Review: Dogs in the Dead of the Night by Mary Pope Osborne

Dogs in the Dead of the Night by Mary Pope Osborne. A Magic Tree House Book.

Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: August 2011
List Price: $12.99
ISBN-13: 9780375868245

Review: Have you ever had to search for something small in a large, uncommon place? In the book, Dogs in the Dead of Night (Dogs in the Dead of Night #46 in Magic Treehouse series) by Mary Pope Osborne, brother and sister Jack and Annie have to travel back in time to the Swiss Alps during the time of Napoleon Bonaparte. Their task is to find a rare flower to save their friends. On their quest, they then meet a dog named Barry and offer to train him, but he runs away. Now they have a new task…. To find Barry!

Jack and Annie better prepare for the worst! After they are sent back in time to the Swiss Alps in search of a wild flower, Jack and Annie are caught up in an avalanche. Fortunately, they are rescued by monks and Saint Bernard's who live at a nearby monastery. It is there where Annie makes a big mistake. One of the mischief-making Saint Bernard's named Barry is causing ruckus around the monastery, so Annie offers to train him. While attempting to train him, Barry accidently rips up a book and runs away from the monastery out of shame. Scared and worried, Jack and Annie head out to search for Barry. Will Jack and Annie find Barry and the flower to save their friends?

Dogs in the Dead of Night is a very entertaining, funny book with many thrills. I liked how the author describes the characters emotions. For example when Barry tears up Jack's Alps book, Jack is enraged with anger as he walks in the room and sees the mess. I also really liked the setting of the story. For example, the Swiss Alps and the monastery are an unusual and interesting setting for the story. But the setting also gives it a twist because of the effect it had on the problems that jack and Annie faced. For example, when jack and Annie were searching for Barry, an avalanche occurred and became an obstacle. Although the book is fantastic, it seemed as if the book was rushed and before I knew it was already the ending. I this book would be for kids who are new to chapter books. All in all, I think that this book is great for a reader who loves good laughs and adventures. Dogs in the Dead of Night deserves 4 out of 5 stars.

Review written by Sam K. (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Random House for providing a copy of Dogs in the Dead of the Night for this review.

Have you read Dogs in the Dead of the Night? How would you rate it?