Magic Tree House #25 - Stage Fright on a Summer Night By Mary Pope Osbourne

Stage Fright on a Summer Night by Mary Pope Osbourne would fall under historical fiction as well as fantasy.  The story is the 25th of the 28 that Mary Pope Osbourne has written.  The main characters of the books are Jack and Annie.  The stories are based off of a tree house that the kids found that is owned by Morgan le Fay.  Morgan introduces the students to a new world in which the children help her.  In addition to helping Morgan they also learn and they do not miss a minute of time in their real lives.  In versions 25 thru 28 the children learn about different types of magic.  In this story Morgan sends the children to find magic in England.  It sets them in England in the 1600's.  Through out the story they mention important people in history such as Queen Elizabeth and William Shakespeare though they do not mention Williams last name until the end.  When they meet William he requests that Jack perform in one of his plays.  Jack shows extreme disinterest while Annie persuades Jack to do so under the condition that she can be in it as well.  Will lets her perform as long as she dresses like a boy and tucks in her hair.  The children were scared to perform but they end up doing an amazing job and learning the magic of theatre.  I think that this book is a great read when trying to get students into acting and theatre. This book also gives students an introduction to important people in history.  I would probably try to incorporate the magic tree house collection in my classroom because of the educational aspect.  

Note:  This book is a Modern Fantasy book