Earthquake in the Early Morning

Here's what kids have to say to
Mary Pope Osborne, author of
the Magic Tree House series:

WOW! You have an imagination like no other.
—Adam W.

I love your books. If you stop writing books, it will be like losing a best friend.
—Ben M.

I think you are the real Morgan le Fay. There is always magic in your books.
—Erica Y.

One day I was really bored and I didn't want to read … I looked in your book. I read a sentence, and it was interesting. So I read some more, until the book was done. It was so good I read more and more. Then I had read all of your books, and now I hope you write lots more.
—Danai K.

I always read [your books] over and over … 1 time, 2 times, 3 times, 4 times … 
—Yuan C.

You are my best author in the world. I love your books. I read all the time. I read everywhere. My mom is like freaking out.
—Ellen C.

I hope you make these books for all yours and mine's life.
—Riki H.

Teachers and librarians love
Magic Tree House
^®
books, too!

Thank you for opening faraway places and times to my class through your books. They have given me the chance to bring in additional books, materials, and videos to share with the class.
—J. Cameron

It excites me to see how involved [my fourth-grade reading class] is in your books … I would do anything to get my students more involved, and this has done it.
—C. Rutz

I discovered your books last year … WOW! Our students have gone crazy over them. I can't order enough copies! … Thanks for contributing so much to children's literature!
—C. Kendziora

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

I love how I can go beyond the [Magic Tree House] books and use them as springboards for other learning.
—R. Gale

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.
—J. Korinek

Our students have “Magic Tree House fever.” I can't keep your books on the library shelf.
—J. Rafferty

Your books truly invite children into the pleasure of reading. Thanks for such terrific work.
—S. Smith

The children in the fourth grade even hide the [Magic Tree House] books in the library so that they will be able to find them when they are ready to check them out.
—K. Mortensen

My Magic Tree House books are never on the bookshelf because they are always being read by my students. Thank you for creating such a wonderful series.
—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 biggest earthquakes the United States had ever known.
eISBN: 978-0-375-89481-7
1. Earthquakes—California—San Francisco—Juvenile fiction.
[1. Earthquakes—California—San Francisco—Fiction. 2. San Francisco (Calif.) —Fiction. 3. Time travel—Fiction. 4. Magic—Fiction. 5. Tree houses—Fiction.]
I. Murdocca, Sal, ill. II. Title.
PZ7.O81167 Ear 2001 [Fic]—dc21 00-045701

Random House, Inc. New York, Toronto, London, Sydney, Auckland

RANDOM HOUSE
and colophon are registered trademarks and
A STEPPING STONE BOOK
and colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc.
MAGIC TREE HOUSE
is a registered trademark of Mary Pope Osborne; used under license.

v3.0

      
Cover

      
Dear Readers

      
Title Page

      
Copyright

      
Dedication

      
Prologue

  
1. Tweet-tweet

  
2. Thunder Under the Ground

  
3. The Great Shake

  
4. What's the Story?

  
5. Stop! Stop!

  
6. Something to Lend

  
7. Dynamite!

  
8. Good Luck, San Francisco!

  
9. The Wonderful Room

10. The Mystery of Morgan's Library

      
More Facts

      
Special Preview of
Magic Tree House #25:
Stage Fright on a Summer Night

For Chi Hyon,
Andrew and Peter's mother

 

One summer day in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, a mysterious tree house appeared in the woods.

Eight-year-old Jack and his seven-year-old sister, Annie, climbed into the tree house. They found that it was filled with books.

Jack and Annie soon discovered that the tree house was magic. It could take them to the places in the books. All they had to do was point to a picture and wish to go there.

Along the way, Jack and Annie discovered that the tree house belongs to Morgan le Fay.
Morgan is a magical librarian from Camelot, the long-ago kingdom of King Arthur. She travels through time and space, gathering books.

In Magic Tree House Books #5–8, Jack and Annie helped free Morgan from a spell. In Books #9–12, they solved four ancient riddles and became Master Librarians.

In Magic Tree House Books #13–16, Jack and Annie had to save four ancient stories from being lost forever.

In Magic Tree House Books #17–20, Jack and Annie freed a mysterious little dog from a magic spell.

In Magic Tree House Books #21–24, Jack and Annie have a new challenge. They must find four special kinds of writing for Morgan's library to help save Camelot. They are about to set off to find the third of these … .