Dingoes at Dinnertime

Magic Tree House #20

by Mary Pope Osborne, Sal Murdocca

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

Wildfire! That's what Jack and Annie are up against when they are whisked away to the land of Australia. And they're not alone! Jack and Annie must help a baby kangaroo and a koala escape from a fire-filled forest. Will they be able to rescue the animals in time?

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

Magic Tree House: Adventures with Jack and Annie, perfect for readers who are just beginning chapter books
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

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

96 pages, Paperback

First published March 14, 2000

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

[Jasmine from How Useful It Is · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to this audiobook with my first grader in the car while we were out and about.

This story followed siblings Jack and Annie on their last mission to free the dog from a spell. This time they traveled to Australia. They met up with joey the kangaroo and his mom. They also met a koala which Annie thought was cute. They saw the dingo who were trying to hunt joeys. The temperature was hot. It caused a wildfire. The kangaroos got split up. Jack carried Joey in his backpack. Annie carried a koala bear in her arms. The siblings learn about types of food koala eats and what type of animals are kangaroos and dingoes.

Good story and adventure.

We listened to this audiobook via Cloud Library app.

[Charissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is also one of my favorites from the Magic Tree House series! I love the Rainbow Serpent and the cave! Ah, I can imagine in my mind how beautiful it is! And is it just me or Teddy and Annie are perfect for each other?

[Book2Dragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another outstanding, fun book from Mary Pope Osborne and the Magic Tree House series. Annie and Jack go to Australia to find the 4th clue that will change the doggy Teddy back to a human. Adventure at every step, and lots of things to learn about too.

I absolutely love this series and am only upset I didn't find it when I was a child. Well, 2nd childhood now and treating myself. Treat your self too, and/or your kids/grandkids.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read

[livie⸆⸉ ౨ৎ • I MISS HEESEUNG]

i've been having 2016 nostalgia lately and i was in kindergarten in 2016 😭 bruh lowkey i wish it was 2016 let me love you by justin bieber was fire bro 🥹✌

[Rachel Cummins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magic Tree House books include a brother and sister, Jack and Annie, traveling in time to important times in our history. In this specific book they travel to Australia and meet different animals in the area. They find out about the different animals from the book they have and end up saving animals from a forest fire. I think students between grade 2-5 would be able to read these books.

I think if I were to use Magic Tree House books in my classroom I would have it relate to historical events. I would get the other Magic Tree House books that have them going to different time periods and events in the past. The students would read the book and then create a project about that event that Jack and Annie visited. They could use the facts from the book and the facts provided at the back of the book, along with their own research. The students would then present their event to myself and the class to tell them about what they learned. This was a WOW book for me because I grew up always reading these books and always loved them. I think they are informative but also adventurous to keep the child's attention. The information put in the books is accurate and has a fun and futuristic idea involved.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dingoes at Dinnertime (Magic Tree House #20) by Mary Pope Osbrone is the final book in Teddy the dog series. Their final gift is somewhere in the Australian outback.

This book is another of the Jack and Annie commune with nature plots. I get that Osborne is trying to introduce children to a wide variety of subjects through her books. Her nature heavy books just don't ring as true as most of her history based ones. She's best at recreating historical events. Her trips through time are always more dramatic, suspenseful and thought provoking.

This book does introduce Jack and Annie to the Dreamtime but it's done without much in the way of context. They do it with the animals of the bush not with the people who live there. Why is it when Jack and Annie go somewhere with exotic animals they don't get to meet the people (except perhaps one token person) who also live there?

[Weeboon W7 · Rating 4 out of 5]

the dingoes were amazing! they were so cute too, and the story is rather exciting

[Izzy Brogaard]

Personal Response: I enjoyed reading Dingoes at Dinnertime by Mary Pope Osborne, because it reminded me of my childhood. I used to read these books all the time when I was younger. I also liked the bond between the characters. They work together really well, which reminds me of my brother and I. These books are also great for a quick read.

