High Tide in Hawaii

by Mary Pope Osborne

  Here’s what kids have to say to

  Mary Pope Osborne, author of

  the Magic Tree House series:

  WOW! You have an imagination like no other.—Adam W.

  I love your books. If you stop writing books, it will be like losing a best friend.—Ben M.

  I think you are the real Morgan le Fay. There is always magic in your books.—Erica Y.

  One day I was really bored and I didn’t want to read … I looked in your book. I read a sentence, and it was interesting. So I read some more, until the book was done. It was so good I read more and more. Then I had read all of your books, and now I hope you write lots more.—Danai K.

  I always read [your books] over and over … 1 time, 2 times, 3 times, 4 times … —Yuan C.

  You are my best author in the world. I love your books. I read all the time. I read everywhere. My mom is like freaking out.—Ellen C.

  I hope you make these books for all yours and mine’s life.—Riki H.

  Teachers and librarians love

  Magic Tree House® books, too!

  Thank you for opening faraway places and times to my class through your books. They have given me the chance to bring in additional books, materials, and videos to share with the class.—J. Cameron

  It excites me to see how involved [my fourth-grade reading class] is in your books … I would do anything to get my students more involved, and this has done it.—C. Rutz

  I discovered your books last year … WOW! Our students have gone crazy over them. I can’t order enough copies! … Thanks for contributing so much to children’s literature!—C. Kendziora

  I first came across your Magic Tree House series when my son brought one home … I have since introduced this great series to my class. They have absolutely fallen in love with these books! … My students are now asking me for more independent reading time to read them. Your stories have inspired even my most struggling readers.—M. Payne

  I love how I can go beyond the [Magic Tree House] books and use them as springboards for other learning.—R. Gale

  We have enjoyed your books all year long. We check your Web site to find new information. We pull our map down to find the areas where the adventures take place. My class always chimes in at key parts of the story. It feels good to hear my students ask for a book and cheer when a new book comes out.—J. Korinek

  Our students have “Magic Tree House fever.” I can’t keep your books on the library shelf.—J. Rafferty

  Your books truly invite children into the pleasure of reading. Thanks for such terrific work.—S. Smith

  The children in the fourth grade even hide the [Magic Tree House] books in the library so that they will be able to find them when they are ready to check them out.—K. Mortensen

  My Magic Tree House books are never on the bookshelf because they are always being read by my students. Thank you for creating such a wonderful series.—K. Mahoney

  Dear Readers,

  One snowy day in Connecticut, I wished I could escape to a sunny island. I was far too busy to take a vacation, so I took a trip in my imagination. That’s how I began working on this book about Hawaii.

  In my research, I learned that the islands of Hawaii are even more beautiful than I had thought. They began as volcanoes that rose from the sea. Over millions of years, birds and wind brought seeds to the masses of rock. In the perfect climate of the Pacific, trees, flowers, wildlife, and insects thrived. When people discovered the islands, they were amazed by the natural wonders they saw.

  This is a big reason why I love being an author so much. By using my imagination, I can go anywhere I want. I can escape the cold weather and feel the fresh, sweet-smelling air of beautiful faraway islands. Wherever you are right now, whatever the season, I hope you’ll use your imagination to escape to Hawaii, too.

  Aloha!

  Text copyright © 2003 by Mary Pope Osborne

  Illustrations copyright © 2003 by Sal Murdocca

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

  www.randomhouse.com/magictreehouse

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Osborne, Mary Pope.

  High tide in Hawaii / by Mary Pope Osborne ; illustrated by Sal Murdocca.

  p. cm. — (Magic tree house ; #28) A stepping stone book.

  SUMMARY: Jack and Annie travel in their magic tree house back to a Hawaiian island of long ago where they make friends, learn how to surf, and encounter a tsunami.

  eISBN: 978-0-375-89485-5

  [1. Hawaii—Fiction. 2. Time travel—Fiction. 3. Magic—Fiction.

  4. Brothers and sisters—Fiction. 5. Tree houses—Fiction.] I. Murdocca, Sal, ill.

  II. Title. III. Series: Osborne, Mary Pope. Magic tree house series ; v #28.

  PZ7.O81167 Hi 2003 [Fic]—dc21 2002013781

  Random House, Inc. New York, Toronto, London, Sydney, Auckland

  RANDOM HOUSE and colophon are registered trademarks and A STEPPING STONE BOOK and colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc. MAGIC TREE HOUSE is a registered trademark of Mary Pope Osborne; used under license.

  v3.0

  Cover

  Dear Readers

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Prologue

  1. A Ship?

  2. Aloha!

  3. Sleepover

  4. Garden Paradise

  5. GO!

  6. Shake-up

  7. Ride for Your Lives!

  8. The Big Wave

  9. Telling the Story

  10. Everyday Magic

  More Facts

  Special Preview of Magic Tree House #29: (A Merlin Mission) Christmas in Camelot

  For Mel and Dana

  One summer day in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, a mysterious tree house appeared in the woods.

  Eight-year-old Jack and his seven-year-old sister, Annie, climbed into the tree house. They found that it was filled with books.

