Winter of the Ice Wizard is the fourth book in the Merlin Missions series. It was originally published as the 32nd book of the combined Magic Tree House series.
Synopsis[]
Jack and Annie are joined by Teddy and Kathleen as they travel to the snowy Land-Behind-the-Clouds, where they search for the eye of the Ice Wizard and attempt to help Merlin and Morgan.
Plot[]
The stone taking the four of them to the Land-Behind-the-Clouds.
As they were getting ready for Christmas, Jack and Annie's mother mentions that it is the Winter solstice. Remembering the Merlin sent them on a mission on the Summer solstice, they leave for a while to see if Merlin had anything this time. On their way, they meet up with Teddy and also Kathleen from near the Cove of the Stormy Coast, who just ran into some cars thinking they were monsters. Inside the Magic Tree House, the two confess that they haven't seen Merlin nor Morgan in days. They found a stone in Merlin's chambers saying that his Staff of Strength had been stolen, and they must travel to the Land-Behind-the-Clouds to retrieve it.
When Jack and Annie, along with Teddy and Kathleen, arrived, they went towards the sun just before it set and found a palace of ice. Inside, they found a large man with an eye patch sitting on the throne. It wasn't Merlin, but the man was the one who actually sent that message. He was the Ice Wizard, the one who put a spell on the Raven King and stole the Sword of Light. The Ice Wizard explained that he heard about Merlin's missions, and wanted a favor from them himself. He wanted them to bring him his missing eye, which he traded to the Norns long ago hoping it would give him wisdom. He gives them their sleigh and some wind-strings to help them. He also warns them of two white wolves who will eat them if they catch them.
The sleigh was powered by the wind-strings, which they control by untying knots to make the wind blow and propel them forward. As the group journeyed on, they followed the swans, heading toward the Norns' house. When the group arrived, they hear the Ice Wizard’s backstory. The three Norns explain that after taking his eye, they planted seeds of wisdom in his heart, but, sadly, they never took root. Jack and Annie are disheartened to learn that the Ice Wizard’s eye is no longer with them. They had sacrificed it at Hollow Hill, hoping it would appease the Frost Giant, a terrifying creature that could freeze anyone with its gaze, so it could experience the world’s beauty. The Norns asked for a red scarf as payment, and they gave the group guidance for their next journey. Before they left, Kathleen asked about a sad picture on their tapestry. the Norns shared that the Ice Wizard had a younger sister whom he once loved deeply. However, they had an argument, and in his anger, he lost control. She fled to the sea, where she met the swan maidens. They gave her a magical dress, allowing her to join them, and she flew away, never to return. This heartbreak is the reason the Ice Wizard is so cold-hearted. Before the group left, the Norns reassure them not to fear the wolves.
Jack and Annie manage to retrieve the eye, encased in a hailstone, but in the process, they wake the Frost Giant, whose roar triggers an avalanche that separates them. After reuniting, they find the wolves beside the Ice Wizard at his palace. They return his eye, but after inspecting it, the Ice Wizard finds it nearly useless, likely because it’s been frozen. Furious, he accuses the children of trickery. Just then, Teddy and Kathleen arrive, bringing with them something else—the Ice Wizard’s sister, who has chosen to forgive him! Kathleen had found her with the help of a seal, which led her and Teddy to the Isle of the Swans. Using Merlin's Staff of Strength, Jack restores Merlin and Morgan to their true forms—they were the wolves. The Ice Wizard admits with regret that he pushed them away to prevent them from uncovering the painful truth. The wolves had only been trying to help him. Morgan explains that the seeds the Norns planted in his heart are beginning to bloom because he has started thinking with his heart, not just his head.
The Ice Wizard agrees to let the six travelers use his sleigh to return to the Magic Tree House. As they leave, they see him speaking with his sister. On the way back, Merlin reveals that the Frost Giant doesn’t exist—what Jack and Annie had encountered at Hollow Hill was simply a powerful windstorm. Morgan elaborates that the ancient people believed natural forces like storms and winds were giants in their own right. The Norns are the last survivors of this belief, which is why their plan with the eye failed. It’s like what the Ice Wizard said about the wolves—sometimes, people make us think the world is far more frightening than it truly is. Right now, the world isn't that scary at all to Jack. Morgan said the solstice was ending and the next mission will take place in their world.
Once Jack and Annie get back home, Jack, puzzled by the magic, realizes they forgot to return the wind-string but finds it’s no longer magical. The pair walked back home, where they found something strange. It was Annie's scarf; it now had a picture of the kids and two white wolves woven into it of them. It’s a reminder of their adventure, and they share a warm moment before heading inside for cookies.
Chapters[]
- Winter Solstice
- Land-Behind-The-Clouds
- The Ice Wizard
- Take My Sleigh
- The Norns
- In the Hollow Hill
- The Frost Giant
- Return of the Eye
- Wisdom of the Heart
Publication Note[]
This book was originally published as book #32 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.
Notes on time and place settings[]
- This book takes place half a year after Summer of the Sea Serpent.
Trivia[]
- At the beginning of the book, a passage from Poetic Edda is heard. The fetters shall break And the wolf run free. Secret things I know And onward I see. This refers to Odin foreseeing Fenris Wolf, the one destined to eat him, breaking free of his binds at Ragnarok, the end of the world in Norse Mythology.
Goofs[]
- The book stated that the Ice Wizard put a spell on the Raven King. However, in Haunted Castle on Hallow's Eve, it was stated that the Raven King stole it from the Ice Wizard.