincoln hope by receiving a feather and giving the feather. I have really enjoyed reading the Magic Tree House books over again and plan to read two more before the end of the month (along with a few other books).

Winter of the Ice Wizard by Mary Pope Osborne

Winter of the Ice Wizard by Mary Pope Osborne (audiobook)-110 pages in print

Teddy and Kathleen visit Jack and Annie in present day to deliver a message from Merlin. Jack and Annie's mission is to recover Merlin's staff from the Ice Wizard of Winter on the Winter Solstice, which actually turns out to be a message sent by the Ice Wizard to lure Jack and Annie to his palace to find his eye. They recover the Ice Wizard's eye from the Frost Giant who had been given the eye by the Fates. Teddy and Kathleen bring the Wizard's sister back to him and she forgives him, so Merlin and Morgan, who had been turned into white wolves by the Wizard, are humans again and the day is saved once again. I really enjoyed listening to these 4 Magic Tree House books on audiobook. I enjoyed reading them as a kid and they still bring some enjoyment, though not as much as back then.

Summer of the Sea Serpent by Mary Pope Osborne

Summer of the Sea Serpent by Mary Pope Osborne (audiobook)-111 pages in print

It has been a while (since last Halloween) that Jack and Annie have been called on a Merlin Mission and it is the first day of the Summer Solstice. Later the same day, they find out that Merlin has a new mission for them: to brave many obstacles and find/recover a sword so that King Arthur survives to become King of Camelot. Once again, they have to follow a rhyme/riddle to complete their mission. The first obstacle, the cave of the Spider Queen, would be really creepy, as I do not like spiders, especially giant ones (also, it reminds me of the giant spider(s) from Lord of the Rings: Return of the King and The Hobbit). The Spider Queen actually helps Jack and Annie, though. Teddy shows up to help them and introduces them to a new friend, a girl named Kathleen. As usual, Jack and Annie are able to complete their mission, in spite of all the obstacles. It is cool that the author reads for the audiobook. A few other authors have done the same (Neil Gaiman is one) to varying degrees of success.

Haunted Castle on Hallow's Eve by Mary Pope Osborne

Haunted Castle on Hallow's Eve by Mary Pope Osborne (audiobook)-128 pages in print

Merlin invites Jack and Annie back to Camelot on Hallows Eve (Halloween) to find the Stone/Diamond of Destiny, which has gone missing. They are instructed to "bring order back to the Duke's Castle" by Merlin and Teddy (whom they have worked with before) is sent with them to help. Together with Teddy, they are able to recover the Diamond of Destiny from the Raven King and save everyone in the Duke's Castle/restore or bring order back to the Castle. I think it would be really fun to explore a "haunted" castle on Halloween (or any time), although a half-raven, half-human creature would be kind of creepy. It's kind of fun that Jack and Annie have to use rhymes and riddles to complete the missions that they go on. This one was fun to listen to on audiobook, as well.

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.

Much Ado About Magic by Shanna Swendson

Much Ado About Magic by Shanna Swendson - 300 pages
 An Enchanted, Inc. Novel #5

Katie has returned to New York City and her job at Magic, Spells, and Illusions, Inc.  Good thing she's back too.  Turns out that rival company Spellworks is causing magical mayhem as a way of selling countercharms.  It also seems that there might be some corporate espionage that is targeting her boyfriend Owen.  It's up to Katie, Owen, and Merlin to stop this latest magical uprising.

I really loved Shanna Swendson's series Enchanted, Inc.  I was disappointed when her publisher cancelled the rest of her contract for the series.  So I was happily surprised to see the next three books in e-book format.  This book continued the story of Katie and Owen and their relationship while revealing Owen's past and the person behind the uprising in the first four books.  In fact, it could stand as the conclusion of the series.  Luckily there are two more books to read though.

Victories by Mercedes Lackey

Victories by Mercedes Lackey - 255 pages
A Shadow Grail Novel #4

Spirit, Loch, Burke and Addie have escaped from Oakhurst Academy.  Now they must figure out a battle plan to fight Mordred and his plan to annihilate the world through nuclear war.

This is the final volume in the Shadow Grail series.  While I really liked the first three books, I did not think this final book lived up to the others.  It was too rushed.  Everything happened way too conveniently for the good guys.

Camelot Burning by Kathryn Rose

Camelot Burning by Kathryn Rose  375 pages

By day, 17-year-old Vivienne is the lady-in-waiting to the future queen Guinevere; at night, she is an apprentice to Merlin. The famed wizard has given up magic and is teaching her the secrets of alchemical machines. Guinevere and Arthur are to be married soon, and Vivienne is kept busy during the preparation for the wedding. Her feelings for Marcus, a knight in training, are a welcome distraction to her double life. Suddenly, Morgan Le Fay returns to attack Camelot and claim the throne. Vivienne soon learns that magic always comes with a price. At the exact moment she begins her attack, Merlin's protection spell begins to expire, and he must be careful not to resort to magic.