A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time by Mary Pope Osborne

The Magic Tree House series has been around for years, but Random House has given the adventure a whole new look by offering a dedicated website at MagicTreeHouse.com and new research guides to go with the story.  It's a great combination that will work great for teachers and homeschoolers as well as Mom's that want to encourage their children to learn.

Random House Books for Young Readers sent me a copy of the hardcover novel and a trade paperback of Rags and Riches, Kids in the Time of Dickens, the research guide, for review (thank you).  These are books are currently available at your local bookshop.  Sal Murdocca is the illustrator for both.

I'm impressed.  The stories have always intrigued me because you never know where the children are going to go next, and each adventure is in a different time and place with information about the people and the lives they lead then.  There's usually a bit of danger, there are always challenges, and somehow Ms. Osborne always makes each tale seem fresh, even though this is her 44th book in this series.

The research guide is impressive.  There a lot of pictures and much more information about the time period of the book.  It's put together in a format that will keep young eyes reading even if it's not fiction.  I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't lead them to look for more books or articles about child labor in that era.

The website is interactive and has more for the children to learn along with games and activities.  It has resources for educators or parents to use.

Here's an easy way to introduce your child to a way of learning that is fun.  Buy a copy of this book and the research guide and share a journey to Dicken's world with your young one.

Happy reading!