Mary Pope Osborne

This book begins with a quick overview of what has happened in the first 22 Merlin missions and explains that Merlin is sending the sibling protagonists, Annie and Jack, on quests to meet great figures from other time periods and learn from them what makes a person great. On previous missions, they had already learned that humility and hard work are two of the qualities that help make a person great.
They are sent to the year 1850 in Egypt to meet Florence Nightengale. They are confused by the location because from what they know about Nightengale she was a nurse in England. When they arrive via the magic treehouse they find that Nightengale has not yet become a nurse, although it is her dream, because her family feels that she should be a proper society lady and stifle her hopes and dreams. Annie finds this upsetting because she has never encountered a situation where a woman is not allowed to pursue the life she chooses.
Nightengale is currently staying with some friends on a boat anchored on the Nile River and exploring the region. She is also trying to avoid some aristocratic family friends who have arrived and are trying to make her return to England and a life of idleness that she does not want. This makes it hard for Jack and Annie to meet up with Nightengale.
Finally, they see her leaving by donkey to visit the Valley of the Queens so they rent their own donkeys and try to catch her, all while babysitting a baby baboon. Unfortunately, the baby baboon is chased by jackals and they must rescue it by using a magical mist that allows them to become good at whatever they choose for one hour, in this case they have to choose to be expert rock climbers to reach the baboon. Halfway back down the cliff, baboon in tow, the mist wears off and they fall to the ground, both of them hurt. Meanwhile, Sarah Nightengale returns with her guide to look for them since their donkeys had returned without them.
Nightengale and the guide work together to help Jack and Annie return to the boat where Nightengale is staying. In the night, Nightengale tends to their injuries. When they wake, they have a long conversation about following dreams and what makes a person great. Will Annie and Jack learn another quality of greatness from Florence Nightengale? Will they be able to return home via the magic treehouse? How will they explain their injuries to their parents? How does Florence Nightengale finally become a nurse? Read the book to find out!
The author provides a note at the end giving an overview of Florence Nightengale’s life, explaining that the friends she was staying with in the boat were real people and Nightengale really did travel with them on the Nile River in Egypt. She also includes quick overviews of two other groundbreaking, historical figures.
I liked this book. It was set in another country in the 1850s. It provided some insight into how a few of the people lived during that time period and descriptions of the geography as it existed at that time in Egypt. I feel it introduces young readers to this other culture and time period in a way that is easy for them to picture and uses mystery and magic to keep them reading.… (meer)