Plot: Dingoes at Dinnertime started out with Jack and Annie as usual. They heard barking, so they went to the tree house. There, they found Teddy, a small dog from their last adventure. There was a note that told them about Teddy’s curse and how they had to go find a present from a kangaroo to undo the curse. The tree house took them to Australia. While there, they found a kangaroo. The kangaroo was a mom because she had a pouch that held a joey. The mom was chased away by dingoes, and she naturally dropped the joey to protect him. As Jack and Annie were helping the joey, they smelled smoke. There was a huge forest fire coming towards them. Teddy’s barking led them into a cave. On the way there, Annie went to save a koala she saw in a tree earlier. Jack, Annie, Teddy, the joey, and the kangaroo were all safe in the cave. Jack and Annie felt something cool and odd shaped on the cave wall. When they touched it, they heard a noise that came from outside. The fire had gone away, and it began to rain. Jack and Annie ran to where they picked up the baby kangaroo. Jack had left his book there so they knew where to go. The mother came back for her baby. As Jack and Annie gave the joey back to his mother, the mother gave something to Jack and Annie. She gave them the symbol that was on the cave wall. When they took it back, Morgan was at the treehouse. That symbol was the last thing needed to break Teddy’s curse. He was changed back into a boy again.

Characterization: Throughout the book, Annie became more courageous. She was shy and stayed close to Jack a lot. When the wildfire happened, she went back in to save a koala that was sleeping in a tree. She was very brave for helping that animal. Teddy, the dog, also progressed throughout the story. He became more thankful and aware of his surroundings after he was changed back into a real boy. He realized he should not mess with Morgan’s magic.

Setting: Dingoes at Dinnertime took place in Australia during modern times. The setting was important because kangaroos are only found in Australia. Knowing where Jack and Annie were was very important to the whole story.

Thematic Connection: There were a lot of themes in Dingoes at Dinnertime, but a main one was man against nature. This was evident when a wildfire started in Australia when Jack and Annie were trying to find their clue. They had to find a place to go to escape the fire to survive.

Recommendation: I would recommend Dingoes at Dinnertime to males or females, because they could relate to the characters in the book. I would also recommend this book to third graders and beyond because it was an easy read. I would give this book three stars.

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book holds several memories for me, and one big memory for the entire world.

First the review: I enjoyed this book and it was a great adventure for all the characters. Meeting a Kangaroo and her Joey was a sweet plot point and it would touch ground with wild animal lovers abound.

I could imagine the scenes in my head as they played out. I would have liked for Jack and Annie to meet some people on this adventure, but it was only animals in this book.

I have noticed that some of the adventures in the tree house do not take Jack and Annie to human civilization. Some stories revolve around completely with just animals and nature, it can get dry at times because Jack and Annie are the only characters that can produce a dialogue for the readers to follow.
However, in this story, 2 things happen.

1. The forest fire was a clever and dangerous twist.
2. The book makes up for it's lack of homo sapien sapiens by ending the mystery and spell on Teddy the dog. And surprise, surprise to all readers, it isn't what you think. I know for sure that I was caught by surprise, as was Jack now that I think about it.

Now....for the other, bigger thing that this book holds for me. I was 9 when I read it, my birthday had only been a week before.

It was my first year of homeschooling and I was doing my spelling. I did spelling every morning at 8:30. I sat at the big brown table (that is now where the lizard cage stands on in the laundry room) where I would do my work is where my pillow is now. I go to sleep in that very spot every night.

I am sad to say that I do not remember exactly what I was doing at 8:46am that day, but around 9 o’clock, my mother got a phone call from Mr. Delisle, who told her.

I had never heard such shock and devastation in my mom’s voice before. When My sister and I asked her what was wrong, she said, “An airplane crashed into the World Trade Center”.

I did not know what the World Trade Center was, but I did know what the Twin Towers were. I had been going through a skyscraper phase. I knew about the CN Tower and the then Sears Tower, and my favorite one was the Empire State Building.

I asked where the plane crashed, and I remember this so clearly. I said, “It’s not in New York is it? Not New York!” When my mom nodded, I screamed dramatically. She got mad at me and told me to be quiet.

