Magic Tree House® Books
#1: DINOSAURS BEFORE DARK
#2: THE KNIGHT AT DAWN
#3: MUMMIES IN THE MORNING
#4: PIRATES PAST NOON
#5: NIGHT OF THE NINJAS
#6: AFTERNOON ON THE AMAZON
#7: SUNSET OF THE SABERTOOTH
#8: MIDNIGHT ON THE MOON
#9: DOLPHINS AT DAYBREAK
#10: GHOST TOWN AT SUNDOWN
#11: LIONS AT LUNCHTIME
#12: POLAR BEARS PAST BEDTIME
#13: VACATION UNDER THE VOLCANO
#14: DAY OF THE DRAGON KING
#15: VIKING SHIPS AT SUNRISE
#16: HOUR OF THE OLYMPICS
#17: TONIGHT ON THE TITANIC
#18: BUFFALO BEFORE BREAKFAST
#19: TIGERS AT TWILIGHT
#20: DINGOES AT DINNERTIME
#21: CIVIL WAR ON SUNDAY
#22: REVOLUTIONARY WAR ON WEDNESDAY
#23: TWISTER ON TUESDAY
#24: EARTHQUAKE IN THE EARLY MORNING
#25: STAGE FRIGHT ON A SUMMER NIGHT
#26: GOOD MORNING, GORILLAS
#27: THANKSGIVING ON THURSDAY
#28: HIGH TIDE IN HAWAII
Merlin Missions
#29: CHRISTMAS IN CAMELOT
#30: HAUNTED CASTLE ON HALLOWS EVE
#31: SUMMER OF THE SEA SERPENT
#32: WINTER OF THE ICE WIZARD
#33: CARNIVAL AT CANDLELIGHT
#34: SEASON OF THE SANDSTORMS
#35: NIGHT OF THE NEW MAGICIANS
#36: BLIZZARD OF THE BLUE MOON
#37: DRAGON OF THE RED DAWN
#38: MONDAY WITH A MAD GENIUS
#39: DARK DAY IN THE DEEP SEA
#40: EVE OF THE EMPEROR PENGUIN
#41: MOONLIGHT ON THE MAGIC FLUTE
#42: A GOOD NIGHT FOR GHOSTS
#43: LEPRECHAUN IN LATE WINTER
#44: A GHOST TALE FOR CHRISTMAS TIME
#45: A CRAZY DAY WITH COBRAS
#46: DOGS IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT
#47: ABE LINCOLN AT LAST!
#48: A PERFECT TIME FOR PANDAS
#49: STALLION BY STARLIGHT
#50: HURRY UP, HOUDINI!
#51: HIGH TIME FOR HEROES
#52: SOCCER ON SUNDAY
Super Editions
DANGER IN THE DARKEST HOUR
Magic Tree House® Fact Trackers
DINOSAURS
KNIGHTS AND CASTLES
MUMMIES AND PYRAMIDS
PIRATES
RAIN FORESTS
SPACE
TITANIC
TWISTERS AND OTHER TERRIBLE STORMS
DOLPHINS AND SHARKS
ANCIENT GREECE AND THE OLYMPICS
AMERICAN REVOLUTION
SABERTOOTHS AND THE ICE AGE
PILGRIMS
ANCIENT ROME AND POMPEII
TSUNAMIS AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS
POLAR BEARS AND THE ARCTIC
SEA MONSTERS
PENGUINS AND ANTARCTICA
LEONARDO DA VINCI
GHOSTS
LEPRECHAUNS AND IRISH FOLKLORE
RAGS AND RICHES: KIDS IN THE TIME OF
CHARLES DICKENS
SNAKES AND OTHER REPTILES
DOG HEROES
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
PANDAS AND OTHER ENDANGERED SPECIES
HORSE HEROES
HEROES FOR ALL TIMES
SOCCER
NINJAS AND SAMURAI
CHINA: LAND OF THE EMPEROR’S GREAT WALL
SHARKS AND OTHER PREDATORS
More Magic Tree House®
GAMES AND PUZZLES FROM THE TREE HOUSE
MAGIC TRICKS FROM THE TREE HOUSE
MY MAGIC TREE HOUSE JOURNAL
MAGIC TREE HOUSE SURVIVAL GUIDE
ANIMAL GAMES AND PUZZLES
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Text copyright © 2015 by Mary Pope Osborne
Cover art and interior illustrations copyright © 2015 by Sal Murdocca
All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.
