Reviews

Christmas in Camelot by Mary Pope Osborne

boomeraang's review against another edition

3.0

not the holiday vibes i was looking for but still a cozy and cute read nonetheless ✨🌲 jack and annie are charming kids, and their dynamic is funny

puhno's review against another edition

5.0

the book that got me into reading

kgormley's review against another edition

5.0

Part of the "Magic Tree House" series, this book has Jack and Annie traveling to Camelot where they find things are not as they should be. Jack and Annie agree to go on a quest to the "Otherworld" to try to get find and bring back some water from the cauldron of memory and imagination. Will Jack and Annie be able to get past the keepers of the cauldron and safely bring the water of memory and imagination back to Camelot to restore the joy before it's too late?

amavanna14's review

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

kendranicole28's review against another edition

3.5

This is the first of the Merlin Mission books from the Magic Tree House series: these Merlin books are more challenging than those in the original series, and they’re rooted in fantasy rather than history. The story begins when Jack and Annie are transported to Camelot at Christmas Time. Upon their arrival they find Camelot much changed from their last visit: the future of Camelot is in jeopardy, and even Camelot’s greatest knights have failed to save the land. With King Arthur having banned all use of magic, the children are Camelot’s only hope, and Jack and Annie accept the challenge to preserve Camelot and all it has to offer the world.

I read this at Charleston’s request, as he’s been plowing through the Magic Treehouse series on his own and wanted to do a book club of sorts, with each of us reading the book separately and coming together afterwards to discuss. How could I say no to that?! While I do like the Magic Treehouse books, this wasn’t my favorite in the series; I find I like the history-based books a little more. This is a fun adventure, though, with lots of magic and factoids about Camelot sprinkled in. I see why Charleston is enjoying these Merlin Missions that contain fun riddles to solve and a little more character development than the earlier books.

My Book Rating: 3.5 Stars (Rounded to 3 Stars on Goodreads) // Charleston’s Rating: 4 Stars // Book Format: Print

squrnky's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

sstarke's review against another edition

4.0

This is a great series for kids. I like that this book is a little longer and explains the myths and history that the story was pulled from at the end.

jloken's review against another edition

4.0

Read to son he loved Mary Pope Osborne when he was 5

beauty1991's review against another edition

5.0

Was an interesting break between the normal every day adventures. It's like a step up from the ones they were originally doing. Support it 100%. I'm wondering though if all the quests from now on will involve Camelot.

divadiane's review

4.0

We listened to this on a longish road trip from Yellowstone to MIssoula, Montana. It's at the first in the Merlin stories and is a good 5 chapters longer than all the previous installments. Thus, it is also a bit more complex -and interesting!

We liked this one quite a lot. And it inspired my son to want to read more about King Arthur !