Saturday, March 18, 2017

Civil War On Sunday - Young Readers Book Review

This review is of book #21 (Civil War on Sunday) in the Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne 


Civil War On Sunday book cover
Civil War on Sunday Book Review
civil war on sunday

Last week my son & family visited me in Savannah, Georgia. We did a number of 'tourist' type things in and around the area.  

One of these was a tour of Fort Pulaski National Monument, a Civil War landmark located on Cockspur Island between Savannah and Tybee Island, Georgia. 


Fort Pulaski National Monument in coastal Georgia
Fort Pulaski National Monument


Naturally the tour ended up in the gift shop where my 7-year-old second-grade grandson David found a children's book about Civil War times that he fell in love with. Of course his dad bought it for him, as it's easy to agree to buying a book when you want to encourage reading in children. 

Well, you can't believe how this book excited David. Within the next 4 days he had read this 96-page paperback book all the way through twice and was on his third reading. 


David carried this book everywhere all week. He even insisted on taking it out to breakfast at a restaurant on River Street in Savannah, and it later got accidentally left behind in the Visitors Center bathroom as we walked the length of Savannah's famous River Street.  Luckily we figured out the last time anyone noticed he had been carrying it (right outside the Visitors Center) and looked there first before we left to drive home about two hours later.  

David was nearly in tears thinking his beloved book was lost and wanted to immediately return to Fort Pulaski to buy another copy! Happily the book was found safe & sound at the Visitors Center.


Chapter Book for Children

Magic Tree House list of Books collage
Magic Tree House List of Books (Children's Books Wiki)

The book "Civil War on Sunday" is part of the Magic Tree House book series by Mary Pope Osborne.  The series is numbered (this one is Magic Tree House #21) and features two children (Jack & Annie) who appear to have 'back in time' adventures through a Magic Tree House at their Frog Creek, Pennsylvania home. 

The Magic Tree House series are beginner chapter books for children in grade levels 1-4 who are just graduating to longer books and more exciting adventures. 

This particular book has Jack & Annie transported magically to a field near the Civil War fighting in Richmond, Virginia where they meet Clara Barton, become volunteer nurses and save the life of their very own great-great-great-grand-father. This story allows 6-9 year olds to learn the basics of Civil War history while enjoying an interesting tale. It's obvious this series of books is written in a way that will capture a young reader's attention, as shown by the immense and immediate interest my grandson David has shown.



Author Mary Pope Osborne


Author Mary Pope Osborne reading to children
Mary & Will Osborne (Wikipedia Public Domain)
Mary Pope Osborne is a strong proponent of children's literature and her Magic Tree House series of books is highly regarded by parents, teachers and libraries for their power to instill a passion for reading in children.  Osborne has written over 100 books for children and young adults from novels to picture books and from biographies to mysteries.


The Magic Tree House Series

 

Magic Tree House series book cover
Magic Tree House Boxed Set

The Magic Tree House Series introduces the world to Jack and Annie, a brother and sister who discover a magical tree house filled with books. 

Mary's Magic Tree House books have been written in conjunction with her sister, Natalie Pope Boyce, and her husband, Will Osborne. The fiction series are supplemented by the Fast Tracker Series as the perfect way for kids to find out more about the topics they discover in their favorite Magic Tree House adventures. They are nonfiction stories designed to give young readers a fun and easy way to find out more about their favorite places, time periods, and subjects.  The series includes subjects from history (such as the Civil War, Revolutionary War and World War II), along with books about dinosaurs, Merlin and fairy tales, pirates and ninjas, animals like polar bears, lions and tigers, sports-related stories, and weather adventures like earthquakes and tornadoes! The range of topics is wide and diverse with subjects that appeal to all children.


For more information about all the books, along with games to play and suggestions for both parents and teachers, visit the Magic Tree House Website.



David is Now a BIG Fan of the Magic Tree House Series


Grandson David and his Civil War on Sunday book
David with his Civil War Book

Since acquiring this book about the Civil War at Fort Pulaski a little over a week ago, David  has become such a fan of the Magic Tree House Series  that his  parents have already ordered him two more books from Amazon and David has told me which one he wants next (Danger in the Darkest Hour - taking place in 1944 during World War II) as my birthday gift to him in April.  

With many, many books available in this series, I will have an easy time selecting gifts for him for some time to come. 



Quick Link:

Civil War on Sunday, a Magic Tree House Selection











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13 comments:

  1. I'm sure my boys read books from The Magic Tree House series. The books are perfect for reluctant readers and for kids who think history is boring. Clearly, David has learned that history is anything but boring! Great review, and congratulations, Elf, for having a little guy who loves reading so much!

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    1. Thank you, Susan. I credit my son (and his wife) for instilling the love of reading in their boys. They have a quiet time each evening before bedtime where all four of them (including one only 2) sit down and read books. Not 'being read to' as a bedtime story (that's after they are IN bed) but each of them just spends 15-20 minutes reading and/or looking at books, as a way to quiet two rough-house boys down before time to get ready for bed.

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  2. It sounds like a fabulous book series for children! What a wonderful way to teach history and science by including it in entertaining fiction stories for kids. I think children are often intrigued by time travel too. Definitely sounds like the perfect combination.

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    1. LOL, Mouse. I"M intrigued by 'Time Travel'. I think we all can imagine what it would be like to go back to a past time in history and 'see' it the way it was. Author Osborne appears to have found a way to entice children to enjoy learning about history with combining a fun fiction adventure with actual facts. David immediately got excited learning about the Civil War from his new book after visiting a fort from Civil War times.

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  3. I just love history, we made a trip with our grandsons last summer to Old Fort Niagara. I've never heard of this series of books and will have to look into these for our grandsons. I'm so glad David likes the books and they hold his interest, reading is a wonderful thing especially for the young. Happy Birthday to David in April!! As always Pat great review :)

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    1. Thanks so much, Sam. I think your grandsons would enjoy books from this series. David will be 8 in late April and I've already ordered him the next book he's interested in from this series. And another visit to the Fort Pulaski gift shop will give me some other ideas for gifts, I'm sure -- now that I know what he is interested in. I loved history in school (even minored in history in collage)so am delighted David likes it too.

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    2. And I remember your story about your visit to Old Fort Niagara. The Niagara Falls area was a favorite place to visit all the years I lived in western New York State. :)

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  4. Our grandchildren all loved the Magic Treehouse series books, too. Any book that gets kids to love reading is certain,y worth the purchase. Thank you so much for the review of them. David is adorable!!

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    1. Thanks, Carol. David is really enjoying the Magic Treehouse series. Since he acquired the Civil War story, he has gotten two more books in the series and I have a couple on order for his birthday next month. I'm as happy as David is to discover this series of books.

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  5. These sounds like great books for getting children interested in history. It works two ways. Children who visit a place become interested in reading books about it afterward. Children who have read about an even also want to see where it took place. Jason studied a book about Nathaniel Bowditch and when we got to Massachusetts, he insisted we include Salem in the places we visited. We had read a novel about the Sager children who were orphaned on the Oregon Trail. Of course we had to follow it as best we could on the way home from Massachusetts. Places children have read about mean more to them when they actually see them.

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    1. I agree, Barbara. Actually seeing a place and then reading about it (or vice versa) helps a child remember the history even better. Well said. Glad your family got to see Salem, MA and follow the Oregon Trail on your trip. That must have been amazing.

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  6. I love to give books as gifts too. Thank you for a great review on a series of books that will make great gifts.

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    Replies
    1. Books for children always make great gifts. It is especially nice when a child discovers a series of books they love.

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