Random House and the colophon are registered trademarks and A Stepping Stone Book and the colophon are trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC. Magic Tree House is a registered trademark of Mary Pope Osborne; used under license.
Visit us on the Web!
SteppingStonesBooks.com
MagicTreeHouse.com
Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at
RHTeachersLibrarians.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Osborne, Mary Pope.
Shadow of the shark / Mary Pope Osborne; illustrated by Sal Murdocca. — First edition.
pages cm. — (Magic Tree House; #53)
Summary: As a thank-you from Merlin and Morgan, Jack and Annie are sent on what should be a vacation at a luxurious resort in Cozumel, Mexico, but is, by mistake, an adventure with ancient Mayans, instead.
ISBN 978-0-553-51081-2 (trade) — ISBN 978-0-553-51082-9 (lib. bdg.) —
ISBN 978-0-553-51083-6 (ebook)
[1. Time travel—Fiction. 2. Adventure and adventurers—Fiction. 3. Magic—Fiction. 4. Mayas—Fiction. 5. Indians of Central America—Fiction. 6. Brothers and sisters—Fiction. 7. Cozumel Island (Mexico)—History—Fiction. 8. Yucatán Peninsula—
History—Fiction.] I. Murdocca, Sal, illustrator. II. Title.
PZ7.O81167Sh 2015 [Fic]—dc23 2015000502
eBook ISBN 9780553510836
This book has been officially leveled by using the F&P Text Level Gradient™ Leveling System.
Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.
v4.1
For Cindy Mill, with gratitude
CONTENTS
Cover
Other Titles
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Prologue
1. Dream Vacation
2. Cozumel
3. Attack!
4. Where Are We?
5. Yucatán Theme Park
6. Heart-of-the-Wind
7. The Forest-of-Walking-Trees
8. Through the Underworld
9. Message for the King
10. Into the Dawn
Excerpt from Sharks and Other Predators
About the Author
One summer day in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, a mysterious tree house appeared in the woods. It was filled with books. A boy named Jack and his sister, Annie, found the tree house and soon discovered that it was magic. They could go to any time and place in history just by pointing to a picture in one of the books. While they were gone, no time at all passed back in Frog Creek.
Jack and Annie eventually found out that the tree house belonged to Morgan le Fay, a magical librarian from the legendary realm of Camelot. They have since traveled on many adventures in the magic tree house and completed many missions for both Morgan le Fay and her friend Merlin the magician. Teddy and Kathleen, two young enchanters from Camelot, have sometimes helped Jack and Annie in both big and small ways.
Now Jack and Annie will use the magic tree house to go on a new kind of mission….
“Did you see anything amazing?” Annie asked Jack. They were standing on the warm, sunny shore of Frog Creek Lake, packing up their new swimming gear—flippers, masks, snorkels, and red life vests.
“Not really,” said Jack. “Weeds and rocks.”
“Same
here,” said Annie. “How was your new mask?”
“Cool,” said Jack as he put his glasses back on. “It didn’t leak or fog up at all.”
“Great,” said Annie, pulling a tunic over her bathing suit.
Jack and Annie stepped into their flip-flops. Jack picked up the waterproof swim bag with all their gear, and they headed to the bike rack. “I’d love to snorkel around a coral reef someday,” he said.
“Me too!” said Annie.
Jack strapped the bulky bag to the rack over his back wheel. He and Annie pulled on their helmets and pedaled out of the lake parking lot.
“Remember when Randy and Jenny snorkeled around a coral reef last spring?” Jack said.
“Oh, right, they went to a place called Cozumel with their parents,” Annie said. “They did all kinds of cool stuff. Hey, should we call them? They said they’d be back from their aunt’s house by two.”
“Sure,” said Jack.
“Hold on, stop,” said Annie.
