Civil War on Sunday

Magic Tree House #21

by Mary Pope Osborne

Jack and Annie are ready for their next fantasy adventure in the bestselling middle-grade series—the Magic Tree House!

Cannon fire!

That's what Jack and Annie hear when the Magic Tree House whisks them back to the time of the American Civil War. There they meet a famous nurse named Clara Barton and do their best to help wounded soldiers. It is their hardest journey in time yet—and the one that will make the most difference to their own lives!

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Chapter Books, Adventure, Civil War

96 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 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

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting with this book, Jack and Annie embark on a new series of missions for Morgan le Fay. She tells them that Camelot is in trouble and she needs their help. They must find four special kinds of writing for her library.

1. Something to follow
2. Something to send
3. Something to learn
4. Something to lend

The children travel back in time to the War Between the States, or the Civil War. There they help nurse wounded soldiers and meet Clara Barton, a pioneering nurse who later founded the American Red Cross.

Jack and Annie even meet a drummer boy who resembles Jack a great deal. His name is John. When they get home, they find out from their mom and dad that John is actually one of their ancestors! They had an ancestor who was a drummer boy for the Union Army.

The nurses give the children a list of instructions from Miss Barton, which are pieces of good advice for life. Something to follow!


*Be cheerful
*Lesson sorrow and give hope
*Be brave
*Put aside your own feelings
*Don't give up
*Do not forget the ones who love you

[Eric]

i had to read this to my baby cousin…that’s all i’ll have to say

[Book2Dragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magic Tree House takes the twins to a battlefield where they meet some important people and learn about war. "War is not a game." They help out in a battlefield hospital and learn much about life and heartache.
Gentle enough for YA/mature children.

[Rachel Hilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Civil War on Sunday is part of the Magic Tree House series and is entertaining and somewhat informative. In this book, Jack and Annie go back in time to the Civil War days, and they learn what the Civil War is and why it is being fought. They also meet Clara Barton, who founded the American Red Cross, along the way. I gave this book 4 stars because it was entertaining, and I enjoyed reading it with my students. This story can be used when teaching about the Civil War or it can be used in a small reading group when focusing on comprehension.

[Jhernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is about jack and anny going to the U.S.A. civil war.It is cool because jack and anny are helping the nurses to heal and give food to other people.It is also cool because jack and anny go through the time.They saved a man live in the war, and they helped alot.

[Seb Galindo · Rating 3 out of 5]

why is Jack so whiney

[Rick Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the start of a new four-book story arc for Magic Tree House, with Jack and Annie tasked with finding four different pieces of writing from different historical periods. In this book, they are seeking "something to follow", and are sent back in time to one of the more frightening and tragic settings they have visited: A field hospital in the American Civil War.

This was definitely one of the most emotionally-charged books in the series, with both kids having moments of fear and hopelessness that they had to overcome. The story strikes a good balance, focusing at various times on Jack and on Annie, and the introduction of Clara Barton as a mentor-figure allows for some good character development.

Author Mary Pope Osborne threads a thin line, conveying the horror of the hospital filled with wounded soldiers without ever getting into overtly gory descriptions. She fits in a decent amount of Civil War history, given the space she has to work with, and includes some excellent details. Her use of Walter Kittredge's song "Tenting Tonight on the Old Camp Ground" was an especially nice touch, and it was fun to see the lyrics included in the "facts" section at the end of the book.

This was also a standout book in the series for illustrator Sal Murdocca, who did a great job bringing Clara Barton to life.

I read this with the Kiddo (almost age 10 now!) and he enjoyed it enough that he was asking for "one more chapter" at each sitting, and we finished it in three nights.

[Shiloh · Rating 4 out of 5]

i enjoyed this book.

[Amy the book-bat · Rating 3 out of 5]

too short! I would have liked a little more interaction with Clara Barton, maybe a little more description of where they were and what they were experiencing.

