Hour of the Olympics
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.
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—Erica Y.
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—Danai K.
I always read [your books] over and over … 1 time, 2 times, 3 times, 4 times.…
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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.
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Dear Readers,
Hour of the Olympics
was a joy for me to write, mostly because Jack and Annie meet my favorite creature of Greek mythology.
I’ve been very interested in Greek myths for many years. In fact, I’ve written a number of different books retelling them, including several picture books.
My hope is that
Hour of the Olympics
will help spark
your
interest in Greek mythology. Though these stories were first told over three thousand years ago, they are still some of the most vibrant, exciting tales we have today. When we read them, it’s as if we’re listening to the ancient Greek storytellers across the centuries. Now that’s
real
time travel, don’t you think?
All my best,
Random House gives special thanks to Jonathan Master for providing the Greek spelling of “Pegasus.”
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.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Osborne, Mary Pope.
Hour of the Olympics / by Mary Pope Osborne ; illustrated by Sal Murdocca.
p. cm. — (Magic tree house series ; #16) “A Stepping Stone book.”
SUMMARY:
Their magic tree house takes Jack and Annie back to retrieve a lost story in ancient Greece, where they witness the original Olympic games and are surprised to find what girls of the time were not allowed to do.
eISBN: 978-0-375-89473-2
[1. Olympics—Fiction. 2. Greece—Fiction. 3. Time travel—Fiction. 4. Sex role— Fiction. 5. Magic—Fiction. 6. Tree houses—Fiction.]
I. Murdocca, Sal, ill. II. Title. III. Series: Osborne, Mary Pope. Magic tree house series ; #16. PZ7.O81167Ho 1998 [Fic]—dc21 98-24100
Random House, Inc. New York, Toronto, London, Sydney, Auckland
RANDOM HOUSE
and colophon are registered trademarks and
A STEPPING STONE BOOK
and colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc.
MAGIC TREE HOUSE
is a registered trademark of Mary Pope Osborne; used under license.
v3.0
To Chase Goddard,
who loves to read
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.