Jack and Annie pulled their bikes over to the side of the quiet road. Annie reached into her handlebar bag and took out the old cell phone their dad had given them when he had gotten a newer model. “Hey, we have a text from Randy.” She read the message. “Darn. He says they’re not coming back until tomorrow.”
“That’s okay. Let’s just go home, then,” said Jack. He started pedaling again and turned at the corner. He started up their street, heading for their house.
“Jack, stop!” Annie called from behind him.
Jack stopped his bike and looked back. Annie was speeding after him. “What’s wrong?” he called.
She screeched to a halt. “We have a message from Teddy!” she cried, waving a yellow piece of paper. “When I put the phone away, I noticed this in my handlebar bag!”
“How did it get there?” said Jack.
“I don’t know!” said Annie. “Teddy must have put it there when we were snorkeling! Or maybe when my bike was in our yard or parked at the library! Or maybe—”
“Okay, okay, just read it to me,” said Jack.
Annie read breathlessly:
Jack and Annie,
Please meet me at the tree house as soon as possible.
Teddy
“Let’s go!” said Jack.
Annie put the message back in the bag, and she and Jack sped up the street. When they reached the edge of the Frog Creek woods, they turned and rode their bikes between the trees, bouncing over roots, pine needles, and leaves.
“Teddy hasn’t come to Frog Creek in a long time!” said Annie.
“I know!” said Jack.
“I hope nothing’s wrong back in Camelot!” said Annie. “I hope Morgan and Merlin are all right.”
“Yeah, and Kathleen!” said Jack.
“And Penny!” said Annie. “And Arthur—and, well, all of Camelot!”
Jack and Annie soon came to the tallest oak.
The magic tree house was back. A freckle-faced teenager with tousled red hair was leaning out of the window.
“Teddy!” Annie cried, waving.
“Hello!” he called. “Climb on up!”
Annie and Jack pulled off their helmets, left their bikes leaning against the tree, and climbed up the rope ladder. Inside the tree house, they both hugged Teddy.
“What’s happening?” said Jack. “Is everyone okay?”
“Oh, yes! Camelot is doing quite well,” said Teddy.
“Good,” said Annie.
“Do Merlin and Morgan have a new mission for us?” said Jack.
“Indeed they do!” said Teddy.
“What do they want us to do?” asked Annie.
“They want you to have a fantastic time,” said Teddy.
“What does that mean?” said Jack.
“Merlin and Morgan believe they have never properly thanked you for all your hard and dangerous work,” said Teddy.
“Oh, sure they have,” said Annie. “They always thank us.”
Teddy smiled. “Well, today they want to thank you in a very special way: they want to send you on a holiday.”
“A holiday? You mean like a vacation?” said Jack.
“Yes, a vacation. I believe that’s what you call it,” said Teddy.
“Oh, man, we were just talking about that,” said Jack.
“Wonderful!” said Teddy. “Then their timing is perfect. The question is: where would you most like to go?”
“Well, we were just talking about a place called Cozumel,” said Annie.
“Cozumel?” said Teddy. “I do not believe I have heard of that land.”
“It’s an island in the Caribbean Sea, next to the Yucatán Peninsula,” said Jack. “It’s part of Mexico.”
“We want to go there because it’s a great place for snorkeling,” said Annie.
“Snorkeling?” said Teddy, wrinkling his nose. “What is that?”
Jack laughed. “You swim in a lake or ocean and look underwater through a mask.”
“And breathe through a plastic tube,” said Annie.
“Our lake isn’t great for snorkeling,” said Jack. “But our friends Randy and Jenny went to a beach in Cozumel last spring, and they said the snorkeling was incredible.”
“Ah, I see. Then Cozumel is where you shall go,” said Teddy. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a wand. He waved it in a circle over the tree house floor, whispering words that Jack couldn’t understand, except for Cozumel. Slowly, magically, a small paperback book took shape on the floor.
Teddy picked up the book. “Your travel guide,” he said proudly. “Cozumel and the Yucatán Peninsula.”
He showed the book to Jack and Annie. The cover was a collage of several small paintings and photos. One showed a large, fancy hotel, another showed a stone pyramid, and a third showed a person snorkeling.
