Stage Fright on a Summer Night (Magic Tree House)

Spurred on by another mysterious rhyme from Morgan le Fay, the magical librarian of Camelot, siblings Jack and Annie climb into their magic traveling tree house once again, this time on a journey to Merry Olde England--and Shakespeare's theater. Their quest? To find "a special magic" that will, "without wand, spell, or charm / turn daytime into night." Armed only with their backpacks and a book about 16th-century England, Jack and Annie manage to solve the riddle, save a bear from a cruel fate, and make their stage debut in "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

Following the wildly successful formula of her Magic Tree House series (Earthquake in the Early Morning, Twister on Tuesday, etc.), Mary Pope Osborne delivers another exciting chapter book for young readers (and read-aloud listeners). Additional information about Shakespeare is included, plus a partial list of the more than 2,000 words and expressions he invented. As always, illustrator Sal Murdocca's appealing black-and-white drawings are well matched to Osborne's story. (Ages 5 to 9) --Emilie Coulter