Pirates Past Noon

Ok. So I totally have this thing for pirates, where I just will read pretty much anything pirate related. Pirates are cool and when you toss Magic Tree House into the mix, you just get lots and lots of fun and adventure. Not to mention new friends and experiences! The Magic Tree House Series is so wonderful that I'm slightly upset I started it so late. I'm only on book 4, but I'm super excited to read book 5 and I already love the series. Each book is a delicious morsel that allows young ones to learn and older ones to relax and explore the crevices in the back of our minds that have gathered cobwebs. Until the arrival of ninjas, Samantha out!! =)

Swashbuckling adventure awaits Annie and Jack as the magic tree house takes them to an island, and they have to help pirates find a treasure. I love pirates, but this is a weak story in the series, albeit still entertaining. It also introduces Morgan in a section at the end that feels a bit tacked on. Apparently this was supposed to be the last book in the series, but I'm glad that they didn't stop there!

It's a treasure trove of trouble! Jack and Annie are in for a high-seas adventure when the Magic Tree House whisks them back to the days of deserted islands, secret maps–and ruthless pirates! Will they discover a buried treasure? Or will they be forced to walk the plank?

In my opinion this is a great children's chapter book! After reading it, I thought that the author did a great job developing the characters and making them believable. The children Jack and Annie traveled in their tree house to an island in the Caribbean where they ran into some pirates. The author was able to convey the image of the pirates very well as they were introduced into the setting, "'The air was filled with fiddle music and bagpipes playing. And Jack heard jeers, shouts, and ugly laughter. "Hoist 'em aboard!" Cap'n Bones shouted to his men.'" Through this small piece of text a clear image of the pirates, the characters, was developed. The second thing I liked about this book was the plot. The book began with the children show more going into their treehouse on a rainy day, and then gained suspense and conflict when they went to a pirates paradise magically. "The wind blew harder. The leaves shook. The tree house started to spin. Faster and faster!"..."He and Annie looked out the window. The tree house was in a palm tree. Beyond was a bright blue sea. A tall ship sailing was on the horizon." After reading this the plot quickly transformed from a rainy day at home to an exciting and magical trip. The last thing I really enjoyed about this book was the writing. "'Hang it! Take 'em back to the ship!" shouted Cap'n Bones. "They can rot there till they're ready to tell us how to find Kidd's treasure!'" Through this style of writing the reader is not only able to stay engaged but also question themselves, and think about what they might do if they were in a situation like that. In the end, I think that the 'big idea' of this book is to tell readers, trust your instincts and believe in the impossible. And for when you do, your imagination can take you far. show less

I really enjoyed this book. I thought that the author did a fantastic job of making this book interesting. The language was very detailed and specific. She used words like "creaked and moaned". She also frequently used rhyming words like "snapped and flapped" which made the sentences flow and made them fun to roll off the tongue. I also think she accurately depicted how pirates talked. Cap'n Bones complained "Aghh, books, I want gold, you dogs!" (p 24). The author also made two of the pirates names rhyme: Pinky and Stinky. I thought this was very humorous. I also think the author did a good job of creating the plot. Jack and Annie were finally able to meet the mysterious "M". They discovered that on all the adventures they have been on, show more "M" was there to help them every time. I was intrigued to finally find out who M was. I also thought the illustrations were very helpful because at one point in the story the author described the island as looking like a whale. I couldn't picture the whale how she described it without being able to look at the illustration. I also think the illustrations gave a good picture of what Cap'n Bones looked like. I think the big picture of this book is that even when you are in trouble, there is always someone looking out for you to help you. show less

This is a very popular book series and after reading it, I would definitely say that these books are very appropriate for children who are beginning their journey reading chapter books. This is a continuation of a series with two children, Jack and Annie, who undergo an adventure through the imagination tree house that they play in. The author chooses descriptive language and personification that paints the action of the book for children to imagine for themselves, “Suddenly the wind started to whistle. The wind blew harder. The leaves shook. The tree house started to spin. Faster and faster!” The author also made sure that the language in the dialogue between the characters was true to nature. For example, the pirates talked as if show more they were real pirates, “Aye, lubber. When the treasure’s in me hands, I’ll let you go”. I also liked how the plot was sequential and progressive. This helps early readers get used to reading a long plot without feeling overbearing by jumping through timelines or different perspectives. This kind of plot is very straightforward and in order which means there are setting, conflict, rising action, climax, and ending to the story. Another aspect that I liked that the author included was a foreshadowing of the next book she was going to publish by introducing a new character at the end that hints towards the plot of the next chapter book of the series. The main idea of the story is allowing one’s imagination run into an adventure that will take you to meet people, resolve conflict, and run away from the reality that most children face when they are in a rain storm stuck inside. show less

I grew up reading the Magic Tree House books and I hope that my students will love them as much as I do. This book is a great read for students who are just starting to read chapter books. The Magic Tree House series are full of books that focus around two kids who go on different adventures in each book. This book has descriptive dialogue that kids can follow along with while enjoying the story. I love that the main characters are two kids so that way my students can imagine themselves in the story along with the two characters. Overall, I really enjoyed this book