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This is it! The top ten books from the series. The selection includes books I absolutely knew would make the top 10, some I suspected would, and a couple I literally did not expect to see here. I would note that just because these are the best books, doesn't necessarily make them my favorites - though many of my favorites make the list!
10. Christmas in Camelot
This is probably my absolute favorite book in the series - I might grant it a tie. I love a good Christmas entry and this one is so exciting! It is the first book in the Merlin Missions, but I don't think that is how it was originally intended. It makes a good bridge between the two series - being closer in writing style to the original series but incorporating more fantasy like the Merlin Missions. Always a fun one to read at Christmas time with the kiddos.
Character - 9
Atmosphere - 8 - Our first foray into the fantasy atmosphere! This book really builds up the fantasy by bringing in all the important factors - dragons, fairies, knights, wizards... as a fan of Arthurian legends this one definitely gives us a great first foray into the theme.
Writing Style - 8
Plot - 10 - A solid plot with a good set-up, hero's journey, and resolution. It is true that it is a very condensed plot compared to most fiction, but it is so much better than simply wandering around or interacting with famous people.
Intrigue - 8
Logic - 8
Enjoyment - 10
Education - 2
Final Score:7.875
Full-disclosure, I strongly suspect that (of the original series) this is the book that kids and I seem most at odds about. I'm fairly luke-warm on this particular entry, but my remaining copy of the book is so beat up from being passed around dozens of tiny Kindergarten hands. It is far-more beast up than any of the other books - and these students were fairly responsible with books, so you know it saw lots of use.
Character - 8
Atmosphere - 8 - The inside of the pyramid is mysterious, scary, awe-inspiring, and really everything it should be. It sets up a good scenario for Jack and Annie by playing their different strengths and weaknesses well.
Writing Style - 8
Plot - 6
Intrigue - 10 - Perfect score from a kid's point of view, mummies are spooky - but this book never gets that scary. Plus, it has a puzzle that kids are able to mostly solve on their own along with Jack and Annie, this helps give a boost to get them past the technically unsolvable mystery of where the tree house comes from.
Logic - 6
Enjoyment - 9 - While this book isn't technically my cup of tea, it does things so well, and is so loved by children, that I cannot help but smile just picking it up.
Education - 9
Final Score: 8
I like this one, I'm not even sure why I like it so much - I'm not super into pirates (though I do love Treasure Island). As a conclusion to the first quartet this book does so much right, it recalls all the previous adventures and the big set-up and then it gives us a satisfying conclusion. It actually probably works better as part of a series than as an individual book - which I don't think really applies to most of the other books quite so strongly.
Character - 8 - Jack and Annie really are on top of their game here - plus we are not far enough into the series to get annoyed with any of their faults. The pirates play their parts well too, dangerous but mostly implied danger. Not the case in the anime adaptation.
Atmosphere - 7
Writing Style - 8
Plot - 6 - I mean, things of interest happen, just not with much drive on the parts of Jack and Annie. I do like the fact that Jack never gets to see inside the treasure chest. I guess knowledge and magic were the real treasures all along. 💖 Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
Intrigue - 9 - You go into this pretty much knowing that the reveal of where the tree house comes from is due - that is intrigue enough to start. Add in pirates, kidnapping, and a buried treasure - this really is a dandy bit of reading.
Logic - 7
Enjoyment - 10
Education - 9
Final Score: 8
I'm surprised this one not only made the top ten but beat some real heavy hitters. My personal least favorite in this top ten (take out the education section and it falls to number 13). It is a touch paradoxish, but this particular quartet danced all over that trope and this one is pretty mild on that front.
Character - 9 - The children they meet at the prairie school are interesting and fleshed out, as much as the page count allows. I love the fact that there is one kid Jack just cannot befriend no matter how hard he tries, sometimes that is simply how life goes.
Atmosphere - 7 - I mean she technically captures a prairie and sod house, but Mary Pope Osbourne could have really put some more umph into describing the tornado, I think.
Writing Style - 8
Plot - 7
Intrigue - 7 - Disaster was the name of the game in the nineties, and once again the author gives the people what they want. I'm only just now realizing that this entire series is indicative of popular genres as a whole. With the fantasy elements picking up shortly after the pendulum swung away from realistic/ historical fiction and disasters/ scary in the 90s and towards fantasy in the 2000s. Now that fantasy doesn't have such a grip on children's literature the series has swung back towards more realistic fiction with a bent less on learning history and more on learning social concepts.
Logic - 10
Enjoyment - 7
Education - 10
Final Score: 8.125
Gob-smacked. I'm absolutely gob-smacked that this book of all books is ranked number 6 out of 68. When I imagine this series, it is easy to picture so many entries - dinosaurs, pirates, castles, the Amazon, the moon... yet as I was plugging along at the older books, I reached this one and was astonished that it had not only a plot, but a good plot. There's actual conflict and resolution beyond the basic solving of a riddle or fetching of an item.
Character - 9 - Slim is the first real character (less Morgan) that Jack and Annie get to interact with. The pirates, ninjas, astronaut, etc. from previous books acted more like plot devices than characters. Slim is the first time we are given someone from the time period to journey alongside Jack and Annie and I'm glad it was used more frequently as the series went on.
Atmosphere - 6
Writing Style - 8
Plot - 9 - Having Jack and Annie team up with a cowboy to retrieve his horses from rustlers was masterful. It means that the choices driving the story are made by someone who knows what they are doing and don't need to eat up as many pages.
