Winter of the Ice Wizard

Magic Tree House "Merlin Missions" #4

by Mary Pope Osborne, Sal Murdocca (Illustrator)

A chilling rescue mission!

Merlin the magician and Morgan le Fay have disappeared! To find them, Jack and Annie journey with their friends Teddy and Kathleen to the Land-Behind-the-Clouds, a frozen kingdom of ice and snow. There they find out that the Ice Wizard has stolen Merlin's Staff of Strength, and he won't give it back until Jack and Annie find his missing eye! If Jack and Annie don't return with the Ice Wizard's eye before sunrise, Merlin and Morgan will disappear forever! Can they complete their mission in time?

-from the back cover

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Fiction, Chapter Books, Adventure, Magic, Middle Grade

110 pages, Hardcover

First published September 28, 2004

About the author

Mary Pope Osborne is an American author of children's books and audiobook narrator. She is best known as the author of the Magic Tree House series, which as of 2017 sold more than 134 million copies worldwide. Both the series and Osborne have won awards, including for Osborne's charitable efforts at promoting children's literacy. One of four children, Osborne moved around in her childhood before attending the University of North Carolina. Following college, Osborne traveled before moving to New York City. She somewhat spontaneously began to write, and her first book was published in 1982. She went on to write a variety of other children's and young adult books before starting the Magic Tree House series in 1992. Osborne's sister Natalie Pope Boyce has written several compendium books to the Magic Tree House series, sometimes with Osborne's husband Will Osborne.

Reviews

[Mariah Roze · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book to my students and they really enjoyed the story. At times they were confused but enjoyed the eyeball part of the story.

[Book2Dragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this as much as Ms. Osborne's other books. Jack and Annie are joined by Teddy and Kathleen as they trek to the far North in search of the Ice Wizard. They face wolves, cold, and Norns and use a little magic. Adventures. Great illustrations.

[Rick Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite of the Magic Tree House books, largely because it breaks a lot of the standard patterns of the series. It features Teddy and Kathleen adventuring alongside Jack and Annie for most of the story, while Merlin and Morgan are out of the picture. Teddy and Kathleen both get some great character development along the way.

The story, loosely based on ideas from Norse mythology, has Jack, Annie, Teddy, and Kathleen racing to retrieve the lost eye of the Ice Wizard, which was traded to the Norns years ago. There are several surprising plot twists, and the stakes peril for Jack and Annie felt very serious as they pursued their quest across a dangerous frozen landscape.

Definitely among the best of these that the Kiddo and I have read.

[Christine Lucia Asha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun story! Best quote:

No more questions. Be off with you!

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining fantasy listening 🎶🔰

This is a kindle e-book novella from the local library book four in the series.

Annie and Jack are once again summoned to the magic tree 🌳 to correct a problem. It is a story full of action, misdirection, and violence leading to the conclusion.

I would recommend this series and author to 👍 readers of fantasy world 🌎 adventure novels 👍🔰. 2024 👒😉🌙👑

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack and Annie's last adventure was on the summer solstice. Now it is the first day of winter and Merlin sends them on a journey, along with friends Teddy and Kathleen, to the Land Behind the Clouds, an icy, frozen place. As it turns out, an Ice Wizard, the Wizard of Winter, actually tricked them into coming on the journey. He has enchanted Merlin and Morgan le Fay and he wants the children to recover his lost eye. If they bring it back to him, he will return Merlin's Staff of Strength to him.

The Ice Wizard gives them a wind string to help them on their journey to find his eye. They must follow this rhyme:

. . . Take my sleigh and find your way
To the House of the Norns in the curve of the bay.
Pay them whatever they tell you to pay
And brink back my eye by break of day . . .

The wind string produces wind when you untie the knots on it, and slows the wind down when you tie a new knot in it. So the children are able to control the speed of the sleigh. They encounter some white wolves which they try to outrun in the sleigh. They find the Norns, who are the Norse equivalent of the Fates. They are busy weaving lives. From the Norns, the children learn that the Ice Wizard had a sister who loved him very much but they had a terrible argument and she left to become a swan maiden. They have been parted for many years and that is why the Ice Wizard is so unhappy.

