September Read/Ruby

Title:Haunted Castle On Hallows Eve

Author: Osborne, Mary Pope  

      Halloween was coming up, Jack and Annie were talking about what costumes should be wore this year. And then, a raven swooped down to the ground and glided into the autumn sky and headed toward the Frog Creek Woods quickly. Jack and Annie followed the giant black bird and climbed inside the magic tree house. A huge yellow leaf fluttered through the open window, it's an invitation from Merlin, and the invitation took them to get there immediately.

      The magician, Merlin, wanted Jack and Annie to bring order to a duke's castle, and sent them a helper and guide from the magic world to complete the mission. Does " Bring order to the castle" mean Merlin wanted them to do chores such as mop the floors or washed the dishes? Of course not. In fact, old Maggie who used to work in the castle, she went there as usual two weeks ago, but she said the castle was all haunted with ghosts and scared out of her wits. A flock of large black birds was flying low in the dark gray sky, the village kids screamed, one woman picked up a handful of stones and threw them at the ravens. A stone struck on of the ravens, it fell to the ground. Annie dashed to the fallen bird and knelt beside it. She talked to the bird in her own language and set its free into the sky.

        Three of them went towards to the castle , but the castle was still and silent. No candles burned, no guards stood, no archers patrolled. they went into the castle, climbed around and around the twisting stairway, looked around a lot of rooms to find out if anything was out of order. Finally they found a kid's room, the spinning wheel was spinning thread, but no one was touching it; the wooden chess pieces were moving on the chessboard, but no one was sitting there; the bone was hanging in the sky, but no one was holding it. It is because of after Arthur became king, Merlin gave the Diamond of Destiny to a noble family of Camelot, as long as the family kept the diamond safe, they would have good fortune. But the family let the diamond got stolen, so now they've all turned into ghosts. If Jack and  Annie could found out who stole the diamond, and took it to the castle, then everything in the castle would be returned to normal. 

       They got the answer from the invisible ghost girl, she showed them the words in the mirror dust that The Raven King did it. So they changed into ravens, and flew up to the mountain nest, Jack and Annie got the diamond back to the castle successfully, let everything returned to order.