Free Earthquake in the Early Morning by Mary Pope Osborne

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—J. Cameron
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    I first came across your Magic Tree House series when my son brought one home … I have since introduced this great series to my class. They have absolutely fallen in love with these books! … My students are now asking me for more independent reading time to read them. Your stories have inspired even my most struggling readers.
—M. Payne
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    We have enjoyed your books all year long. We check your Web site to find new information. We pull our map down to find the areas where the adventures take place. My class always chimes in at key parts of the story. It feels good to hear my students ask for a book and cheer when a new book comes out.
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—K. Mahoney

Dear Readers,
    When I write a Magic Tree House book, I draw from three sources: my imagination, my research, and my own experience. While working on this book, my imagination came up with the idea of Jack and Annie visiting San Francisco during the earthquake of 1906. My research gave me information about the actual event. And my own experience inspired me to put my nephews, Andrew and Peter, into the story. Fortunately, my nephews and I have never been through an earthquake together, but we’ve shared many adventures, so it was fun to imagine them meeting Jack and Annie.
    Fun—that’s the magic word for me. Writing a story should always be fun. At the same time, it requires lots of work, such as rewriting and rewriting. I rewrite one Magic Tree House book many times, but I always try to have fun while I’m doing it.
    As I’ve said before, I hope you’ll try writing your own stories. You might want to check out our Readers & Writers Club on the Magic Tree House Web site. The address is listed on the back of this book. Find out where your imagination, your research, and your own experiences lead you. But watch out—you might end up in the middle of an earthquake!
    All my best,



Text copyright © 2001 by Mary Pope Osborne
Illustrations copyright © 2001 by Sal Murdocca
    All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.
    www.randomhouse.com/magictreehouse
    Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Osborne, Mary Pope.
Earthquake in the early morning / Mary Pope Osborne;
illustrated by Sal Murdocca.
p. cm. — (Magic tree house; 24) “A stepping stone book.”
SUMMARY : The magic tree house takes Jack and Annie to San Francisco in 1906, in time for them to experience one of the