The four friends must journey to the Hollow Hill where the Frost Giant lives to recover the Wizard's lost eye. Annie pays the Norns with the scarf around her neck and they children head off to find the eye. There is a lot of action, and the wolves show up again, but they do find the eye and get back to the Ice Wizard in the nick of time. The Ice Wizard becomes very angry when his eye doesn't work, but then Kathleen shows him that she has found his sister! He is so happy that he starts to cry and he can then see clearly from his eye. The Wizard gives the Staff of Strength to Jack and tells Jack to call for Merlin and Morgan. When he does, the wolves turn into Merlin and Morgan!

I really liked this one. There were lessons about love, loyalty, forgiveness, faith, and courage.

Borrowed this from great nephew Drew's library.

[Dahlia Quijano · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book because Jack and Annie went to a snowy place.

[Jenny Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one a good bit more than some of the other ones, as I do like Norse myths and this one was heavily based on them. As usual, it was a quick paced adventure. The Merlin Missions follow the pattern of the original series, with each four being a mini set. This is the final one in which Jack and Annie search for an item to save Camelot. There is no fact tracker for this one, as there has not been for several now.

[Laila · Rating 3 out of 5]

My kiddo's not tired of these yet and neither am I!

[Saskia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was früher für mich das alte Ägypten und China waren, ist heute für mich die Ant-/Akrtis. Sobald Eis und/oder Schnee im Spiel ist bin ich fasziniert und will in diese Welt eintauchen. Ich weiß nicht woran es genau gelegen hat, aber so gerne ich das Abenteuer mögen wollte, der Funke ist nicht übergesprungen. Vielleicht war alles dann doch zu eisig 😉

[Amy the book-bat · Rating 3 out of 5]

fun story. would have liked it to be just a bit longer to flesh things out just a bit more.

[Kelsey]

An eyeball and a sister lost and found, an encounter with weaving witches, and a reminder not to believe everything you’re told.

[Maya Orama · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing ! A brother and sister named Jack and Annie was going on an adventure. They both need to save Merlin and Morgan from the evil ice wizard. It was early in the morning when Jack and Annie woke up. They both got up and headed into into the frog creek woods so they can go into the magic tree house. They went into the magic tree house and found a book on the floor. It said, the magic ice kingdom. Jack and Annie said that that is where Morgan and Merlin is located. They both wished to go to the place that Morgan and Merlin is. They perched upon a small tree, and around that tree is icy water. They both found a small wooden boat on the land. They went inside it and rowed to the other side. The other side was all snowy. Then, they both found a boy and girl that are jack's age.the boy was named teddy. Teddy helped Jack and Annie reach the ice kingdom, because teddy was Morgan's assistant that also wanted to find her. Teddy took Jack and Annie to the castle. They all snook in and found Morgan and Merlin in the dungeon. Jack and Annie found the key to the dungeon on a sleeping guard and let Merlin and Morgan out. They both said thank you to Jack, Annie, and teddy. Merlin was able to return home on the magic tree house, and Morgan too. Morgan was happy that they got to save her and Merlin with out getting caught. Now, Jack and Annie are very close to becoming master librarians. THE END

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

They went to a world in the clouds to save Merlin and Morgan. They had to save them because the ice wizard cast a spell on them so they were white wolves. I learned that Kathleen was a seal. So she could speak the selkie language. the norns told them a lot of stuff so they could find the ice wizards eyeball. Teddy and kathleen brought his sister back and they talked to each other since she was not there for years. To get the eyeball they had to go to the hollow hill where the frost giant lived. In that part they went into the hole and Annie stepped into a little hole and found the eyeball. I liked the whole story.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack and his little sister Annie are two regular kids from Frog Creek, Pennsylvania... until they discover a mysterious tree house full of all sorts of books. From that point on their lives will never be the same again! They soon go on amazing adventures (plus children are learning bits of history and most don't realize it) as they travel through time with the help of the magic tree house. The chapters are short with pictures every few pages, making these books perfect for the beginning reader.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ice Wizard gave Jack and Annie a quest to find his eye. And Morgan and Merlin were under a spell! And they were chasing Jack and Annie and Teddy and Kathleen all over to try to help them. But they didn't look like Morgan and Merlin. Jack and Annie went to the Sister Fates house and then to the Frost Giant's house, and that is where the eye was. At the end, the ice wizard found his sister, and he was nicer.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Norse mythology, yay! But I don't think my little guy even knew that; when I mentioned that Osborne had a book of Norse mythology a few weeks ago he didn't know what that was.