  Jack and Annie soon discovered that the tree house was magic. It could take them to the places in the books. All they had to do was point to a picture and wish to go there. While they are gone, no time at all passes in Frog Creek.

  Along the way, Jack and Annie discovered that the tree house belongs to Morgan le Fay. Morgan is a magical librarian of Camelot, the long-ago kingdom of King Arthur. She travels through time and space, gathering books.

  Jack and Annie have many exciting adventures helping Morgan and exploring different times and places. In Magic Tree House Books #25–28, they learn the art of magic.…

  Jack and Annie were sitting on their porch, reading books. Jack was reading about gorillas. Annie was reading about Pilgrims.

  Suddenly Annie closed her book. She looked up into the sunset.

  “Hey!” Annie said with a smile.

  Jack looked over at her.

  “It’s back!” she said, jumping up.

  “Oh, man,” breathed Jack. He knew she was talking about the magic tree house. Annie could always tell when it was back.

  Jack closed his book and stood up.

  “We’re going to the woods!” he called through the screen door. “There’s something we have to check on!”

  “Be back before dark!” their mom said.

  “We will!” said Jack.

  He picked up his backpack. Then he and Annie headed across the yard. When they got to the sidewalk, they started running. They ran up their street and into the Frog Creek woods.

  In the last light of day, they hurried between the trees. Finally, they came to the tallest oak. They held their breath as they looked up.<
br />
  The magic tree house was back.

  “Good going,” said Jack.

  “Thanks!” said Annie.

  She started up the ladder. Jack followed. It was nearly dark inside. But the sun-dried wood smelled like a summer day.

  “What kind of special magic will we look for this time?” said Jack.

  They glanced around the tree house. They saw the scrolls they’d brought back from Shakespeare’s theater. They saw the twig from the mountain gorillas and the pouch of corn seeds from the first Thanksgiving.

  “There!” said Annie. She pointed to a book in the corner. A piece of paper was sticking out of it.

  Jack picked up the book. Then he pulled out the paper and read:

  Dear Jack and Annie,

  Good luck on your fourth journey to find a special magic. This secret rhyme will guide you:

  To find a special magic,

  build a special kind of ship

  that rides the waves,

  both high and low,

  on every kind of trip.

  Thank you,

  Morgan

  Jack looked at Annie.

  “A ship?” he said.

  She shrugged. “Yep. I guess we have to build a ship. Where do we go to build it?”

  She and Jack looked at the book’s cover. It showed palm trees, a beach, and a beautiful ocean. The title was:

  A VISIT TO OLD HAWAII

  “Oh, wow!” said Annie. “I love Hawaii!”

  “How do you know you love it?” Jack asked. “We’ve never been to Hawaii.”

  “Well, we’re going now!” said Annie. She pointed at the cover. “We wish we could go there!”

  The wind started to blow.

  The tree house started to spin.

  It spun faster and faster.

  Then everything was still.

  Absolutely still.

  Jack opened his eyes. A gentle wind brushed against his skin. It smelled sweet and fresh.

  Annie looked out the window. “Nice!” she said.

  Jack looked out, too. The tree house had landed on top of a tall palm tree. The palm tree was at the edge of a flowery meadow.

  On one side of the meadow, a cliff dropped down to the beach and ocean. On the other side of the meadow were the rooftops of a small village.

  Beyond the village were tall gray mountains. Misty clouds hid their peaks. Waterfalls gushed down their sides.

  “I told you I loved Hawaii!” said Annie. “Don’t you?”

  “I have to learn about it first,” said Jack. He pushed his glasses into place and opened their research book. He read aloud:

  Hawaii is a chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean. The largest island is Hawaii, which gives its name to the whole group. The islands were formed millions of years ago by volcanoes. The volcanoes erupted under the ocean. Over time, their craters rose above the water.

  “Wow,” said Annie. “We’re on the top of a volcano.”

  “Yeah,” said Jack. He read on:

  The volcanic rock crumbled and turned to soil. Over millions of years, wind and birds dropped seeds on the islands. Plants and trees began to grow, and birds and insects made their homes.

  “Cool,” said Jack. He took out his notebook and pencil and wrote:

  He read some more:

  About two thousand years ago, people first came to Hawaii. They came in canoes from other islands in the Pacific. They rowed for thousands of miles across the ocean, guided only by the wind and stars.

  “Hey, listen,” said Annie.

  Jack put down the book and listened. Sounds of music and laughter floated on the breeze.

  “There must be a party in that village,” said Annie. “Let’s go.”

  “What about building that ship?” asked Jack.

  “We’ll figure that out later,” said Annie. “Let’s meet some people at the party. Maybe they can help us.”

  She started down the ladder.

  Jack heard a whoop of laughter in the distance. The party does sound fun, he thought. He packed up his things and followed Annie down to the ground.

  The sun was low in the sky. They walked through the meadow toward the village. Everything was bathed in a golden red glow.

  “Oh, man,” breathed Jack.

  There was beauty everywhere: purple flowers shaped like bells, white flowers that looked like stars, tall, feathery ferns, green spiky plants, big orange-and-black butterflies, and tiny yellow birds.

