New in the Kid's Room

In book #43 of the best-selling Magic Tree House series - Leprechaun In Late Winter - author Mary Pope Osborne writes about Jack and Annie, who are on another Merlin Mission. With help from their magical assistants Teddy and Kathleen, the two kids’ mission is to convince young artists – like Mozart and Louis Armstrong, for example - to use their talents to bring joy to the world. Now Annie and Jack travel to Ireland, year 1862, with just a magic whistle and instructions to convince an unhappy young girl that she has much to give to the cultural life of Ireland.


When the two time travelers climb down from their magic tree house, they find themselves knocking on the door of a Big House, where rich folks live lavishly compared to their poor Irish neighbors. This is where young Augusta is unhappy with her life, because she doesn’t want to be a wealthy lady. Instead, she wants to help the poor.

Jack and Annie use the magic whistle to give Augusta the power to see and speak with the magical, mystical, fairy creatures that are so much a part of Irish folklore and culture. These fairies lead Augusta to their Queen, who tells her that her mission is to find old storytellers and write down their Irish tales before they’re lost forever.