The creepiest thing was that directly behind me, we had on the wall a map of Canada and the states that were on the Canadian border. The map had drawings of the buildings in all the cities. New York Was on the map, and it had a picture of the Twin Towers on it. I turned and looked at it. I remember saying, “I hope it’s not these ones! They’re my favorite.”

My mom put the TV on then, and for the rest of the it remained that way. I was rooted. I remember very clearly watching flight 175 hit the South Tower. I thought it was a movie for a split second, then I got it. I screamed. My mother cried, she wanted me to leave, I didn’t want to.

My mom said that it was on purpose. At first we thought it was an accident.

I watched the whole thing. I remember seeing the North Tower with all the smoke and I very clearly remember saying, “Where is the fire? It’s all smoke.” and my mom said, “The fire is inside, we can’t see it because of the smoke.”

“I can’t see the airplane.” I said. My mom didn’t say anything back.

When my mom and I learned about another plane crashing into the Pentagon, my mother said “Oh my God, we’re at war.”

I remember that I was alone on the couch watching LIVE when the South Tower fell. I cried, not really knowing why. It wasn’t real, I don’t think. I feel that I might have made myself cry, but I can’t be sure.

When the North Tower fell, I said, “All the people died!” I thought about what it must have been like inside the building and what happened to everybody.

Once the towers were gone I thought it was all over and that was it. My mind of the rest of the day is blank. I can’t remember how that night went. I only remember my dad coming home and me saying, “Did you see what happened on TV?”

It was a full 2 years later that I saw all the videos and the pictures and the tragedy. It was then that I learned about some of the victums. There were children on the planes.

On Flight 77 (the plane that went into the Pentagon) I learned that there were three 11 year olds and a 10 year old on board. I saw their pictures, and I was shocked at how one kid looked like Kyle Massey.

My most sickening discovery was when I learned about Flight 175. With the exception of unborn babies, the youngest person who died that day was a 2 year old girl. She was with her mom and dad, and she was on that plane. I remembered watching it LIVE and it hit me. “Who kills children?” I was really mad and upset.

And now, 10 years later, I’m 19 and in college. I still have never been to New York and never got to see the Twin Towers in person. It is a huge goal, to visit the new museum that has been built at the site of the disaster.

A lot has happened in a decade, and still, I will never forget what I saw and said.

September 11, 2001, now holds a huge place on the planet. It was the day we all woke up and lived through tragedy and terror.

[Kat V · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m always a sucker for animals. 4 stars

[EthantheErudite · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was very cool and unexpected, i really liked it and i hope i see more like that.

[Maya Orama · Rating 5 out of 5]

This store is about a girl named Annie that is 5 and this boy named jack that was 8 . It was morning Jack and Annie was in the house they both got out the house and went and went with their dog lady in the frog creek woods they found the tree house on the big oak tree they climbed the ladder and went in the tree house Morgan left a letter their so the cold figure what they needed to find it said a present from the kangaroo and look for a boy Jack and Annie both looked for the book were the kangaroo is . They found it and wished they were their and the tree house started to spin and spin In till it was absolutely still their dog looked out the window and Annie and Jack looked to they went down withe their dog and started to look were the kangaroo were they looked down were the rock was a saw a mother kangaroo and a BABBY in the mothers pouch they walk slowly then. The mother kangaroo woke up it was ferry mad then three wolfs cam the BABBY kangaroo jumped out and then Jack and Annie picked it up the mother kangaroo was fitting then Jack and Annie saw smoke they had to run withe the baby kangaroo and their dog lady they jumped and went on a tall tree then the ran came the saw a cave and went in it then the sun came they founded the mother kangaroo and gave the BABBY kangaroo to her the mother kangaroo gave them a card they left then they went back to the tree house but they forgot to Look for A boy Morgan was their they gave her the card then Morgan transfer the dog and the dog was a boy the said good by and left . The end

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack and Annie complete the set of missions assigned to them by Morgan le Fay to help Teddy the dog. The last line of the poem says. "A gift from a kangaroo." So, of course they are off to Australia!

