The Knight at Dawn

The Knight at Dawn blends historical fiction and fantasy to celebrate the excitement of discovery and the way that it opens up learning opportunities. One of the hallmarks of the Magic Tree House series is the way that Osborne educates her young audience about the places and time periods that Jack and Annie visit. In this story, she uses suspenseful chase scenes to provide a tour of a medieval castle’s armory, dungeon, storeroom, and moat. The pacing of the action and the inclusion of factual historical details reflect the author’s goal of teaching young readers the excitement of discovery. 

Osborne also uses the longer arc of the Mystery of the Tree House, which develops over the first four books of the series, to explore this theme through the siblings’ search for the identity of the time-traveling tree house’s creator. For instance, Jack feels a thrill when he discovers the connection between the medallion and the bookmark: “Now this was an amazing new fact” (56). The clues that Jack and Annie gather in their first trips to the tree house point the way to even greater revelations and accomplishments later in the series.