Part of Magic Tree House: Merlin Missions, book 13
First published 2009
Jack and Annie arrive in eighteenth century Austria with a mission to locate and assist the famous composer Mozart. They don elaborate period clothing that feels completely foreign to them. Jack wears a powdered wig while Annie struggles with an enormous hoopskirt. The siblings conduct a thorough search throughout a grand palace but cannot find their target. A troublesome young boy complicates their quest by refusing to leave them alone and shadowing their every move. The situation turns dangerous when this same child releases all the creatures from the palace menagerie. Jack and Annie must rely on their magical abilities to rescue both themselves and the misbehaving boy from the chaos that ensues. Their adventure takes them deep into the world of classical music and European court life, where they discover that helping others sometimes means protecting them from their own reckless actions.
Genres: adventure, fantasy, classical-music
Vibes: fast-paced, thought-provoking, whimsical
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Austria, Europe
Period: 18th Century
128 pages · Hardcover · Random House Books for Young Readers