A friend's son is very interested in this series of books, The Magic Tree House, and now I share his interest. I thought that this was a very interesting book. I loved the characters, Jack and Annie, and I loved the teamwork that they incorporated. Without one another Jack and Annie would not have solved the problems or the riddles. I think that it is very important to show examples of cooperation and teamwork, as well as the positive outcomes of teamwork. Cooperation and teamwork are skills that are very vital to students, and students will use these skills throughout their lives. I also liked the storyline of this book. I thought that the storyline was very interesting and "catching." From deciding who the " Grand Lady of the Lagoon" was to finding Tiepolo the painter, and riding the "King of the Jungle" readers were lost in the words of Mary Pope Osborne. I also thought that the series of events moved quickly, which allowed for the book not to "drag along." It is important for storylines to move quickly and not linger, I believe, to keep the students full attention and to encourage more independent reading. The setting of Venice, Italy was also a nice twist to the story. I feel that by having the setting in a location outside of the United States the book serves as an enrichment tool for the students. After reading the nice addition of facts about Italy in the back of the book, students may become interested and research Italy more on their own. I believe that this book would be an excellent cross-curricular tool by incorporating history and geography into the English/Language Arts lesson. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I would definitely recommend this book to students in my classroom.