Season of the Sandstorms: A Merlin Mission by Mary Pope Osborne Read Free Book Online

over to the tallest date palm. Jack pulled the rope ladder from behind the trunk, and they climbed up.
    When they got inside the tree house, Jack took out Merlin’s letter. He glanced out the window one last time.
    The sun was gone. The carpet looked small and ordinary in the shadows beneath the palm tree. The desert looked vast and silent and lonely. A thin crescent moon had appeared in the sky.
    “Return to the tree house before the moon rises,”
said Jack.
    “That was our last instruction from Merlin,” said Annie. “We’re all done.”
    Jack looked down at Merlin’s letter. He pointed at the words
Jack and Annie of Frog Creek.
“I wish we could go home!” he said.
    The wind started to blow.
    The tree house started to spin.
    It spun faster and faster.
    Then everything was still.
    Absolutely still.

    The Frog Creek woods were chilly in the afternoon air. Jack and Annie were dressed in their jeans and jackets again. Jack’s shoulder bag was a backpack.
    “Good trip,” Jack said simply.
    Annie nodded. “Really cool,” she said.
    “I guess we should get home,” said Jack. “I have lots of homework to finish.”
    “Leave the research book. But don’t forget totake Teddy and Kathleen’s rhyme book for safekeeping,” said Annie.
    Jack reached into his backpack. He pulled out the book on the golden age of Baghdad and placed it on the tree house floor. Then he threw his pack over his shoulder and climbed down the ladder. Annie followed. Together they walked through the early-spring woods.
    “We passed Merlin’s second test,” said Annie. “We helped spread wisdom to the world…. That’s a pretty big deal.”
    “Be humble,” Jack reminded her.
    “Well, I guess Teddy and Kathleen’s book did the hard stuff for us,” Annie said humbly.
    “I miss them,” said Jack.
    “Me too,” said Annie. “But I think they might have been with us in Baghdad.”
    “What do you mean?” said Jack.
    “Remember that servant girl and boy who took us to the caliph?” said Annie. “They sort of came out of nowhere. And we never actually saw their faces, did we?”
    “No … ”, said Jack. “You think?”
    Annie shrugged. “Maybe.”
    Jack smiled and took a deep breath. “Maybe,” he said softly.
    “Two missions and five rhymes left,” said Annie. “I hope Merlin sends for us again soon.”
    “But not
too
soon,” said Jack. “I need to do my homework first.”
    Annie laughed. “Math with Arabic numerals?” she said.
    “Right,” said Jack. “And maybe tomorrow we’ll go to the library and see if they have any books of Aristotle’s wisdom.”
    “Good idea,” said Annie.
    A cool spring breeze rustled the trees, and Jack and Annie hurried toward home.



More Facts About Baghdad
    Baghdad is an ancient city that lies between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Long ago, this area was called Mesopotamia, which means “between the rivers.” Today this land is called Iraq, and Baghdad is its capital.
    The character of Mamoon in this book was inspired by
two
caliphs of Baghdad in the ninth century—Harun al-Rashid and his son Abdullah al-Mamoon (often spelled al-Mamoun).
    It is said that Harun al-Rashid sometimes disguised himself and went to the bazaars to listen to his people. The world of al-Rashid was the inspiration for the collection of stories known as
A Thousand and One Nights
or
Tales from the Arabian Nights.
    Abdullah al-Mamoon was the youngest son of Harun al-Rashid. He carried on his father’s work by honoring the arts and sciences. He also founded the House of Wisdom in Baghdad.
    The House of Wisdom was a home to scholarsfrom all over the Eastern world. Two important thinkers who studied there were al-Kindi, who was called “the philosopher of the Arabs,” and the mathematician al-Khwarizmi, who introduced algebra (a kind of math) to the world.
    Many ancient writings were stored and translated at the House of Wisdom. Some of the most important writings included the work of the Greek