Mummies in the Morning
Read Mummies in the Morning Online
Authors: Mary Pope Osborne
Here’s what kids have to say to
Mary Pope Osborne, author of
the Magic Tree House series:
WOW! You have an imagination like no other.
—Adam W.
I love your books. If you stop writing books, it will be like losing a best friend.
—Ben M.
I think you are the real Morgan le Fay. There is always magic in your books.
—Erica Y.
One day I was really bored and I didn’t want to read … I looked in your book. I read a sentence, and it was interesting. So I read some more, until the book was done. It was so good I read more and more. Then I had read all of your books, and now I hope you write lots more.
—Danai K.
I always read [your books] over and over … 1 time, 2 times, 3 times, 4 times …
—Yuan C.
You are my best author in the world. I love your books. I read all the time. I read everywhere. My mom is like freaking out.
—Ellen C.
I hope you make these books for all yours and mine’s life.
—Riki H.
Teachers and librarians love
Magic Tree House
®
books, too!
Thank you for opening faraway places and times to my class through your books. They have given me the chance to bring in additional books, materials, and videos to share with the class.
—J. Cameron
It excites me to see how involved [my fourth-grade reading class] is in your books … I would do anything to get my students more involved, and this has done it.
—C. Rutz
I discovered your books last year … WOW! Our students have gone crazy over them. I can’t order enough copies! … Thanks for contributing so much to children’s literature!
—C. Kendziora
I first came across your Magic Tree House series when my son brought one home … I have since introduced this great series to my class. They have absolutely fallen in love with these books! … My students are now asking me for more independent reading time to read them. Your stories have inspired even my most struggling readers.
—M. Payne
I love how I can go beyond the [Magic Tree House] books and use them as springboards for other learning.
—R. Gale
We have enjoyed your books all year long. We check your Web site to find new information. We pull our map down to find the areas where the adventures take place. My class always chimes in at key parts of the story. It feels good to hear my students ask for a book and cheer when a new book comes out.
—J. Korinek
Our students have “Magic Tree House fever.” I can’t keep your books on the library shelf.
—J. Rafferty
Your books truly invite children into the pleasure of reading. Thanks for such terrific work.
—S. Smith
The children in the fourth grade even hide the [Magic Tree House] books in the library so that they will be able to find them when they are ready to check them out.
—K. Mortensen
My Magic Tree House books are never on the bookshelf because they are always being read by my students. Thank you for creating such a wonderful series.
—K. Mahoney
Text copyright © 1993 by Mary Pope Osborne.
Illustrations copyright © 1993 by Sal Murdocca.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Osborne, Mary Pope. Mummies in the morning /
by Mary Pope Osborne; illustrated by Sal Murdocca. p. cm. — (The magic tree house series; #3) “A First Stepping Stone book.”
SUMMARY:
Jack and his younger sister take a trip in their tree house back to ancient Egypt, where they help a queen’s mummy continue her voyage to the Next Life.
eISBN: 978-0-375-89420-6
[1. Time travel—Fiction. 2. Mummies—Fiction.
3. Magic—Fiction. 4. Tree houses—Fiction.]
I. Title. II. Series: Osborne, Mary Pope. Tree house series; #3.
PZ7. O81167Mr 1993 [Fic]—dc20 92-50665
Random House New York, Toronto, London, Sydney, Auckland
v3.0
For Patrick Robbins, who loves ancient Egypt
“It’s still here,” said Jack.
“It looks empty,” said Annie.
Jack and his seven-year-old sister gazed up at a very tall oak tree. At the top of the tree was a tree house.
Late-morning sunlight lit the woods. It was almost time for lunch.
“Shhh!” said Jack. “What was that noise?”
“What noise?”
“I heard a noise,” Jack said. He looked around. “It sounded like someone coughing.”
“I didn’t hear anything,” said Annie. “Come on. Let’s go up.”
She grabbed onto the rope ladder and started climbing.
Jack tiptoed over to a clump of bushes. He pushed aside a small branch.
“Hello?” he said. “Anybody there?”
There was no answer.
“Come on!” Annie called down. “The tree house looks the same as it did yesterday.”
Jack still felt that someone was nearby. Could it be the person who’d put all the books in the tree house?
“Ja-ack!”
Jack gazed over the top of the bushes.
Was the mysterious person watching him now? The person whose name began with M?
Maybe M wanted the gold medallion back. The one Jack had found on their dinosaur adventure. Maybe M wanted the leather bookmark back. The one from the castle book.
There was an M on the medallion. And an M on the bookmark. But what did M stand for?
“Tomorrow I’ll bring everything back,” Jack said loudly.
A breeze swept through the woods. The leaves rattled.
“Come on!” called Annie.
Jack went back to the big oak tree. He grabbed onto the rope ladder and climbed up.
At the top he crawled through a hole in the wooden floor. He tossed down his backpack and pushed his glasses into place.
“Hmmm. Which book is it going to be today?” said Annie.
She was looking at the books scattered around the tree house.
Annie picked up the book about castles.
“Hey, this isn’t wet anymore,” she said.
“Let me see.”
Jack took the book from her. He was amazed. It looked fine. Yesterday it had gotten soaked in a castle moat.
The castle book had taken Jack and Annie back to the time of knights.
Jack silently thanked the mysterious knight who had rescued them.
“Watch out!” warned Annie.
She waved a dinosaur book in Jack’s face.
“Put that away,” said Jack.
The day before yesterday the dinosaur book had taken them to the time of dinosaurs.
Jack silently thanked the Pteranodon who had saved him from a Tyrannosaurus rex.
Annie put the dinosaur book back with the other books. Then she gasped.
“Wow,” she whispered. “Look at
this
.”
She held up a book about ancient Egypt.
Jack caught his breath. He took the book from her. A green silk bookmark stuck out of it.
Jack turned to the page with the bookmark. There was a picture of a pyramid.
Going toward the pyramid was a long parade. Four huge cows with horns were pulling a sled. On the sled was a long gold box. Many Egyptians were walking behind the sled. At the end of the parade was a sleek black cat.
“Let’s go there,” whispered Annie. “Now.”
“Wait,” said Jack. He wanted to study the book a bit more.
“Pyramids, Jack,” said Annie. “You love pyramids.”
It was true. Pyramids
were
high on his list of favorite things. After knights. But before dinosaurs.
Way
before dinosaurs.
He didn’t have to worry about being eaten by a pyramid.
“Okay,” he said. “But hold the Pennsylvania book. In case we want to come right back here.”
Annie found the book with the picture of their hometown in it. Frog Creek, Pennsylvania.
Then Jack pointed to the pyramid picture in the Egypt book. He cleared his throat and said, “I wish we could go to this place.”
“
Meow!
”
“What was
that
?” Jack looked out the tree house window.
A black cat was perched on a branch. Right outside the window. The cat was staring at Jack and Annie.
It was the strangest cat Jack had ever seen. He was very sleek and dark. With bright yellow eyes. And a wide gold collar.
“It’s the cat in the Egypt book,” whispered Annie.
Just then the wind started to blow. The leaves began to shake.
“Here we go!” cried Annie.
The wind whistled louder. The leaves shook harder.
Jack closed his eyes as the tree house started to spin.
It spun faster and faster! And faster!
Suddenly everything was still.
Absolutely still.
Not a sound. Not a whisper.
Jack opened his eyes.
Hot bright sunlight nearly blinded him.
“
Me-ow
!”
