Magic Tree House #29: Christmas in Camelot In the 29th book of the Magic Tree House series, titled "Christmas in Camelot," written by Mary Pope Osborne, Jack and Annie embark on another exciting adventure. This time, they travel back to the magical land of Camelot during the time of King Arthur. Upon arriving in Camelot, Jack and Annie find themselves surrounded by mysterious and magical Christmas decorations. The Great Hall is beautifully adorned with evergreen trees, holly wreaths, and lit candles. They soon learn that Merlin, the wise and powerful wizard, has summoned them to help with an important mission. Merlin informs Jack and Annie that Camelot is in great danger.

YMMV / The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

• Alternative Character Interpretation: The 2005 film does this with the Pevensie children:
  • It's implied that the others think Lucy's stories of Narnia are her way of coping with the trauma of having to be evacuated; creating an adventure for herself to avoid driving herself mad with worry.
  • In the book, Edmund's betrayal of his siblings is said to be due to magic in Jadis's Turkish Delight (although Lewis points out at the end of the book that horrible influences at school were what first made him start to go wrong). The film puts forward the interpretation that it's more due to Peter's Big Brother Bully tendencies, and Jadis is the first person to really show him affection in a long time. Even if he knows the affection is fake (and it's entirely possible that he knows), it's better to at least have someone pretend they care than nothing at all. This is even more visible later when someone genuinely cares about Edmund and he's rescued from Jadis - he practically worships Aslan on sight for it.
  • Peter and Susan seem more concerned with trying to look like responsible older children, Peter picking on Edmund to keep him in line and Susan scoffing at Lucy's stories. But in doing so they just expose their own immaturity, only behaving how they think adults should act. Both call each other out for this at different points in the film. At times one gets the impression that Lucy is the most sensible one of the children; she displays Wise Beyond Her Years traits and has no problem calling her siblings out, especially in Prince Caspian.

  Lucy: I wish you'd all stop trying to act like grown-ups.

  • The fact that the girls are given weapons in the first place and told to defend themselves if they have to is remarkable enough, since this would certainly not happen in the fairy tales and Medieval romances that were Lewis' inspiration for the Narnia series. Furthermore, no regular army in the real world (except, briefly, the famously ruthless Soviet Red Army during World War II) allowed any women in combat either at the time of writing or for decades after. The decision to allow women into the US Army infantry is still intensely controversial today.
  • There is also the fact that as of this time in the story, Susan and Lucy aren't just women, but little girls who are not even in their teens yet, so the idea that they should not fight if they can help it actually makes a lot of sense even if one does not object to female fighters. Later books actually portray older versions of Susan and Lucy (as well as Jill Pole, another female protagonist) as capable and respected combatants.
  • There's a scene in the 2005 film where Susan apologizes to Lucy for not being as much fun as she used to be, and the two sisters bond. It's too bad that in book canon Susan eventually grows apart from her siblings, dismisses Narnia as "childish fantasies" and is left alone when the rest of them die in a train accident .
  • Book-wise: Getting to like all the Narnians that the siblings become close to and even friends with becomes depressing when you get to Prince Caspian and learn they all have long passed due to the Narnia Time of the Pevensies leaving Narnia on a hunt by accident.
  • One Running Gag in the novel is that one should never shut oneself in a wardrobe, because if you do you'll be locked in. Edmund forgets this key piece of advice and does so anyway (although he is able to get out later). When the bloopers for The Movie came out, one of them was Skandar Keynes (who plays Edmund) shutting himself in the wardrobe, and consequently getting locked in.
  • When Edmund complains that it's raining outside, Susan mentions that they have a "wireless" inside to entertain them. At the time the word referred to wireless radio, but now gives off the impression of wireless Internet.
  • Jim Broadbent playing Professor Kirke becomes this after he played Professor Slughorn, considering that one of the characters in Harry Potter was named after Professor Digory Kirke.
  • Edmund in the 2005 film asks Jadis if she can make him taller. Skandar Keynes ended up going through a growth spurt during filming — growing a whole six inches.
  • Edmund complaining about having to wear a girl's coat is also amusing when you learn that Anna Popplewell had to double for him in an earlier scene.
  • Tumnus mentions that he and Lucy have to be really careful because even some of the trees are on Jadis's side. During The New '10s, this became amusing due to a spate of historical memes about "when the trees start speaking Vietnamese" (referring to the Viet Cong's stealthy guerrilla tactics in The Vietnam War).
  • In the 2005 film, Father Christmas, played by James Cosmo, declares that "Winter is almost over!" Years later, he would feature in another fantasy series where he would battle against another menace threatening to bring its own brand of unending winter, and the Arc Words would be "Winter is Coming."
  • Tilda Swinton played the White Witch in here. Jump forward 12 years later in Doctor Strange (2016), she would be the Ancient One, who is practically a reverse White Witch while the White Witch herself would not be out of place among Doctor Strange's Rogues Gallery.
  • Do not cite the deep magic to me, witch! I was there when it was written. note A quote made by Aslan in the movie adaptation. It has become popular to people who witnessed how something started to quote it.
  • The Lion, The Witch, and the audacity of this bitch. note A reaction image of the the movie's cover and this quote is used whenever someone does something rather disrespectfully bold.
  • Edmund infamously sells out his family for some Turkish delight, a type of dessert. It's not common or well-known in the US, so when American children read the story or watched the film for the first time, they often assumed it was extremely delicious (if not a made-up magical food) to be worth so high a price — then when they tried it for the first time and learned it was mildly sweet at best, they were horrified at how low Edmund was willing to stoop for such a mediocre treat. note They often forget that the Witch's candy is magically addictive, and that she also promises to adopt Edmund and make him the future king of Narnia if he brings his siblings to her.

  Lucy: . and actually, I'm tallest in my class.

