Night of the New Magicians is the seventh book in the Merlin Missions. It was originally published as the 35th book of the combined Magic Tree House series.
Synopsis[]
Jack and Annie visit the Paris World's Fair of 1889 in an effort to protect four scientific pioneers from an evil sorcerer.
Chapters[]
- Four New Magicians
- A Living Encyclopedia
- Magic? Magicians?
- Wizard of Menlo Park
- Hellooo?
- Invisible Enemies
- Start Pedaling!
- Secrets
- The Sorcerer
- Good Night, Magicians!
Plot[]
It was the summer, and Jack was reading on the porch at twilight. Just as he was about to get ice cream with Annie, when she noticed that the crickets suddenly stopped chirping. She took this as a sign that the magic tree house has returned. Inside was a book for the Paris’ World’s Fair. A letter from Merlin said that an evil sorcerer went there to steal the secrets of four new magicians. One of Sound, whose can be heard from miles away, one of Light, who can make fires glow but not burn, one of the Invisible, who can battle unseen enemies, and one of Iron, who can bend metal and win over wind. Jack and Annie’s mission is to find these magicians, warn them about the sorcerer and learn their secrets first. Jack and Annie were a little confused about the magicians there, but they figured they could use their rhymes, they have five left.
In Paris, the Eiffel Tower was in the distance and the fair was below it. Jack and Annie blended easily amongst the crowd, it was just like Carnival, but everyone had real clothes. The World’s Fair featured many exhibits and people from all around the globe. They needed money for tickets, luckily their money for ice cream turned into French coins. They next decided to take the World’s Fair Sightseeing Train. They passed an Egyptian café, an African village, Chinese performers, and much more. Jack heard someone say “magical”, but they were talking about the Eiffel Tower, it was made especially for the fair.
Suddenly, the kids heard a little girl named Mimi tell her father that she could send a voice from miles away. Walking over the booth, they found that she was actually testing out the new telephone, this is when it was invented. Jack realized that the Magician of Sound was Alexander Graham Bell, the evil sorcerer must have believed that the telephone was some kind of magic. Unfortunately, Bell wasn’t there, the woman in the booth said he left a while ago after a hooded man wearing a cloak gave him an invitation. The kids believed it was the evil sorcerer, the woman than said he went to the Hall of Machines.
The place was enormous, it contained sewing machines and cars, there was even a mechanical walkway where people could see everything. The kids decided to go there to see if they could see the sorcerer. They saw many people in different clothes, but none had a hooded cloak. However, they also heard someone saw the “Wizard of Menlo Park”, the guide book said Thomas Alva Edison was born in that New Jersey community. There was a phonograph at his booth, but a man named Henri was showing off the incandescent lightbulb, a fire that glows but doesn’t burn! Henri said that Edison, the Magician of Light, was also invited to a party by a hooded man, who went to the Pasteur Institute.
Jack couldn’t find that place in guide book, so it must not be part of the fair. At least the kids knew what was going on, the evil sorcerer was inviting the “magicians” to a party to steal their secrets. A coachman took them to the Pasteur Institute in a carriage and explained it was where diseases cures were found. Jack decided that they should use the “Make Something Disappear” rhyme on the sorcerer. The institute was closed for the night, but a night watchman told them that Louis Pasteur, the Magician of the Invisible, has treated microbes and was recently invited to the Eiffel Tower at ten P.M. by the hooded man. It was 9:35, they only had twenty-five minutes! A short and odd-looking couple offered Jack and Annie their two-seater bicycle since it was an emergency, they could just leave it by the arches of the tower when they were done. However, it was hard for them to bike on the street, and they got lost. Remembering what the short gentleman said, they used the “Spin into the Air” rhyme to fly to the Eiffel Tower.
They were on the right track, as a guard saw Bell, Edison and Pasteur go to a private affair on top. Unfortunately, as they could only use rhymes once and the elevators were shut down for the night, they had to climb the tower on foot. It was a long and tiring hike up 1,652 steps, but they did it, talking about how horrible it would be for life if the evil sorcerer will have his way. Inside a small apartment on a terrace, they saw the three scientists with a fourth man playing a piano. The guide book revealed him to be Gustave Eiffel, the man who built the Eiffel Tower and the Magician of Iron. The four men gladly welcomed the kids in, it looked like the evil sorcerer hadn’t arrived yet.
They warned them about him and managed to convince them to tell them their secrets before he came. Eiffel had a taste for adventure, love of work and responsibility, Pasteur said studying makes you luckier, Edison said that genius is mostly sweat, and Bell’s secret was to never give up hope when one door closes. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, Eiffel opened the door despite Jack, who suspected the sorcerer, telling him not to. The four scientists were suddenly still, but Annie discovered that the one at the door was actually Merlin! He revealed that there never was an evil sorcerer, at least not at the World’s Fair, Merlin was the hooded man. He wanted the kids to meet the scientists but wanted them to be more determined in finding out their secrets. Annie finished the rhyme to send Merlin back to Camelot and the four scientists were fine, they believed Merlin was just a gust of wind. After looking over Paris and telling the four about computers, Jack and Annie climbed, which was thankfully easier than climbing up.
When they got down, they noticed that the bike was missing. Once they returned to the tree house, Annie said good night to the magicians and Jack took them back to Frog Creek. They had three rhymes left for their last adventure with them. On their way home, Jack and Annie realized that they did all of the magicians’ secrets during their mission. Suspecting that the couple with the bike were Teddy and Kathleen in disguises due to various traits, the two decided that next time they’ll catch them by surprise. They then ran off to get their ice cream.
Publication Note[]
This book was originally published as book #35 of the Magic Tree House Series. In 2017 the books where Merlin sets the mission were separated from the main series and given their own numbering system.
Trivia[]
- At the beginning of the book, some lyrics from the Song of the Century, by the Comédie-Française, is shown. Clear-eyed Science and active Industry Have erected, among the spacious palaces, An iron Tower leading to the heavens.