The Magic Tree House Merlin Missions is a book series written by Mary Pope Osborne. The series consists of 27 books that follow the adventures of Jack and Annie, two siblings who discover a magical tree house filled with books. The tree house, owned by the enigmatic librarian Morgan le Fay, allows Jack and Annie to travel through time and space to various historical periods and locations. Each book in the series focuses on a different historical event or period. Jack and Annie are called upon by Merlin, the great wizard from King Arthur's time, to complete missions and solve problems in order to help people or protect important historical artifacts. The siblings embark on exciting adventures, meet legendary figures, and learn about different cultures and times.
"When I came, the Colts wanted a rough, tough, mean mascot, because it's the NFL and that makes sense," Mock said. "But when it comes to this, you really want a cuddly character that kids want to come up and hug. The scary characters, kids are afraid of, but when kids turn the corner, they want to come up and hug Blue and engage with Blue."
The man behind the mane, Trey Mock, says he s been perfecting his art as the character since his days at Auburn University, where he romped around as Aubie the tiger. The man behind the mane, Trey Mock, says he s been perfecting his art as the character since his days at Auburn University, where he romped around as Aubie the tiger.
The siblings embark on exciting adventures, meet legendary figures, and learn about different cultures and times. Throughout the series, Jack and Annie demonstrate bravery, curiosity, and a love for learning. They face challenges and overcome obstacles while learning important lessons about history, friendship, and the power of knowledge.
Who is the man behind the Blue fur?
INDIANAPOLIS -- Being a mascot may seem like all fun and games, but it takes endurance, preparation and the ability to walk in really big shoes.
For the Indianapolis Colts mascot, Blue, it's no different.
The man behind the mane, Trey Mock, says he's been perfecting his art as the character since his days at Auburn University, where he romped around as Aubie the tiger.
After 10 seasons in Blue's shoes, Mock has made the character into his own.
"When I came, the Colts wanted a rough, tough, mean mascot, because it's the NFL and that makes sense," Mock said. "But when it comes to this, you really want a cuddly character that kids want to come up and hug. The scary characters, kids are afraid of, but when kids turn the corner, they want to come up and hug Blue and engage with Blue."
Mock said it hasn't been hard to develop who Blue has come to be.
"It's funny because Blue's really my personality just wrapped into the fur," Mock said.
Just how long does it take to get used to wearing the suit, listed on the Colts website as weighing 360 horseshoes? Mock says it's all about knowing your costume really well.
"It's a lot like driving a manual transmission," Mock said.
With a hoof size of 14, it's not easy to walk in his shoes.
That's what I found out when I got to put on the pink version of Blue myself.
The pink Blue was created when the NFL started their push to support the fight against breast cancer, turning everything from field goal flags to pylons to gloves pink.
Mock said he came up with the idea one day before a game and using some of his old Blue costume parts, dyed everything pink as a surprise for the team, and it's stuck ever since.
But what makes wearing the suit even more special is how exclusive it is.
Mock says out of his 400 scheduled appearances a year, he's only ever missed 10-20 times, and that's only been because of family emergencies or illness. An intern and good friend of his has replaced him as his back-up, but he's never put anyone else in the suit, until now.
I found out first hand, it's not easy to be Blue. Mock loses 7-8 pounds per game.
"You get used to it, you try to hydrate and eat right," Mock said.
How does he keep in shape to handle it all? Outside of wearing the suit, he doesn't.
"Blue is enough of a workout," Mock said. "Blue is my office and my gym."
To test just how tough it is to be a mascot, Mock ran me through a mascot obstacle course.
Watch that race in the video player.
After the obstacle course, Mock felt a little threatened by his pink Blue opponent.
"I regret doing this now, but I also know that if I ever need a back up, you'll be the first one I call," Mock said.
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After 10 seasons in Blue's shoes, Mock has made the character into his own.
The books combine elements of fantasy, adventure, and historical fiction to create an engaging and educational reading experience for children. The Magic Tree House Merlin Missions series is popular among young readers and has been praised for its ability to captivate children's imaginations and foster a love for reading. The books blend fiction and non-fiction, providing readers with a unique opportunity to explore different historical periods and events. Whether it's traveling to Ancient Egypt, the Wild West, or the Amazon Rainforest, Jack and Annie's adventures are sure to entertain and educate readers of all ages..
Reviews for "Discover the Wonders of the Ancient World with the Magic Tree House Merlin Missions"
- John - 2/5 - I was really disappointed with the Magic Tree House Merlin Missions. I found the writing to be subpar and the plot to be lackluster. The characters weren't engaging, and the adventures felt forced and unoriginal. It didn't have the same magic as the original Magic Tree House series, and I felt like it was just a cash grab. Overall, I wouldn't recommend it to fans of the original series.
- Emily - 1/5 - I couldn't even finish reading Magic Tree House Merlin Missions. The writing was so dull and the storylines were predictable and unexciting. I didn't feel any connection to the characters, and the supposed adventures were far from thrilling. It's a shame, because I loved the original Magic Tree House series, but this one simply didn't live up to my expectations. I would suggest skipping this installment and sticking with the earlier books.
- Sarah - 2/5 - I didn't enjoy the Magic Tree House Merlin Missions as much as I thought I would. The stories lacked the creativity and imagination that made the original series so wonderful. The writing was repetitive and the dialogue felt forced. It seemed like the author was simply rehashing old ideas instead of coming up with fresh and exciting adventures. I would recommend reading the original Magic Tree House books instead.