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Magic Tree House #14

Day of the Dragon King

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The #1 bestselling chapter book series of all time celebrates 25 years with new covers and a new, easy-to-use numbering system!

Who would burn books? Jack and Annie find out when the Magic Tree House whisks them back to ancient China. There, a powerful emperor called the Dragon King has ordered that all books be burned. Will Jack and Annie be able to save at least one book? Or will they be captured by the emperor's soldiers?

Did you know that there’s a Magic Tree House book for every kid?


Merlin Missions: More challenging adventures for the experienced reader
Super Edition: A longer and more dangerous adventure
Fact Trackers: Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House adventures

68 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1998

740 people are currently reading
3303 people want to read

About the author

Mary Pope Osborne

526 books2,635 followers
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.

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5 stars
4,377 (37%)
4 stars
3,314 (28%)
3 stars
3,081 (26%)
2 stars
683 (5%)
1 star
234 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 399 reviews
Profile Image for Joyce C.
9 reviews
October 23, 2020
This book is my earliest memory of finding a book in the public library and reading a chapter book on my own. I recall being entirely enraptured by the adventure of these two kids in ancient China. Being Asian myself, I was entirely thrilled by the mixture of history and cultural myths (all of which I had vaguely heard from my grandparents and during class before)and how it all blended into this amazing story that made me entirely too envious of Annie and Jack's magic tree house.

Every book in this series is action-packed and fun while still chock full historic and scientific facts that were super intriguing for a kid, and it always made me super proud to learn all of these things BEFORE they were taught in school.

I've outgrown the series now; but I will rate it as I felt when I had read it for the first time--I will rate it as the target audience the book is intended for--and give it an excellent 5 stars.
Profile Image for Shadyside Library.
345 reviews120 followers
June 21, 2025
Nothing like a good ole trip to China! I found this one quite fascinating as it takes place a long time ago and facts are sprinkled in throughout the book. A little thrilling and a little wholesome. A nice balance for Jack and Annie ❤️
Profile Image for Valentina Markasović.
Author 13 books52 followers
August 15, 2021
I dislike this story arc of saving one (1) book from all these libraries that are getting destroyed throughout history. What's stopping them from saving as many as they can? While we're at this, what's stopping them from travelling to the same place multiple times to save even more books??
Profile Image for Book2Dragon.
464 reviews174 followers
August 12, 2022
About the find of the statues guarding the tomb of the Dragon King in ancient China, at Morgan La Fay's request. The Master Librarians set out to save a book when the Dragon King orders all books burned.
Profile Image for Micah.
62 reviews
January 9, 2023
I didn't like it at the beginning because it's scary. They got stuck some place in a tomb where the dragon king was going to be dead in, but they saved the book before it caught on fire.
Profile Image for Pallavi.
1,229 reviews232 followers
July 12, 2021
****3.5****

A good book on China.

Happy Reading!!
Profile Image for Evie.
27 reviews1 follower
June 1, 2019
why would you burn books? that's very sad. No one should burn them. The dragon king did this!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Mister_T1313.
12 reviews
March 24, 2021
In this book Jack and Annie risk their lives getting the ancient story about the Silk Weaver. I like it because they go in the Dragon King's tomb, get lost, and get saved by the story. I see that the Dragon King wants everybody to think what he thinks.
4 STARS⭐⭐⭐⭐
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for ..
171 reviews1 follower
Read
September 30, 2021
"sixty million stars!"
Profile Image for Martine.
1,218 reviews52 followers
October 23, 2022
3.5/5

It's a corn maze but actually clay warriors instead of corn
Profile Image for Dusty.
811 reviews242 followers
July 17, 2024
Lots of interesting facts about ancient China, including the bamboo strips that recorded their oldest stories. The Dragon King himself was not a very threatening antagonist.
Profile Image for Kathryn Best.
345 reviews1 follower
February 19, 2025
I feel like this story missed out on some learning opportunities, BUT it did open up an interesting conversation with my 4yo about burning books and controlling education.
Profile Image for Lixie.
13 reviews
May 10, 2025
As a kid i read this book so often i could recite some parts of it
Profile Image for Abigail.
79 reviews2 followers
Read
October 3, 2025
Trying to break the very bad reading slump
Profile Image for Jinan.
233 reviews40 followers
November 13, 2025
A book for kiddos, yet interesting even for an adult.

Filled with smol seeds of inspiration for one to further research into; in history, science, mythology.
Profile Image for Alex.
708 reviews
February 15, 2018
I didn't like this book because I don't like emperors. I enjoyed like this book because I liked the part when they got lost in a place filled with clay solders and the ancient story saved them.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 399 reviews

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