[Alice4170 🌙 · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 ⭐️

[Kat V · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know this is a children’s book but if you can’t be honest about the horrors of war- don’t write about it. Also calling it the war between the states is some southern apologist shit. I’ll be honest this is the first one I simply hated. 1 star

[Priscilla Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a great book it was short and I personally like short books and you had some information that I did not know myself about the Civil War

[Isabel Orama · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a brother and sister named Jack and Annie. This time morgan Le Fay gave them a mission to go to the civil war. When Annie (Jacks little sister) woke up Jack woke up to. It was drizzling outside until Jack and Annie heard a voice. It was their mom. She asked them where they were going and they both told her to go out to play. She told them when it rains hurry inside. They both ran out to the tree house but no one was there. Then Annie saw a note or paper on the wooden floor. Annie went in the tree house and picked it up. Jack saw a book on the floor and it said, "THE CIVIL WAR". Jack really wanted to go so he wished to go there.

They both closed their eyes while the tree house spun. When it stopped they were dressed in different clothes. Annie had a dress and Jack had a shirt with scratchy pants. Then they both saw solders with torn up blue uniforms and they were bleeding. They were union soldiers.Annie ran down the ladder and wanted to help a man that fell. Jack followed her. When they finished helping the men they found a village with soldiers. The village is like a hospital for taking care of wounded men. Jack and Annie helped the men go to the village. Then Annie wanted to help the men so she asked a lady that was a nurse. Jack wanted to go home because jack just noticed that the mission was to help soldiers. Jack refused to help the soldiers too, so he asked the nurse too.

The nurse had no choice but to say yes because the needed a lot of help. Jack and Annie fed them, took care of their sicknesses, put bandages on their wounds, and gave them water.then all of a sudden bomb. BOOM! BOOM!BOOM! Every one was starting to run.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It frequently amazes me how much emotion Mary Pope Osborne is able to convey in such few words. This book made me, almost 40 year-old me, cry. Twice. Of course, part of that is imagining how "my" little guy (almost 8) felt when he read it, but only part. Annie's big heart once again leads her and Jack into a situation that older and "wiser" heads would avoid. Jack, while originally somewhat excited to see something having to do with war, soon learns that war isn't a game. He is at first very shy around a bunch of wounded soldiers at a field hospital, but soon warms up to an older African American man. His whispered words to the man to give him hope were the first thing that made me cry; in and of themselves ("One day your great-great-grandchildren will be doctors and lawyers...) were powerful. Mentally adding President of the United States to the list was a real joy.

I was also excited to see that the hero of the book is one of my childhood heroes. One of her biographies is the first biography I ever read, and re-read. And re-read. It's so fun to know that kids today are reading about her through these books, and that my little guy read about her, too.

Another great installment in the series. I owe my guy an apology. I thought he just loved this one because he's an American History buff, but he was right, it was terrific.

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear readers,

Annie and Jack is on a mission they have to get the script.So they go to the civil and get the script. At the first they already get what they want. But Annie decides to help the people that is hurt. So Jack stay with Annie and help the people who is hurt in the civil war. Then they a famous nurse called Cara they help her to get the people in the civil war that is hurt just then Jack find the drummer boy and it almost have the same age.they bring him to the nurse and went back homethe dum boy's name is john.when they got back homethey ask there mom and dad if there is any one in civil war there dad said that there is and he is the drum boy and its name is jhon.

I use the statergy visulizing because there were only a few picture.I could vizurlize the part when Carla was carrying the the wagon and the cannon shooting the wagon.I also use pretiction Ipredict at the front cover that it will have lots of fight.

I feel good because jack and Annie are helping the who is hurt durning the civil war.I think the author wrote this story to tell us the history in civil war.I think the theme in this story is maybe you only use it in one place but maybe you could use it anywhere.I think they are brave and kind because they help the people who is hurt and they are brave because the cannon shoot at themand they are not afraid.

[Christina Koester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Civil War on Sunday by Mary Pope Osborne is in the genre of historical fiction and is of the age group of six to nine year olds. Civil War on Sunday was about Annie and Jack, who were on a mission and had helped in the Civil War. The reason I rated the book the way I did because it was very interesting to learn about the Civil War in a fun kind of way in a younger children's version. The characters in the book were mainly, Annie, Jack, the soldiers, Clara Barton, the nurses, and also a drummer boy named John. The themes in this book were a mission for Morgan, helping in the Civil War, finding out you are related to someone. The illustrations in the book were just of Annie and Jack in the magic tree house, the Civil War, soldiers who needed help, the nurses and tents. There were no colors in the book at all. It was all just black and white. I feel that this book would be appealing to young readers because it talks about the Civil War, but not in a too harsh of a way. The book talks about the Civil War, but focuses more on Annie and Jack helping out the different soldiers, and continued to finish the mission for Morgan. As young readers would read this book, I feel they would get a little understanding of how the Civil War was like.
April 22,2016

