Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne

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    I first came across your Magic Tree House series when my son brought one home … I have since introduced this great series to my class. They have absolutely fallen in love with these books! … My students are now asking me for more independent reading time to read them. Your stories have inspired even my most struggling readers.
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    We have enjoyed your books all year long. We check your Web site to find new information. We pull our map down to find the areas where the adventures take place. My class always chimes in at key parts of the story. It feels good to hear my students ask for a book and cheer when a new book comes out.
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—K. Mahoney



Text copyright © 1992 by Mary Pope Osborne.
Illustrations copyright © 1992 by Sal Murdocca.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Random House, Inc., and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.
    Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Osborne, Mary Pope. Dinosaurs before dark /
Mary Pope Osborne; illustrated by Sal Murdocca. p. cm. — (The Magic Tree House) A First Stepping Stone book
SUMMARY : Eight-year-old Jack and his younger sister Annie find a magic tree house, which whisks them back to an ancient time zone where they see live dinosaurs.
eISBN: 978-0-375-89418-3
[1. Dinosaurs—Fiction. 2. Time travel—Fiction.
3. Magic—Fiction. 4. Tree houses—Fiction.]
I. Murdocca, Sal, ill. II. Title. III. Series.
PZ7.O81167Di 1992 [Fic]—dc20 91-51106
    v3.0

For Linda and Mallory,
    who took the trip with me



“Help! A monster!” said Annie.
    â€œYeah, sure,” said Jack. “A real monster in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania.”
    â€œRun, Jack!” said Annie. She ran up the road.
    Oh, brother.
    This is what he got for spending time with his seven-year-old sister.
    Annie loved pretend stuff. But Jack was eight and a half. He liked
real
things.
    â€œWatch out, Jack! The monster’s coming! Race you!”
    â€œNo, thanks,” said Jack.
    Annie raced alone into the woods.
    Jack looked at the sky. The sun was about to set.
    â€œCome on, Annie! It’s time to go home!”
    But Annie had disappeared.
    Jack waited.
    No Annie.
    â€œAnnie!” he shouted again.
    â€œJack! Jack! Come here!”
    Jack groaned. “This better be good,” he said.
    Jack left the road and headed into the woods. The trees were lit with a golden late-afternoon light.
    â€œCome here!” called Annie.
    There she was. Standing under a tall