Mary Pope Osborne

Jack and Annie travel in their magic tree house to Elizabethan London, where they become actors in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream and try to rescue a tame bear.

Stage Fright on a Summer Night

Sarah Sammis

Stage Fright on a Summer Night by Mary Pope Osborne is my son's favorite Magic Tree House. The time travel story that takes Jack and Annie back to meet William Shakespeare captured his imagination and ended up being the topic of conversation at every meal for about a week.

I don't share my son's enthusiasm for this book but since the goal was for him to read and he did so with enthusiasm, my rating at the end reflects his feelings for the book. My problem with the book is the choice for another celebrity visit.

How William Shakespeare managed to actually write anything is beyond me given how many time travelers he seems to have visiting him. Besides this book I can also think of King of Shadows by Susan Cooper and the Doctor Who episode, "The Shakespeare Code."

For my son though, it was his first introduction to Shakespeare. When he's a little older I'll read to him King of Shadows which is an excellent time travel to work with Shakespeare young adult novel.

Stage Fright on a Summer Night

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