High Tide in Hawaii is the twenty-eighth installment to the Magic Tree House series.
Synopsis[]
Jack and Annie travel in their magic tree house back to a Hawaiian island of long ago where they make friends, learn how to surf, and encounter a tsunami.
Chapters[]
- A Ship?
- Aloha!
- Sleepover
- Garden Paradise
- GO!
- Shake-up
- Ride for Your Lives!
- The Big Wave
- Telling the Story
- Everyday Magic
Plot[]
Jack and Annie were reading books on the porch while the sun was setting. Annie and Jack discover that the magic tree house has returned, and they quickly head to the woods to check it out. Inside, they find a new note from Morgan, which includes a new riddle:
To find a special magic,
build a special kind of ship
that rides the waves,
both high and low,
on every kind of trip.
They find a book titled “A Visit to Old Hawaii”, and Annie excitedly wishes they could go there. The tree house begins to spin, signaling the start of their next adventure.
They landed in a palm tree in a beautiful meadow near a beach. They saw a small village, then Jack learned that Hawaii was formed from underwater volcanoes and wind and birds bringing seeds. It sounded like the village was having a party, so the two decided to attend. People were doing the hula dance to tell stories, Annie decided to join them against Jack’s wishes. They were introduced to Kama and Boka, the latter gave the kids a lei each. After the dance, Kama gave them some poi to eat. She was so friendly, Jack had to tell her about the magic tree house. Kama offered them to stay there for one night, their house was a hut with no doors and they slept on mats.
The next morning, they found Kama and her family making tapa. They seemed weirded about the thought of them building ships. They then had coconut milk and bananas for breakfast, Jack took in awe the nature of Hawaii, but he wasn’t too keen on surfing. Annie told him not to read and just let Boka and Kama teach them. First, they got past the breaking waves, next they paddled to catch the biggest. At the right moment, they paddled back to shore, this is where they stood up. Jack had some trouble and even had a bad wipeout.
It was there that he was getting mad at their happiness, making Annie upset. Jack angrily wondered what Morgan meant by ship, when suddenly an earthquake happened; Jack learned that they could cause tsunamis (or tidal waves). Jack tried to warn them, but they couldn’t hear them, so he had to use a surfboard to get them back to shore. They ran up to the cliff and saw a humongous wave, the path got flooded and the water took the surfboards, but the villagers were glad that nobody got hurt. Jack showed them the book, and while everyone else was interested, they decided to do a hula. Jack decided to show everyone how he saved Annie, Boka and Kama, doing the hula himself. They all apologized to each other, Kama said their mother told them that friendship was like riding the waves, both high and low, this was Morgan’s rhyme! Kama says aloha to their new friends, Annie still had her lei they could use as proof of learning their magic.
When they got back home, they found Morgan in the tree house. She look at all the proof they brought back from their adventures and concluded that they did indeed find the magic of theater, animals, community, and friendship. She said they were now Magicians of Everyday Magic, this magic can be found on earth every day and there are still many. Yet, they never have look far, they just have to live their life the fullest. She said that soon they’ll use it in the realm of fantasy. Before they could if she meant Camelot, Jack and Annie’s dad called for them, but Morgan said their most exciting adventures are coming. Then, Morgan and the tree house disappeared, the kids wondered what Morgan meant. As they went back home, Jack wondered if this was the magic of family.
Trivia[]
- This is the first book without a kind of time in the title.
- Jack and Annie were sitting on their porch, reading books. Jack was reading about gorillas. Annie was reading about Pilgrims. This is a nod to the previous two books, Good Morning, Gorillas and Thanksgiving on Thursday.