Book excerpt: The adventures that started it all! Newly bound together, the first four books of the fan-favorite chapter-book series are the perfect introduction to the New York Times bestselling Magic Tree House series. Parents, teachers, and librarians hail the series as a tool to promote reading, as even the most reluctant readers want to know where the Magic Tree House will take the brother-and-sister team next. The story begins with Dinosaurs Before Dark, when Jack and Annie discover a mysterious tree house filled with books and a trip back to the time of the dinosaurs follows. In The Knight at Dawn, Jack and Annie are in the Great Hall of a castle; a feast is under way, but they aren't exactly welcome guests. When the tree house whisks them back to ancient Egypt in Mummies in the Morning, Jack and Annie must help a long-dead queen solve a puzzle. And in Pirates Past Noon, Jack and Annie find a secret map that leads to buried treasure and ruthless pirates! Mary Pope Osborne brings together just the right combination of history, magic, and fast-paced adventure to satisfy kids, parents, teachers, and librarians all over the world with her New York Times bestselling series.