Viking Ships at Sunrise

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Authors: Mary Pope Osborne

BOOK: Viking Ships at Sunrise
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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.
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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.… 
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Teachers and librarians love
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®
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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.
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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

Dear Readers,

Imagine a time in Europe over a thousand years ago, when every single book had to be written by hand on animal skins, and writers had to make their ink and paints from plants and minerals. In spite of these hardships, Christian monks in Europe—especially in Ireland—made decorated, or “illuminated” manuscripts, which are some of the most beautiful books the world has ever seen.

Now imagine a warship that can travel far across rough seas, weather terrible storms, and land on rocky coasts. The Vikings of Scandinavia made such ships
completely by hand
. They were the most elegant sailing vessels of all time.

In the last few years, I've seen illuminated manuscripts at the British Museum in London, and Viking warships at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway. Ever since, I have wanted to write about both of these wonders. Finally, this book has given me that opportunity.

I hope you find them as “wonder-full” as I do.

All my best,

Text copyright © 1998 by Mary Pope Osborne.
Illustrations copyright © 1998 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.

www.randomhouse.com/magictreehouse

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Osborne, Mary Pope.
Viking ships at sunrise / by Mary Pope Osborne; illustrated by Sal Murdocca.
p. cm. — (Magic tree house; #15) “A Stepping Stone book.” Summary: Their magic tree house takes Jack and Annie back to a monastery in medieval Ireland, where they try to retrieve a lost book while being menaced by Viking raiders.
eISBN: 978-0-375-89472-5
[1. Vikings—Fiction. 2. Monasteries—Fiction. 3. Ireland—Fiction. 4. Time travel—Fiction. 5. Magic—Fiction. 6. Tree houses—Fiction.]
I. Murdocca, Sal, ill. II. Title. III. Series: Osborne, Mary Pope. Magic tree house series; 15. PZ7.O81167Vh 1998 [Fic]—dc21 98-23602

Random House, Inc. New York, Toronto, London, Sydney, Auckland

A STEPPING STONE BOOK
is a trademark of Random House, Inc.

v3.0

        
Cover

        
Dear Readers

        
Title Page

        
Copyright

        
Dedication

        
Prologue

  
  1. Before Dawn

  
  2. The Steep Climb

  
  3. Brother Patrick

  
  4. Books of Wonder

  
  5. Warships on the Waves

  
  6. The Vikings Are Coming!

  
  7. Fogbound

  
  8. Lost at Sea

  
  9. Sea Monster!

  
10. Sunrise

        
More Facts

      Special Preview of
Magic Tree House #16:
Hour of the Olympics

For Benjamin Dicker

 

One summer day in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, a mysterious tree house appeared in the woods.

Eight-year-old Jack and his seven-year-old sister, Annie, climbed into the tree house. They found that it was filled with books.

Jack and Annie soon discovered that the tree house was magic. It could take them to the places in the books. All they had to do was to point to a picture and wish to go there.

Along the way, they discovered that the tree house belongs to Morgan le Fay. Morgan is a magical librarian from the time of King Arthur. She travels through time and space, gathering books.

In the Magic Tree House Books #8–12, Jack and Annie solved four ancient riddles and became Master Librarians. To help them in their
future
tasks, Morgan gave Jack and Annie secret library cards with the letters
M L
on them.

As Master Librarians, Jack and Annie must go on four missions to save stories from ancient libraries. They have already brought back a scroll from an ancient Roman town and a bamboo book from ancient China. Now, they are about to head out on their third mission … 

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