I enjoyed the four adventures into the world of myth and magicians. It was a fun change of pace.

[Edward Creter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Ice Wizard has tricked our stalward heroes Jack and Annie into finding his missing eyeball in their strangest (and goriest-sounding) adventure yet! How will this end? Personally I'd "give my right eye!" OOOPS! Keep it here, fans, until magic number 33!

[Aswin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is so boring to read. But the pictures and the cover page was nice. It attracts me when i saw the book,but after reading the book I realized it was boring. But the first 2 chapters and the last chapter was interesting,but at the middle it slowly started boring.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far in the magic treehouse series, not only in Merlin Missions, there is a girl named Annie and a boy named Jack. One day they found a magic treehouse. They soon discovered that the magic treehouse was full of books and whenever you point to a picture in the book and say I wish we could go there it will magically transport you there! Soon they found out that the treehouse belongs to Morgan Le Fay. So far Jack and Annie has helped Morgan lots by travelling in the magic treehouse to different places and time periods to complete different missions and adventures. In the last three adventures it wasn’t Morgan who sent them on the adventures though. It was Merlin. Merlin is a fantastic magician. The thing is that this time an mysterious Ice Wizard sends Jack and Annie on this mission. Not Merlin or Morgan...

In this book when Jack and Annie arrived at the treehouse they saw a note. This note was written on a stone. The note said that if you don’t do this mission Merlin and Morgan will be gone forever! Luckily, they have their friends with them. Teddy and Kathleen. Kathleen is a selkie and Teddy is a young sorcerer. Because of Merlin and Morgan they definitely needed to go on this mission! So they pointed at the rock and wished to go wherever it came from. Soon they arrived at that place. Good thing they were wearing Winter clothes. It was freezing cold! Not long later, they found a castle. Inside was the Ice Wizard! He said that Jack and Annie had to find his missing eye like they found stuff for Merlin and Morgan. After Jack and Annie found his eye he would free Morgan and Merlin. He also said that Teddy and Kathleen can’t help them on this mission! But first of all, they can’t succeed without their friends! And second of all, how will they survive the freezing weather? And third of all, Jack and Annie serve Merlin and Morgan, but how will they serve this evil wizard that did something to Merlin and Morgan? They know they have to complete the mission for Merlin and Morgan but how?

[Ashley King · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an adventure when Jack and Annie have to go back in time to help Merlin and Morgan by solving riddles to help find the Ice Wizards eye. Jack and Annie are faced with a problem that need to solve or their friends will be not be able to come back. Jack and Annie travel to the sisters of fate to retrieve the missing eye only to find out it does not work!

Like so many other books my third grade class has dove into from the magic tree house, this story uses the same plot of Jack and Annie needing to solve a problem in order for the tree house to take them back home. This book helped my struggling students by allowing them to make the predictability of what might happen throughout the story and know by the end of the book Jack and Annie will go home safely. These stories also help build scaffolding in their reading by understanding how a character/s solve a problem and find a solution to return home safely. As a class, when we read these books every student of all levels enjoy what may or may not come next!