  When they got close to the village, they saw an open area filled with people. Jack and Annie slipped behind a palm tree. They peeked out at the party.

  There were about fifty people, including grown-ups, teenagers, and little kids. They were all barefoot and wore wreaths of flowers around their necks.

  A woman was chanting. Her words rose and fell like waves. She chanted about a volcano goddess named Pele.

  While she chanted, other people played music. Some blew on pipes that looked like flutes. Others shook gourds that sounded like baby rattles. Some hit sticks together to make clicking sounds.

  Most of the villagers were dancing to the music. They stepped from side to side. They swayed their hips and waved their hands.

  “They’re doing the hula,” whispered Annie. She smiled and waved her hands, too.

  “Don’t get carried away,” whispered Jack.

  He took out their book and found a picture of Hawaiians dancing. He read:

  The early Hawaiians had no written language. They told stories with hula dancing. The hula is a blend of dancing and chanting poetry.

  Jack pulled out his notebook. He started a list about early Hawaii:

  Suddenly Jack heard loud laughter and clapping. He looked up. Annie was gone!

  Jack peeked out from behind the tree. Annie was doing the hula with the dancers! But no one seemed surprised. Everyone just smiled at her as they kept dancing.

  A girl caught sight of Jack. She looked about Annie’s age. She had long, shiny black hair and a big, friendly smile.

  “Come do the hula!” she called to him.

  “No way,” Jack breathed.

  He slipped behind the tree again. But the girl danced over to him and took his hand.

  “Join us!” she said.

  “No thanks,” said Jack.

  The girl didn’t let go. She pulled Jack into the open. The music got louder. The dancers and musicians nodded and smiled at Jack.

  Jack stood still. He didn’t know how to do any kind of dance, let alone the hula! He stared at the ground, clutching his backpack and notebook until the music and dancing ended.

  The Hawaiians gathered around Jack and Annie. They all had friendly, open faces.

  “Who are you?” the young girl asked.

  “I’m Annie,” said Annie. “This is my brother, Jack.”

  “I’m Kama,” the girl said. “This is my brother, Boka.” She pointed to a boy in the crowd who looked about Jack’s age.

  The boy stepped forward. He grinned a big grin just like his sister’s. He pulled off his wreath of red fluffy flowers. He put it around Annie’s neck.

  “A lei to welcome you,” Boka said.

  Kama then pulled off her lei and put it around Jack’s neck.

  “Aloha, Jack and Annie!” everyone said.

  “Aloha,” said Jack and Annie.

  “Where did you come from?” a pretty woman asked.

  “Frog—” Annie started.

  But Jack broke in. “From over the mountains,” he said quickly. He pointed at the mountains looming in the distance.

  “We are glad you have come to visit us,” the woman said.

  Everyone smiled and nodded.

  They’re all amazingly nice, Jack thought.

  The music started again. As people began to dance, Kama took Annie’s hand.

  “Sit and talk with us,” she said.

  She and Boka led Jack and Annie to the edge of the clearing. They sat cross-legged in the grass. Kama picked up a wooden bowl. She held it out.


  “Please eat,” she said.

  “What is it?” asked Annie.

  “It is poi,” said Kama. She scooped some poi out of the bowl and licked it off of her fingers.

  “You eat it with your hands? Cool,” said Annie. She stuck her fingers in the bowl and licked off the poi. “Mmm … good.”

  Jack stuck his finger in the bowl, too. The gooey mixture felt like peanut butter. But when he licked it off his finger, it had a weird taste—both bitter and sweet.

  “Hmm,” he said, but he made a face.

  “He doesn’t like it,” Kama said to Boka.

  “No, no,” said Jack. “It’s … ” He tried to think of something polite.… “It’s very interesting.”

  Kama and Boka giggled. Then they stuck their fingers in the bowl and ate some poi.

  “Interesting!” they exclaimed. They cracked up laughing. Jack and Annie laughed with them.

  “Now tell us about your home over the mountains,” said Kama, “this place you call ‘Frog.’ ”

  Kama’s friendly smile made Jack want to tell her the truth.

  “It’s actually called Frog Creek,” he said. “It’s very far away—much farther than just over the mountains. We traveled here in a magic tree house.”

  Kama’s and Boka’s eyes got huge. They smiled even bigger smiles than before.

  “That sounds fun!” said Kama.

  “You are so lucky!” said Boka.

  Jack and Annie laughed.

  “Yeah, we are,” said Jack. He felt great telling their new friends about the tree house. He and Annie had never talked about it with their friends back home.

  “Can you stay here tonight?” asked Kama.

  Jack shrugged. “Sure, we can stay at least one night,” he said.

  Kama hurried over to the pretty woman. They spoke together for a moment. Then Kama returned to Jack and Annie.

  “Our mother invites you to sleep at our house,” she said.

  “Great,” said Annie. “Thanks.”

  Jack and Annie stood up. In the gray twilight, they followed Kama and Boka through the village. They wove between small huts with steep roofs until Kama stopped in front of one.