Free Midnight on the Moon by Mary Pope Osborne Page A

spell. Jack and Annie set out in the magic tree house to find four special things that would free her.
    With the help of a mouse named Peanut, Jack and Annie found the first thing in old Japan, the second in the Amazon rain forest, and the third in the Ice Age.
    Now Jack, Annie, and Peanut are ready to find the last thing … in
Midnight on the Moon
.

“Jack!” whispered a voice.
    Jack opened his eyes. He saw a figure in the moonlight.
    â€œWake up. Get dressed.” It was his sister, Annie.
    Jack turned on his lamp. He rubbed his eyes.
    Annie was standing beside his bed. She wore jeans and a sweatshirt.
    â€œLet’s go to the tree house,” she said.
    â€œWhat time is it?” asked Jack. He put on his glasses.
    â€œDon’t look at your clock,” said Annie.
    Jack looked at his clock. “Oh, man,” he said. “It’s midnight. It’s too dark.”
    â€œNo, it isn’t. The moon makes it bright enough to see,” said Annie.
    â€œWait till morning,” said Jack.
    â€œNo—now,” said Annie. “We have to find the fourth M thing. I have a feeling that the full moon might help us.”
    â€œThat’s nuts,” said Jack. “I want to sleep.”
    â€œYou can sleep when we come back home,” said Annie. “No time will have passed.”
    Jack sighed. “Oh, brother,” he said.
    But he got out of bed.
    â€œYay!” whispered Annie. “Meet you at the back door.” She tiptoed out of Jack’s room.
    Jack yawned. He pulled on his jeans and sneakers and a sweatshirt. He put his notebook and pencil into his backpack. Then he crept down the stairs.
    Annie opened the back door. Quietly, they stepped outside.
    â€œWait—” said Jack. “We need a flashlight.”
    â€œNo, we don’t. I told you—the moon will light our way,” said Annie. And she took off.
    Jack sighed, then followed her.
    Annie was right, thought Jack. The moon was so bright that he could see his shadow. Everything seemed washed with silver.
    Soon they left their street. Annie led the way into the Frog Creek woods. It was much darker under the shadows of the trees.
    Jack looked up, searching for the tree house.
    â€œThere!” said Annie.
    The magic tree house was shining in the moonlight.
    Annie grabbed the rope ladder and started climbing up.
    â€œCareful—go slowly,” said Jack.
    He followed her up the ladder and into the tree house.

    Moonlight streamed through the window.
    It shone on the letter M that shimmered on the wooden floor.
    It shone on the three M things that rested on the M: a
moonstone
from the time of the ninjas, a
mango
from the Amazon rain forest, and a
mammoth bone
from the Ice Age.
    â€œWe need just one more M thing,” said Annie, “to free Morgan from her spell.”
    Squeak
.
    â€œPeanut!” said Annie.
    In the dim light, Jack saw a tiny mouse. She sat on an open book.
    â€œYou didn’t expect to see us this late, did you?” said Annie.
    She picked up Peanut. And Jack picked up the open book.
    â€œSo where are we going this time?” Annie asked him.
    Jack held the book up to the moonlight.
    â€œUh-oh,” he said. “I knew we should have brought a flashlight. I can’t read a thing.”
    He could make out diagrams and shadowy pictures. But he couldn’t read a word.
    â€œLook at the cover,” said Annie.
    The letters were bigger on the cover. Jack squinted at them.
    â€œIt’s called
Hello, Moon
,” he said.
    Annie gasped. “We’re going to the moon?”
    â€œOf course not,” said Jack. “It’s impossible to go to the moon without tons of equipment.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œThere’s no air. We couldn’t breathe. Not only that, we’d boil to death if it was day and freeze to death if it was night.”
    â€œYikes,” said Annie. “So where do you think we are