  • "Oh the cry of the seagulls! Can you remember?"
  • The scene where the Pevensies and the beavers have to escape from the wolves. Mrs Beaver holds them up by insisting on packing loads of ridiculous things. The rest of the characters treat this as a mild annoyance, as if she's going to make them late for a train rather than get them all killed with her Skewed Priorities. Averted in the film, however, where the scene has plenty of urgency.
  • Peter's use of expressions like "by jove" and "by golly" don't even sound anything other than forced. Probably because they're incredibly outdated expressions that the actors just felt awkward saying.
  • The film has Aslan simply give all four Pevensies their titles upon their coronation, in stark contrast to earning them through years of ruling in the book, which makes his calling Susan gentle and Edmund just come rather out of nowhere.
  • The Father Christmas scene. Silly? Yes. A little cheesy? Of course. Is it still heartwarming? Absolutely.
  • He negotiates with her for hours to back off it, and finally offers to die in Edmund's place - which is a pretty strong indicator that Aslan is NOT okay with the whole thing; and only finding a way to Exact Words a way out of it instead of refusing point blank because the Deep Magic (which is a force of nature in that world) would otherwise unmake Narnia. So that refusing to execute someone would be Values Dissonance with the people of the time the book was written, and Values Resonance with the people reading it today.
  • Mr. Tumnus, particularly in the movie, where there's an added scene of him meeting Edmund in prison and, despite obviously having been hurt during his stay, is more concerned about Lucy's wellbeing than his own. Not to mention that his petrified body looks like he was either terrified or in a lot of pain, before being frozen.
  • Lucy can count in the initial parts of the book. It's very sad for her when her siblings don't believe her about Narnia, as she's a very truthful girl — and being accused of making something up is one of the most offensive things in the world to her. It gets even worse when Edmund goes in and then pretends it was all a game just to mess with her. The 2005 film even emphasises how she's a scared little girl experiencing World War II, with her introduction being crying out for her mother during a bombing raid.
  • Show Spoilers

  The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1979)
  The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1988)
  The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

  This side-by-side, shot-for-shot comparison is intended to illustrate the the unique vision of filmmakers and the variety of choices possible when creating movies and television adapted from the novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

  3000 Subscribers Special Release See more at: https://mattskuta.com/sbs/ This side-by-side, shot-for-shot comparison is intended to illustrate the the unique vision of filmmakers and the variety of choices possible when creating films adapted from the novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

  Merlin informs Jack and Annie that Camelot is in great danger. The castle's magical portal is slowly closing, and unless it is fixed before Christmas, all the magic of Camelot will be lost forever. To save Camelot, the siblings must find four special gifts: a caldron, a silver whistle, a red cape, and a green book.

  The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (1979)

  

  Jack and Annie embark on a search for these mystical objects with the help of three magical animals: a unicorn named Mistletoe, a hermit crab named Teddy, and a seal named Spots. Together, they face various challenges and encounter mythical creatures as they journey through the Land of the Snow. Throughout their quest, Jack and Annie learn important lessons about bravery, friendship, and the true meaning of Christmas. They discover that it is not just about receiving gifts but also about giving and spreading joy to others. In the end, they successfully fulfill their mission and save Camelot from the threat of losing its magic. "Christmas in Camelot" is a heartwarming and enchanting tale that captures the spirit of the holiday season. It teaches young readers about the values of kindness, generosity, and the importance of working together to overcome obstacles. Mary Pope Osborne masterfully intertwines history and fantasy, making this book both educational and entertaining. As with other books in the series, "Magic Tree House #29: Christmas in Camelot" encourages children to use their imaginations and explore the wonders of different time periods and cultures. It also highlights the enduring appeal of the Arthurian legends, captivating readers with its magical settings and fascinating characters. Overall, "Magic Tree House #29: Christmas in Camelot" is a delightful holiday adventure that will captivate young readers and ignite their imaginations. It reminds us all that Christmas is a time for magic, wonder, and the power of love..

  Reviews for "Unlocking the Pasts with the Magic Tree House #29: Pyramid of Queen Hatshepsut"

  1. Sarah - 2/5 - I have been a fan of the Magic Tree House series for years, but I was really disappointed with "Magic Tree House 29." The storyline felt rushed and poorly developed, lacking the depth and excitement that I have come to expect from this series. The characters were also lackluster and it felt like they were just going through the motions. Overall, it just didn't capture my imagination like previous books in the series, and I found myself struggling to stay engaged.

  2. Ryan - 1/5 - As an avid reader of the Magic Tree House series, I was extremely let down by "Magic Tree House 29." The plot was predictable and didn't offer any new or interesting adventures for Jack and Annie. The writing style also felt repetitive and uninspired, making it difficult to stay invested in the story. Overall, I would not recommend this book to fans of the series, as it lacks the magic and excitement that made the earlier books so enjoyable.

  3. Emily - 2/5 - I was excited to dive into "Magic Tree House 29," but unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. The plot felt weak and rushed, and the overall pacing of the book was off. Additionally, the dialogue between the characters felt forced and unnatural, making it difficult to connect with them. It pains me to say it, but this installment in the Magic Tree House series fell flat and left me wanting more from the usually captivating adventures of Jack and Annie.

  4. Michael - 2/5 - "Magic Tree House 29" left me feeling underwhelmed and disappointed. The story lacked the intrigue and excitement that I have come to associate with the Magic Tree House series. The characters felt flat and one-dimensional, and the dialogue didn't feel authentic or engaging. I found myself skimming through pages, waiting for something interesting to happen, but it never really did. Overall, this book was a miss for me and I wouldn't recommend it to fans of the series.

  Join Jack and Annie on Their Exciting Journey in the Magic Tree House #29: Pyramid of Queen Hatshepsut