While there, the children meet emus, a koala, a kookaburra, and kangaroos. They rescue a baby kangaroo when a pack of dingoes arrive. In thanks, the mama kanga gives the children a piece of bark with an aborigine painting on it, that of a Rainbow Serpent of legend.

Back home, the combination of the 4 gifts return Teddy from dog to boy! And these are his lessons from the gifts:

Watch: don't waste time, use it wisely.

Eagle feather: a small creature can be one of the bravest

Lotus flower: must respect nature. Nature holds many wonders.

Bark painting: there is mystery, magic, and wisdom in the traditions
of ancient peoples.

Read in Austin from Drew's library.

[Isabel Orama · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a brother and sister named Jack and Annie. This time they went on a adventure where kangaroos live. They both needed to get a gift from a kangaroo. So when they wished too the location they went there.

Jack and Annie went down the rope ladder and then found two animals . They had big feet, a pouch with a little baby in it too. Jack searched the animal up in the book. It was a kangaroo . When they both woke up from their nap they all heard growling. It was a dingo. When jack search that up it said that kangaroos are scared of dingo dogs. When a kangaroo is being attacked hey leave their baby the same place they got chased until she comes back. So when she got chased the mother kangaroo left her baby in the location she got chased. Jack and Annie picked up the baby kangaroo and jack put the baby in his pack.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently read 1 book from the "Magic Tree House" and "Magic School Bus" series to become familiar with chapter books, and also to try and discern a difference between the two series. They're about the same reading level, I'd say that the "Tree House" book has a slightly more advanced plot. There are 2 main characters as opposed to an entire classroom of characters who seem pretty much alike. Overall they were quite informative and filled with a lot of interesting facts and history tidbits. I can see why kids love them.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken]

Momma says: This is not that be if my favorites. I would’ve rated it three stars.

Eleanor says: In the book there was a wild fire. Annie grabbed the koala during the fire because she didn’t want him to get burned. This was their last mission to find the gifts to free Teddy. He accidentally turned himself into a dog. He used Morgan’s spells even though he wasn’t supposed to. I think that’s crazy! The dingoes are mean. Kangaroos are mean in real life but they were nice in the book. The baby was nice too. A baby kangaroo is called a joey.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

They saw a kangaroo and there was a baby in its pouch and dingoes came. The mama hopped away and she put the baby in the brown weeds and Jack and Annie found it and they took care of it and the joey hopped into Jack's backpack because he thought it was a pouch. So Jack put it in front of him so the joey will feel like he was with his mama.

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Davey: "I really liked this book because it had real animals in it, like dingoes and kangaroos. I didn't like the wild fire because some of the animals could have gotten dead."

May 10, 2015

[Jenny Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another quite action packed MTH book. This is the final one in which the kids go search for gifts to break Teddy the dogs spell. I am rather disappointed this one does not have a fact tracker with it, as it's the only one that takes place in Australia. It does have some facts in the back, but not many. Again, a good way to get kids into a subject, without the continuation of a fact tracker however.

[Treena · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son was able to connect to this one better because he remembered all the coverage about the wildfires in Australia earlier this year (2020). He remembered seeing the pictures of all the koalas and kangaroos that were displaced (and rescued) because of the bush fires.

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

2022

[Stacy Renee (LazyDayLit) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack and Annie end up in Australia where they help save a baby kangaroo!

Reading this with my 7yo.

[Martine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Micah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good because they met a baby kangaroo and took care of it.

[April McCool]

I’m starting to remember why I really enjoyed these books growing up. They also included some type of historical information

[Rachel]

Vivians first “chapter book”! She brought it home from her school library probably because she sees how much the big kids in her class love Jack and Annie. ❤️

[Marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I see your Fairyloot exclusive edition and raise you my special edition of Dingoes at Dinnertime sold exclusively at the 2008 Scholastic book fair.

[Kathryn Best · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was super fast to read and still packed so much information into a little story. My son learned a bunch about different animals in Australia as well as the native people, wildfires, and droughts.

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My vocabulary:

charred, despite, haughty, midair, traditions, sheepishly

There is mystery, magic and wisdom in the traditions of ancient people.