Magic Tree House Boxed Set: Books 1 - 4 (Magic Tree House Series)
Author: Mary Pope Osborn
Get ready for a world of adventure with the first four titles in the beloved Magic Tree House series!
Jack and his little sister Annie are just two regular kids from Frog Creek, Pennsylvania. Then they discover a mysterious tree house packed with all sorts of books...and their lives are never the same! Soon they are traveling through time and space in the magic tree house and having amazing adventures. Whether it's watching baby dinosaurs hatch, finding a secret passage in a castle, helping a ghost queen in an Egyptian pyramid, or finding pirate treasure readers won't want to miss a single story!
The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series #5)
Author: Rick Riordan
All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of victory are grim. Kronos's army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan's power only grows. While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it's up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.
In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy's sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.
The New York Times - Elizabeth Devereaux
The action, never leisurely in any of the five books in the series, runs at a frantic pace here—monsters pop out with a rapidity that becomes almost predictable, except that they are so enjoyably hair-raising, and that Riordan has such clever ways of dispatching them…Like the stories in which they're rooted, Riordan's Percy Jackson novels speak to more than one audience, and in more than one key.
Publishers Weekly
Percy Jackson's fifth and final adventure begins with a blast and gets increasingly more explosive. It reads less like a novel than a 400-page battle scene set in Manhattan, pitting Percy, Annabeth, Grover & Co. against a pantheon of monsters intent on reaching the portal to Mount Olympus (located on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building). In other words: fans will not be disappointed. All the action takes place in the days before Percy's 16th birthday, on which a prophecy has foretold "a single choice shall end his days." Readers who have watched their dyslexic hero grow into his considerable powers since age 12 will not be surprised by his brave leadership. Or as Percy, facing the Minotaur's army, puts it in typically wry fashion: "It was now roughly one hundred and ninety-nine to one. I did the natural thing. I charged them." Details about Luke's childhood explain his traitorous allegiance to Kronos; Annabeth and Rachel Dare vie for Percy's attention; and the final clash would keep a Hollywood special effects team busy for years. As the capstone to this beloved series, this story satisfies. And a surprise character takes on the mantle of Oracle, instantly issuing a new prophecy that suggests, happily, there's more fun with the demigods to come. Ages 10-up. (May)
School Library Journal
Gr 5-9
The fates of all of the characters are decided, and the true meaning of the prophecy is revealed in this final book in the series. Crafting a finale that lives up to plot developments and expectations created by an ongoing series can be a somewhat daunting task, but Riordan has fashioned a suitably epic battle to wrap up his tale, which begins with a very literal bang as Percy and Charlie Beckendorf go on a mission to destroy Kronos's ship, the Princess Andromeda . Charlie sacrifices himself to ensure the mission's success, and Percy returns alone to Camp Half-Blood only to hear the prophecy involving the choice he will have to make on his 16th birthday in its depressing entirety. While there is a distinct feeling of sadness in leaving these characters, the ending also leaves an opening for stories about new half-blood kids in the future. While readers are sure to be satisfied by the way everything is resolved, there are a few too many deus ex machina rescues in the final battle. The book's message that the Greek gods will die unless we remember them might be a bit simplistic, but the fact is that the "Percy Jackson" books have done a great deal to revitalize interest in mythology. This book is a no-brainer purchase, since most libraries will already have the previous four titles in the series and will have readers anxiously awaiting its arrival.-Tim Wadham, St. Louis County Library, MO
Kirkus Reviews
In the fifth and final installment of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, Percy is turning 16, when it has been prophesied he'll make a choice affecting the fate of Western civilization. It takes 100 pages to set all of the players in place, but every detail proves essential to the playing out of the grand battle between the Titans and the Olympian gods. Morpheus has put New York City to sleep, preparing for the invasion of Kronos, Typhon and their army of monsters. Standing between them and their destination of Olympus, now at the top of the Empire State Building, are Percy, Annabeth, their demigod pals from Camp Half-Blood, the gods of Olympus and an assortment of other demigods and minor gods. Riordan masterfully orchestrates the huge cast of characters and manages a coherent, powerful tale at once exciting, philosophical and tear-jerking. The bestselling series's legions of fans will cheer their heroes on and rejoice in such a compelling conclusion to the saga. (Fiction. 9 & up)
