Mummies in the Morning

“Was the mysterious M person watching him now? Maybe M wanted the gold medallion back—the one Jack had found on their dinosaur adventure. Maybe M wanted the leather bookmark back—the one from the castle book. There was an M on the medallion and an M on the bookmark. But what did M stand for?”

In literature, anaphora refers to the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of consecutive sentences or phrases, such as the repetition of “[m]aybe” at the start of the second and third sentences. This repetition and the narrator’s use of questions reveal Jack’s nervousness as he wonders whether someone is watching him and if he’s in trouble for finding the monogrammed objects. The repetition of the letter “M” connects to the clues the siblings have collected thus far in the series, reflects Jack’s methodical thought processes and interest in problem-solving, and foreshadows the eventual revelation that Morgan Le Fay is the magic tree house’s creator later in the series.

“A green silk bookmark was sticking out from between the pages. Jack turned to the page with the bookmark. There was a picture of a pyramid. Going toward the pyramid was a long parade. Four huge cows with horns were pulling a sled. On the sled was a long gold box. Many Egyptians were walking behind the sled. At the end of the parade was a sleek black cat.”

Osborne helps her readers imagine the book about ancient Egypt through imagery that appeals to the sense of sight, such as “green,” “gold,” and “black,” and the sense of touch, such as “silk.” These sensory details communicate the importance of the “parade” and the “long gold box” in the illustration, foreshadowing their appearance when the children travel back in time.