Summer of the Sea Serpent: A Merlin Mission

people” who took human shape whenever they slipped off their seal skins. In several old tales, female selkies marry fishermen and cause great heartache when they return to their seal lives.
    Many Celtic tales also tell of water horsesthat live in Scottish lakes and of the legendary Gray Man, a bearded giant who spreads his fog cloak over lonely Scottish and Irish coasts.
    Stories of giant sea serpents appear in tales from all over the world, from ancient Greece and Europe to India and Asia. Long ago, when the ocean was a realm of mysteries and marvels, many sailors and fishermen reported seeing long-necked, snaky monsters swimming in the deep. It’s likely that they mistook giant squid, sea turtles, or whales for these sea monsters.
    And of course, while working on this book, I was again inspired by the tales of King Arthur and Camelot, which have been told again and again over the centuries. For instance, my sword bridge was inspired by a sword bridge in the French tale “Lancelot,” in which the knight has to cross a bridge created by a magic sword to reach the Isle of Glass.
    In many versions of the tales of Camelot, Arthur is given the mighty sword Excalibur bythe Lady of the Lake, who lives on the Isle of Avalon. The sword’s name may come from the Latin word
chalybs,
which means “steel.” Some sources indicate that Excalibur was also known as the “Sword of Light.”

Mary Pope Osborne is the award-winning author of many novels, picture books, story collections, and nonfiction books, including
Adaline Falling Star, Kate and the Beanstalk, New York’s Bravest, Favorite Medieval Tales, Favorite Greek Myths,
and
One World, Many Religions.
Her bestselling Magic Tree House series has been translated into many languages around the world. Highly recommended by parents and educators everywhere, the series introduces young readers to different cultures and times in history, as well as to the world’s legacy of ancient myth and storytelling. Mary Pope Osborne is married to Will Osborne, a co-author of many of the Magic Tree House Research Guides. They live in northwestern Connecticut.

Here’s a Special Preview of
Magic Tree House #32
(A Merlin Mission)
Winter of the Ice Wizard

    Available now!
    Excerpt copyright © 2004 by Mary Pope Osborne.
Published by Random House Children’s Books,
a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

 
  CHAPTER ONE
 Winter Solstice
    A cold wind rattled the windowpanes. But inside the house, it was warm and cozy. Jack and Annie were making Christmas cookies with their mom. Jack pressed a star-shaped cookie cutter into the dough.
    “Hey, it’s snowing outside,” said Annie.
    Jack looked out the window. Huge snow-flakes were falling from the late-afternoon sky.
    “You want to go out?” asked Annie.
    “Not really. It’ll be dark soon,” said Jack.
    “That’s right,” said their mom. “Today’s the first day of winter. It’s the shortest day of the year.”
    Jack’s heart skipped a beat. “You mean it’s the
winter solstice
?” he said.
    “Yes,” said their mom.
    Annie gasped. “The winter solstice?” she said.
    “Yes … ,” their mom said, puzzled.
    Jack and Annie looked at each other. Last summer, Merlin the magician had called for their help on the
summer
solstice. Maybe he would need them again today!
    Jack put down the cookie cutter and wiped his hands on a towel. “Actually, Mom, it might be fun to play in the snow for just a few minutes,” he said.
    “Whatever you want,” their mom said. “Just dress warmly. I’ll finish up with the cookies and put them in the oven.”
    “Thanks!” said Jack. He and Annie raced to the closet and pulled on their boots. They threw on jackets, scarves, gloves, and caps.
    “Be home before dark,” their mom said.
    “We will!” called Jack.
    “Bye, Mom!” Annie shouted.
    Jack and Annie slipped out of their house into the snowy cold. Their boots squeaked as they ran across their white yard and headed toward the Frog Creek woods.
    At the edge of the woods, Jack stopped. He couldn’t believe how beautiful the trees looked. White powder covered the branches of the hemlocks and pines.
    “Look,” said Annie. She pointed to two pairs of footprints that led out to the road and then back into the woods. “Somebody else has been here.”
    “It looks like they were walking out of the woods—but turned back,” said Jack. “Let’s hurry!” If the magic tree house
had
come back today, he didn’t want