Although not a numbered volume in the Magic Tree House series, this adventure features young Annie and Jack on a return trip to Camelot. There they journey into the Otherworld to save Sir Lancelot, Sir Galahad, and Sir Percival and to lift Mordred's evil spell from the kingdom. Osborne introduces young readers to two of the most venerable conventions of fantasy: a rhyming riddle that must be solved and magical objects (whose legendary origins are described in a fine author's note) that help the children complete their quest. Despite a series of trials, the children's triumph seems to come easily. The print is fairly large, the text lively, and appealing illustrations appear every few pages. This is longer than the early Magic Tree House books, but children who have read the entire series are probably ready for somewhat longer chapter books by now.

When the magic tree house takes them to Camelot, Jack and Annie find a downtrodden King Arthur and a joyless court. In an attempt to save the realm, the two children accept a quest to journey to the Otherworld to find the Water of Memory and Imagination. Fans of the series will not be disappointed with this story, which is illustrated with black-and-white artwork and filled with magic and adventure.

Anyone who hasn't yet heard of the Magic Tree House has evidently spent the last several years on another planet (at Midnight on the Moon , perhaps?). Judging from this latest series entry (the first in trade hardcover), the popularity of these transitional chapter books is richly deserved. Jack and Annie, the brother-and-sister pair from Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, here take their 25th magical journey in Morgan le Fay's magic tree house. This time, however, instead of traveling to actual places and times in history, they find themselves at Christmas in Camelot—a Camelot sadly transformed from a place of celebration and laughter to one from which joy has been robbed and magic banished. Their quest is to travel to the Otherworld to bring back the Water of Memory and Imagination in order to restore Camelot to its former glory. While the launching of the quest is rather labored—Mordred's involvement in Camelot's plight is explained quickly and not altogether satisfactorily—once Jack and Annie get going, the story moves along at a good clip, full of magical talismans, rhyming clues, Otherworldly foes, and a happy ending. If the kids accomplish their tasks rather easily—well, this is a book for younger readers, and it makes a terrific introduction to the more complex fantasies to come. Osborne ( Kate and the Beanstalk , 2000, etc.) never dumbs down the language for her young readers, instead introducing a rich vocabulary while seamlessly providing contextual clues for decoding: "Miraculously, the silver cup still brimmed with water from the cauldron. Not a drop had spilled out." Black-and-white spot illustrations are scattered throughout, although frequently a page turn is required before the reader sees the scene being described—a minor design quibble. An almost entirely pleasing offering; if Osborne and her publisher can produce another 25 of this quality, chapter-book readers will truly have been well served. (author's note) (Fiction. 6-9)

With a dose of seasonal enchantment, the latest Magic Tree House installment takes readers not to a historical era, but to the legendary Round Table in Christmas in Camelot by Mary Pope Osborne, illus. by Sal Murdocca. (Oct.)

Gr 2-4 Fans of the popular series will revel in this adventure that sends Jack and Annie back to the court of King Arthur at a very subdued holiday feast, where they eagerly accept a quest to protect the kingdom from an evil spell, proving once again that children can save the day.