Intrigue - 5
Logic - 9
Enjoyment - 10
Education - 9
Final Score: 8.125
I have a particular fondness for volcano as my disaster of choice ever since I watched Dante's Peak while home with a particularly bad cold. I must say while reading this book I was particularly struck with the thought that Morgan basically signed Jack and Annie up for some grade-A trauma, something the series never really builds on. You know who did? The Japanese, the anime movie includes this as one of four stories it adapts, and there is definitely holdover trauma - especially for Jack. They nearly give up the tree house entirely because of it.
Character - 6 - Really weak characterizations, which is honestly right in line with disasters, you don't want to get too attached to any new characters just to know they might have been smothered in ash.
Atmosphere - 8
Writing Style - 8
Plot - 7 - Saving a lost book from one of the most famous disasters in history is pretty great. The fact that Jack and Annie are sort of aimlessly wandering around for half the book is redeemed when the main event starts to occur. Then it turns into the classic run for your life survival scenario we expect.
Intrigue - 9
Logic - 10 - Every decision just makes sense. Even the objectively bad decision of running towards danger and nearly getting buried in volcanic rubble makes sense because they are trying to get back to the tree house before it gets buried in ash.
Enjoyment - 8
Education - 9
Final Score: 8.125
Here's the tie for my favorite book! If we strip out the education category this one receives the highest rating of them all. It is extremely fantasy based but really feels like a classic story instead of an installment.
Character - 10 - King Arthur and especially Queen Guinevere get to be real characters in this book. Marks the second (and final???) appearance of Jack and Annie's dog. The minor characters are all hallmarks of the genre as well - but Jack and Annie themselves are bringing their A-game material! Especially when a fortune teller straight up points out their shortcomings that they'll need to overcome.
Atmosphere - 7
Writing Style - 9
Plot - 10 - A story worthy of any Arthurian collection. The classic hero's journey to save the king is well paced and comes with genuine stakes and a show-stopping finale.
Intrigue - 8
Logic - 9
Enjoyment - 10
Education - 2
Final Score: 8.125
The cover and description certainly wouldn't lead one to believe this book would come in at number 3, but here we are. Raise your hand if you were waiting for the Florence Nightengale appearance. Well, this book is for you. What grabs me though is that we are on book 51 chronologically and we have finally established real stakes. Jack and Annie actually can receive substantial injuries, something that has felt a bit absent for the majority of the series. The knowledge that it is possible hangs over all future storylines.
Character - 9 - Ummmm, maybe it is the sheer Britishness of the people involved or the fact that I've been enjoying Death on the Nile, but the cast had a bit of an Agatha Christie feel to them. I loved it.
Atmosphere - 8
Writing Style - 9
Plot - 9
Intrigue - 5 - The only area this title suffers is in getting someone to pick it up. If I was rating solely based on how interesting the premise sounds, it would have scored lower. Luckily it is boosted by two factors - once you get going Annie's enthusiasm for the subject is enough to carry you forward and if you're here you must be reading all of the books, so might as well.
Logic - 8
Enjoyment - 10 - I love me some actual high-stakes. This book gave me injuries after falling from a cliff, and for that I shall reward it.
Education - 9
Final Score: 8.375
Mind officially blown. I had never read this book before, I had no desire to read this book before, I probably wouldn't have read it if not for this challenge. I do not care about surfing, I'm not really interested in Hawai'i, and the ocean has proved to be the kiss of death boredom in this series. Alright, not entirely - but certainly it bodes ill the more that water is a focus.
Character - 9 - Jack and Annie meet two Hawai'ian kids... Kama and Boka. They are invited to spend the night with them and then go surfing in the morning. I like how even though cultural aspects are shown to us, it is not the entire basis of their personalities - helping them to feel like actual people.
Atmosphere - 8
Writing Style - 8
Plot - 9 - One of the original books with a great plot. Again, it can only be so complicated in 70 pages, and more than is strictly necessary is spent on Jack wondering where the great ship is. I literally said aloud more than once, "It's a friendship, you dork!" But I thought the climax was set up and paid off well so kudos.
Intrigue - 8
Logic - 10
Enjoyment - 10 - An unexpected delight, cheesy lesson and all.
Education - 9
Final Score: 8.875
I mean... it was kind of a gim'me wasn't it? This book has the most room to work with and fortunately Mary Pope Osbourne delivered. It was extremely odd hearing Jack and Annie talk about Nazis at first, and initially feels absurd. I wonder if there will be more Special Editions in the future, though I imagine it is difficult for the author to maintain characterization and writing style while scaling the plot and scenarios up for older readers. This one is difficult to locate on the official website.
Character - 9 - A couple of bonehead decisions by characters dropped this one point, but for the most part I really enjoy Jack and Annie, our regular visitors Teddy and Kathleen, and even our historical guests.
Atmosphere - 8
Writing Style - 9
Plot - 10 - Not only does this one have a plot, but there's also a subplot! And both receive extremely satisfying endings. I'm absolutely impressed with the tension built in the climax and the payoff. The ending is a bit Deus Ex Machina... but this is a series with magic and time-travel, so it has established precedent.
Intrigue - 8
Logic - 9
Enjoyment - 9 - The sheer oddness of Jack and Annie vs. Nazis made the story hard to get into, especially as I read this book last after the more recent releases that reboot the series. Those books tend to aim at much younger kids who would normally not get much in the way of human right's atrocities. Still, the book continues with its story in a serious manner and includes serious peril, so I eventually got more and more into it.
Education - 10
Final Score: 9
There we have it! All 68 books read, ranked, and reviewed! Perhaps I'll do another series sometime - if I can scrounge up a good one that is in the same vein though not so long!
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