Dear Readers,

The idea for this Magic Tree House book was inspired by a small article I read in the newspaper. The article said that archaeologists had recently uncovered the ruins of a scroll library in an ancient Roman town. The town, Herculaneum, was buried by a volcano almost 2,000 years ago. The same volcano destroyed a nearby town that might sound more familiar to you—Pompeii.

I have always wanted to write a book about Pompeii, so my imagination got to work. I moved the library over to Pompeii and sent Jack and Annie on a mission to find a lost scroll … just as the volcano is about to erupt.

I hope you’ll enjoy taking this scary journey with them as much as I did!

All my best,