[RAI · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack și Annie sunt doi frați foarte pasionați de cărți și ultra curajoși, care au super puterea de a călători în timp și spațiu cu ajutorul căsuței lor fermecată din copac. Până acum au îndeplinit cu succes trei misiuni cât se poate de serioase și de primejdioase pentru vestitul vrăjitor Merlin, dar cea de-a patra, istorisită în acest volum, pare să le întreacă pe toate, mai ales că are la bază o înșelătorie odioasă. Însă, ajutați de prietenii lor, Teddy și Kathleen, dar și de Surorile Destinului, cunoscute și sub numele de Moire, ei reușesc să ducă la bun sfârșit infama misiune, care în final se va dovedi extrem de necesară. N-am să vă spun despre ce misiune este vorba și nici cum a fost ea rezolvată. În schimb vă pot garanta o lectură plină de aventură, suspans, fiori de frică și de frig și bineînțeles, multă, multa magie.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did I mention that I gave my seven-year-old son a set of TWENTY-SEVEN Merlin Missions books (courtesy of a Scholastic book club flyer from school!) and he read them all in about three weeks?! If you want to get your young reader to make the jump from picture books to chapter books, this series is a wonderful place to start - the illustrations that it does have are terrific and vivid (I sometimes wish the designs were a bit more original, but I understand that they're introducing a lot of these archetypes to kids for the first time and probably trying to keep things "classic"), and the prose is breezy. The characters are simple, but well defined, and the plots draw on real folklore and old tales.

[Lu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. Not much of an adventure story but a quick read and I liked learning about the mythology behind it in the author's note.

The parts I liked were:

P93
We see with our hearts as well as our eyes.

...wisdom is knowledge learned with the heart as well as the head.

P97
People often try to convince us that the world is scarier than it truly is.

Author's note:

P108-109
Norse myth - god Odin traded his eye for all the wisdom in the world

Frost giants - most brutal forces of nature

The Norns - 3 sister goddesses who decide the future (Greek = the fates)

Swan maidens - women who could turn into swans

Wind ropes/ wind strings - wizards sold ropes with knots of wind to seafarers to help their ships sail across the ocean (mentioned in Hans Christian Andersen story "the snow queen")

[Katherine Easterday · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this would be a good book for emerging readers in roughly 2nd or 3rd grade. This book is a little more complex in it's plot, but it is also interesting enough that it will keep the reader's attention. This book is set around Christmas, which some students may find relatable. Also, this book would be good to challenge students because it does have some challenging vocabulary, while it is not daunting or overwhelming, because of the use of other more basic vocabulary. It would also be fun for students to read because of its fictional topic of going to find an Ice Wizard, and the adventure that the kids go on.

[Anna Cavallo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack and Annie went to another mythical place about an Ice Wizard north of the cove of the sulkies. It was very very icy and cold. They were looking for Teddy and found him. Teddy is a boy that accidentally turned into a dog. They found the Ice Wizard's castle made of ice blocks. The Ice Wizard wrote Merlin to give him back his eyeball.

I liked this book because of the journey of finding the eyeball. There was also a surprise for Jack and Annie and two wolves that were Morgan and Merlin!!!

[Sasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m marking as “read” for now. We started this book (read aloud to my 5 yo twins) and read the first few chapters, but it got weird for my kids with the Ice Wizard (who was mentioned in the previous book) tricking the kids to come and then asking them to find his lost eye. I’ve been proceeding in this Merlin Missions series with caution knowing my kids are too young for this genre of book. In a few years we will likely return to this series if they desire it.

[Marrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this series as a kid. It was one of the first things that really got me into reading. I thought it might be interesting to reread this book, since it was one of my favourites from the series when I was a kid. Also, I'm doing a readathon and this is short, haha. This book was still really fun and engaging. If I ever have kids, I'll definitely read this series to them.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed these first four books in the Merlin Missions series but I'm ready for them to move on. Jack and Annie have always explored different times and places in their own world and it felt sudden that they are exploring magical realms. I do appreciate that Mary Pope Osborne was inspired by existing myths and legends. And as always, the adventures are thrilling and Jack and Annie are heroic.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fourth of the Merlin Missions, sending Jack and Annie on a quest for the one-eyed, Odin-like Ice Wizard. At the end it is stated that this will be the last time for a while that Jack and Annie will be adventuring exclusively in the realm of magic, and that from now own they will be traveling to historical times and places again . . .