[Felicia Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twin Text Non-fiction entry #1

I paired the book "Civil war on Sunday" with the non-fiction book "The Confederate States of America". I paired these two books together because in the fiction book, Jack and Annie from the Magic Tree House series, travel back to the time of the civil war, and they get to experience what the war was like. They meet a wonderful nurse named Clara Barton, and help take care of the wounded soldiers.

I thought these two books went well together because when children are reading the fiction book, and want to know more about the civil war, I can recommend the Confederate States of America to my students because it will give them real facts and stories from the Civil War. I think it would be great for my students to know as much about the Civil War as they can, because it was such an important time in American History.

Those are the reasons I paired those together, and I think they go well together. It will be more background knowledge about what really happened in the Civil War for my students.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about the magic tree house. And his book's main characters are two. They are son and daughter one day they found one marvelous tall tree. And when they went into there and said " I wish to go ~~~~~~~" Then the magic tree house sent them in to that place.

And that time they wished to go civil war. In there they helped nurse they gave a foods or drinks to patients. And they met one woman who was delivering patients no matter what the patient's side was. And their most interesting person was drummer named John he was pretty young. And the drummer was important job to solider drummer made their meal times and changed strategy of war. After they came back from the interesting trip, they asked their parents about cilver war and their father said great,great,great grandfather was drummer and his name was John.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books never cease to amazing me. The level of background knowledge on the Civil War really made this book believable and helpful to the readers. I enjoyed the connection the main characters made to the writing of a note by a nurse. What I really loved is how that note applied to not only the Civil War but anything in life. I think it is important for children to follow the following note of: Be cheerful, Lessen sorrow and give hope, Be brave, Put aside your own feelings, and Don’t give up. Children could learn a lot about this book. I would use this book in my future classroom to teach about the Civil War, how to follow your dreams, and to care for others. This book is one of my favorites by far!

[Rubi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how Osborne takes this opportunity to show kids that war is not to be glorified, and that there can be good people on both sides. She also writes about the importance of kindness and bravery. It takes guts to do the right thing sometimes.
I learned about drummer boys while reading this. I'd heard of them, but never really knew they're role outside of marching. It was quite fascinating. The extra facts at the end were really cool, too.
I may be an adult but the Magic Tree House series is still a fun learning experience :)

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

My generic review for the Magic Tree House books -

We've loved them all so far. They are fun, easy to read and contain quite a bit of historical information. We use them as read-alouds, but most elementary/middle school kids could read them on their own.

It does have a touch of 'girl power' at the expense of making the brother seem a little dumb. That kinda bugs. But it's not obvious and my boys haven't noticed. They think Jack is just as cool as his sister.

[DivaDiane SM · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a particularly moving story in which Jack and Annie go back to the civil war and discover that it is not as simple as we learn in history class. War is a complicated thing and affects everyone. Even children fought in the war. They are tasked with getting a piece of writing which is to be followed, they receive it right at the beginning but end up staying to help for a while. Afterwards they recognize that they had actually followed the list and then felt it was time to go home.

[Holden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was awesome because one of the nurses rode her horse drawn carriage into the battle field to pick up wounded soldiers. Jack and Annie got to meet their great-great-great grandfather who was a drummer boy.

[Ashlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another great historical story. I'm glad it included that the hospitals helped both Union and Confederate soldiers so that the kids who read this can understand that better too. I love the different voices she uses for the characters and I'm really enjoying the nostalgic feelings too.

[Nolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome book!!!

[Kierstin Carnahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mansion children's book research counts for my yearly reading goal right?

[Spencer]

i loved it,it was a nice story and the plot twist at the end is amazing

[Eric Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I love these books


I want to bring them to school because I like these books and I want to read them every day

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this historical series for children.

[Assortedtrashprincess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that this book acknowledge the brutality of war and death. I also appreciated that it acknowledged racism and slavery.