Lions at Lunchtime

This is the 11th book in the Magic Tree House series.

While walking home from the grocery store, siblings Jack and Annie see a small, deer-like animal at the edge of the Frog Creek woods. Recognizing this as a sign, they follow it and find the magic tree house has returned. Inside, the enchantress librarian Morgan le Fay greets them. She confirms they still want to become Master Librarians and gives them their third mission. Annie receives a scroll with a riddle, and Jack gets a research book titled THE PLAINS OF AFRICA. Annie points to a picture in the book and wishes they could go there. As the tree house begins to spin, Morgan warns them to watch out for lions.

The tree house lands on the African savanna next to a giraffe eating leaves. From the window, Jack and Annie see a vast plain crowded with animals near a wide river. Jack reads from the Africa book and learns they have arrived during the annual migration, when thousands of animals, including horned wildebeests, cross the Mara River. The book explains that the different animals cross in a specific order, each preparing the grasslands for the next. Annie sees the wildebeests hesitating on the far riverbank. Jack reads the riddle aloud: "I'm the color of gold / and as sweet as can be. / But beware of the danger / that's all around me" (13). Determined to help the animals, Annie climbs down the ladder, and Jack reluctantly follows, wondering where the lions are.

As Jack pauses to read that lions avoid giraffes, Annie reaches the river and shouts encouragement to the wildebeests. Suddenly, she disappears. Jack runs to the riverbank and finds her trapped in a deep mudhole, sinking fast. He tries to pull her out with a branch as the wildebeests begin swimming toward them. A vulture circles overhead, and Annie's resulting fury gives her the strength to lunge for nearby tree roots and pull herself free. Covered in mud, she realizes the swimming wildebeests are now heading for the same dangerous mudhole.

To save the animals, Annie runs to a safe, sandy spot and successfully diverts the herd, allowing them to cross the river without incident. Afterward, two hyenas confront Jack and Annie. Jack reads that hyenas have a reputation for being cowards, and Annie suggests they try to scare them away by making monster faces. They find a pond to wash off the mud, where a large elephant emerges from the trees. The elephant uses its trunk to give both children a "shower," washing them completely clean.

Afterward, a small gray bird flits around them insistently. Annie convinces Jack to follow it into the forest, where it leads them to a beehive. Jack’s book identifies the bird as a "honey guide," which leads people of the Masai tribe to beehives in a cooperative relationship. Realizing the bird wants their help, Jack and Annie use large plants to scatter the bees and then knock down the hive. They taste the sweet, golden honey and understand it is the answer to Morgan's riddle. Just then, a tall Masai warrior, armed with a spear and sword, appears from the shadows.

Frightened, Jack and Annie try to explain themselves to the silent warrior. Jack offers him the peanut butter and bread from his backpack, and they make a peanut butter and honey sandwich for him. When the warrior hesitates, they make sandwiches for themselves so he will not have to eat alone. The three eat together in silence. Afterward, the warrior gives them a kind smile and vanishes into the forest. Jack and Annie thank the honey guide and start back toward the tree house.

On their way, they see a pride of lions sleeping in the shade of the same tree the tree house is in. Jack reads that lions rest after eating and are not an immediate threat, but he remains cautious. Their plan to tiptoe past is ruined when the laughing hyenas return. The noise awakens the large male lion, who fixes his gaze on Jack. Remembering that lions avoid giraffes, Jack pulls Annie underneath a tall one walking nearby. They use the giraffe as a shield as they move toward the rope ladder. Once close enough, they dash out and scramble up the ladder just as the lion leaps at them.

Safely inside the tree house, they see the scroll now displays the answer: "HONEY." Jack finds the book about their home in Pennsylvania and wishes to return. The tree house transports them back to the Frog Creek woods. They now have one more riddle to solve to become Master Librarians. On their walk home, they decide to tell their mother they ate their sandwiches on the way back from the store, joking that the full story of their adventure would be ten chapters long.