Teddy turned the book over and read from the back cover:
Visit Cozumel and the Yucatán Peninsula! Stay in a luxury spa hotel! See ancient Mayan pyramids and ruins! Snorkel in the clear blue water of the Caribbean Sea!
“Oh, wow! My dream vacation!” said Annie.
“I’ll get our snorkeling gear!” said Jack.
“I’ll grab our phone to take photos!” said Annie.
Jack and Annie hurried down the rope ladder. Annie took their cell phone from her handlebar bag and put it in one of the pockets of her tunic. Jack grabbed their swim bag, and they climbed up to Teddy.
“We’re ready!” said Annie.
Teddy handed her the travel book. “Take this to guide you,” he said. “And take this, too.” He reached into his cloak and pulled out a green velvet coin purse. He handed the purse to Jack.
Jack opened the purse and took out three golden coins. “What are these?”
“We want you to have as much fun as possible on your holiday,” said Teddy. “Each of these coins contains a bit of magic. Throw one into the air, make a wish, and your wish shall come true.”
“Seriously? That’s great!” said Annie.
“Yes,” said Teddy. “You may wish for anything! The only requirement is that the magic be used to help you have fun.”
“This is going to be a great trip,” said Jack. He put the purse with the magic coins into his bag.
“To Cozumel now you must go!” said Teddy.
“But, wait—are you sure we don’t have a mission of some kind?” said Jack. They’d never been on a journey without an assignment from Morgan or Merlin.
“Yes, indeed, you do have a mission,” said Teddy. “As I told you, your mission is to have a wonderful time.”
“Nothing else?” said Jack.
“Nothing else,” Teddy said with a smile.
“Wow,” said Annie. “Can you come, too, and have a wonderful time at the beach with us?”
“I wish I could,” said Teddy. “But I have to do more errands for Morgan and Merlin today—none quite as delightful as this one, however. You must tell me all about your journey when we meet again.”
“Of course we will!”
said Annie. “Come back to Frog Creek soon.”
“I plan to,” said Teddy. “Do you have all you need?”
“Yes!” said Jack. “And you don’t need to magically change our clothes. We’re already dressed for the beach.”
“Excellent. Go now,” said Teddy.
Annie pointed at the cover of the travel guide. “I wish we could go there,” she said.
“To have a wonderful time,” added Jack.
The wind started to blow.
The tree house started to spin.
It spun faster and faster.
Then everything was still.
Absolutely still.
Afternoon sunlight flooded into the tree house. Jack heard the sound of waves softly lapping the shore. He and Annie looked out the window. The tree house had landed in a palm tree overlooking snow-white sand and a turquoise-blue sea. Near the beach was the stone pyramid pictured on the cover of the travel guide.
“Cozumel,” Jack said.
“Paradise,” Annie said.
“Where is everyone?” said Jack, looking around. There were no other tourists—no swimmers, surfers, or sunbathers. There were no sightseers. There were no vehicles parked near the Mayan pyramid.
“I don’t know…,” Annie said. “I thought there’d be, you know, luxury spa hotels and fancy restaurants.”
“It’s weird,” said Jack.
“Maybe it’s just the perfect beach,” said Annie, shrugging.
“Yeah, but…” Jack looked through their travel guide until he found a photo that seemed to match the deserted shoreline with the pyramid. “This looks like the same place.” He read the caption:
On the southwest Caribbean coast is a nature preserve.
“Oh, cool! We landed in a nature preserve!” said Annie. “That’s why it looks so natural.”
“Right…,” said Jack. He read on:
Dazzling coral reefs are just a short distance offshore. Beginning snorkelers can swim without losing sight of land.
“Yay!” said Annie. “We did come to the perfect place—a nature preserve with a coral reef, just like Randy and Jenny’s.”
“Yep!” said Jack. “Let’s snorkel first. Then maybe check out that pyramid. It looks cool.”
“Good plan,” said Annie. She started down the rope ladder.
Jack put the travel guide into the swim bag with their snorkel gear. He hung the bag on his shoulder and followed Annie. He stepped off the ladder and stood with her in the shade of the tree.
Shadow of the Shark Page 1
