Afternoon on the Amazon

This installment in the Magic Tree House series follows eight-year-old Jack and his seven-year-old sister, Annie, on a magical adventure in the Amazon rain forest. In previous books, the siblings discovered a tree house in the woods near their home in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, that can transport them to any place depicted in its books. The tree house belongs to Morgan le Fay, a magical librarian from the time of King Arthur who travels through time and space collecting books. In their last adventure, set in old Japan, Jack and Annie learned that Morgan is trapped under a spell. To free her, they must find four special things. They already found the first, a moonstone, and now set out in search of the second.

Jack and Annie return to the tree house, which sits in a tall oak tree shining in the afternoon sunlight. Inside, they find Peanut, a small brown-and-white mouse who helped them in Japan, nestled in one of Annie's pink socks. Jack says they need a clue to begin their search. Annie spots an open book in the corner, just as the ninja book had been left open before their last trip. Its cover reads The Rain Forest and shows tall, closely packed green trees. Annie is uneasy because she learned in school that rain forests are full of big bugs and spiders. Jack finds this ironic, since Annie was never afraid of dinosaurs, pirates, or ninjas, but he persuades her by reminding her they must help Morgan and that rain forests are being cut down. He points to a picture in the book, wishes to go there, and the tree house spins and carries them away.

The air is hot and steamy when they arrive. The tree house has landed in a sea of shiny green leaves surrounded by flowers, butterflies, and birds. Jack finds it strange that they landed in bushes rather than in a tree as usual. When Annie tries to climb out the window, Jack reads from the book that the rain forest has three layers, with the top layer, called the canopy, often over 150 feet in the air. He realizes they are at the very top and pulls Annie back inside. They descend through the giant tree using the rope ladder. Below the canopy, in the middle layer called the understory, the world is cooler, damp, and very quiet. They reach the forest floor, a dim place covered in dead leaves among enormous trees draped in vines and moss.

Jack reads that many rain forest creatures use camouflage to blend in with their surroundings. Annie suggests they hurry to find the special thing. When Jack asks how they will recognize it, Annie says she thinks they will just know. Soon a crackling sound grows louder, and the forest erupts with activity as birds, frogs, and lizards flee. Jack reads that the sound means millions of flesh-eating army ants are marching through the dead leaves. They spot the massive column of ants and run, but all the trees look the same and they cannot find the rope ladder. They burst through bushes onto the bank of a slow-moving brown river and scramble into a hollowed-out log that resembles a canoe. Annie pushes off from the bank before Jack realizes they have no paddles, leaving them drifting helplessly downstream.

Jack reads that the Amazon River stretches over 4,000 miles from Peru across Brazil to the Atlantic Ocean. Annie trails her hand in the water and notices fish with teeth swimming near the canoe. Jack identifies them as piranhas, razor-toothed fish that eat anything, including people. Unable to wade to shore, Jack stands and reaches for what he thinks is an overhead vine, but it turns out to be a long green snake. He screams and falls back into the canoe as the snake drops into the water. Next, Annie reaches for what looks like a floating branch, but it rises out of the river: It is a crocodile that snaps its huge jaws before swimming away. A screeching sound startles them, but it is only a small brown monkey hanging by its tail from a tree.

The monkey grabs a big red fruit and hurls it at the canoe. He throws several more, and one lands inside the canoe with a thump. Annie throws it back, nearly falling out of the rocking boat. She shouts that the monkey is the meanest thing in the world. He stops screeching, looks at her, and swings away. Annie worries she hurt his feelings. Rain begins to fall and thunder rolls. Jack says a river is a bad place in a storm, but the piranhas, snake, and crocodile make the water too dangerous to enter. The monkey reappears, this time holding out a long stick toward the canoe. Jack fears the monkey will throw it, but Annie stands and stares into the monkey's eyes. After a long moment, the monkey seems to smile. Annie tells Jack the monkey wants to help them. She grabs one end of the stick, and the monkey pulls the canoe all the way to the riverbank.

They jump ashore as the rain falls harder. The monkey swings from tree to tree, beckoning them to follow. Jack protests that they need to find the special thing and go home, but Annie chases after the monkey into the forest. Jack follows and notices that the treetops act as a huge umbrella, keeping the forest floor surprisingly dry. He finds Annie kneeling on the ground, playing with an animal that looks like a giant kitten with gold fur and black spots. Jack reads from the book that the jaguar is the biggest predator in the western hemisphere and realizes the animal is a baby jaguar. Before he can warn Annie, the mother jaguar emerges from behind a tree and creeps toward her. Jack whispers for Annie to freeze. The monkey swoops down and grabs the jaguar's tail. The cat roars and spins around, giving Annie time to jump up. The monkey pulls the tail again, lets go, and takes off with the jaguar springing after him. Jack and Annie run for their lives.

After they stop to catch their breath, the forest grows darker and both agree they should go home. They realize they are lost, each pointing in opposite directions when trying to locate the tree house. Annie places Peanut on the forest floor and asks the mouse to lead them, just as Peanut guided them in Japan. The mouse takes off, and they follow until Peanut leads them directly to the tree beneath the tree house. They climb back up to the canopy.

Inside the tree house, Jack tells Annie to find the Pennsylvania book, the book that always takes them home. Annie searches but cannot find it anywhere. Then something flies through the window: a red fruit. The monkey appears in the window, grinning. He holds the fruit out to Annie and moves his lips as if trying to speak. Annie stares into his eyes and announces she understands: The fruit is the second special thing they need to free Morgan from the spell. The moment Annie takes the fruit, the Pennsylvania book appears in the tree house. Jack recalls being told they would not be able to find the Pennsylvania book until they had found what they were looking for. The monkey claps his hands, waves goodbye, and swings away below the treetops.

Jack adds the word "amazing" to his notebook, where he has only written "The Amazon rain forest is." Annie opens the Pennsylvania book, points to a picture of the Frog Creek woods, and wishes to go there. The tree house spins and brings them home. Jack identifies the red fruit as a mango and places it on the M carved into the tree house floor, next to the moonstone from Japan. Annie whispers "Moonstone . . . mango" (61), noting it sounds like a spell. Jack says they are halfway there, with two more things to find. Annie calls out to Morgan that they will free her, confident Morgan can hear. They say goodbye to Peanut and promise to return the next day.

Walking through the Frog Creek woods, Jack and Annie reflect that nothing in the rain forest was truly mean. The army ants were just marching, the piranhas were just being piranhas, the snake and crocodile were just being themselves, and the jaguar was protecting her baby. The monkey had been trying to give them the mango all along. Jack concludes that the rain forest should simply be left alone. The siblings emerge from the woods, race up their sunlit street, and tag their front door together, shouting "Safe!"