Night of the Ninjas

After doing some crazy cleaning, I came across this lovely little gem from my childhood. I used to binge this series like no tomorrow. I remember doing the summer reading challenge and bringing home as many of the books in this series as possible. I thought they were so cool, so whimsical and so magical. Not much has changed, as I completely adored picking up this book. The nostalgia was on point!

I don't remember what happened through books one through four, as it has been a long time, but that didn't stop me from enjoying this novel. Jack and Annie are on a quest to save Morgan with their little pet mouse. They travel in the magic tree house and are suddenly among ninjas! They go on an adventure to find one of the items that can help show more save Morgan, and learn a lot along the way.

I really like this series. It's packed full of fun and is a great middle grade read. It's simple, fast, and the action never stops. It might not be totally historically accurate, but it's a great read with lots of whimsy packed in it. I think, as long as you don't go into this book expecting it to be some non-fiction, educational romp then you'll be fine. Enjoy it for the goofy fictional book that it is.

I also have a special place in my heart for this series because it did spike my reading interest back in the day, so I'm totally biased. I just remember the fun of grabbing the books in this series and being whisked away on a magical adventure. That's childhood for you.

Four out of five stars. show less

Follow the 3 rules of ninja!
1. Use nature
2. Be nature
3. Follow nature

Oh yes, I am ninja. Why? Because Jack and Annie taught me how to be one!!! Haha!! Another adventure, even more fun! This time, Morgan has left a message. She is under a spell and needs Jack & Annie to help her by finding 4 things!! I loved this one. Not just because it had ninjas, but because it had ninjas AND samurais. What could be better than that?? [Toss in Godzilla and you've got destruction all over little Tokyo lol] But anyway, great book, so much fun, LOTS OF EXCITEMENT FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT =D

This was a very fun book to read! It was a very easy read that kept me as an adult entertained. The story follows two children who have a magic tree house that transports them to different times and places through a book. In this story the children ran with ninjas and learned about the culture of the ninja people. As I read this book I had wished I had known about these books when I was younger. I believe that I would have loved to read them. Children enjoy being able to go into another world through a book. In the classroom these Magic Tree House books could be a great component for actual content taught in the classroom.

Don't try this at home! You will want to read chapter nine with your children, young friends, etc. and discuss it with them. In order to follow a mouse across a small branch Jack and Annie must think of themselves as mice so that it will not break under their weight. I think Osborne is being irresponsible in promoting such a philosophy with no caveat as it may result in injury to children.

I picked this book up expecting to feel brain cells dying as I read it. I was very wrong; I can see why my students enjoy this series so much. It's very well written (albeit extremely simplistic) and interesting. It was an extremely quick read and is educational, to boot!

Jack and Annie are looking for their friend Morgan who has left a note for the two of them explaining how she is under a spell. There is a book opened to a specific pages with two ninjas, and Annie assumes they need to go help Morgan. They teleport through the book to find two ninjas waiting to pounce. Jack has read a lot about the ninjas and their role in society, which makes him cautious when thinking about interacting with the ninjas. The ninjas spot the duo and make there way up the tree house like cats. The kids are forced to walk through an ice cold river to meet a ninja master. The kids must prove themselves worthy, Jack and Annie must walk through the forest and avoid the samurai. The kids get dressed in their ninja attire, and show more head back through the forest. They use there skills to reach the tree house to meet with the ninja master again. The ninja master gives the group a moonstone to help break Morgan's spell, and this is how the book ends. show less

I liked this book for two reasons. One of the reasons I liked this book was for the way it was written. Although it is a historical fiction and the main story is fiction, I liked how the author incorporated facts into the story. She does this through Jack reading a book about ninjas during his adventure. The things that he reads in the books are actual facts so that way children are learning things without even realizing it. Another reason I liked this book was for the illustrations. Although this is a chapter book, the author included picture occasionally throughout the book. I thought the illustrations help the reader better visualize the story. Overall, I think that the main message of this book was that you can do whatever you put show more your mind to as long as you have the right mindset. show less