Published in 2001, Mary Pope Osborne’s Christmas in Camelot is a middle grade fantasy novel and the first installment in the Merlin Missions series. In this adventure, Jack and Annie are invited to King Arthur’s Camelot, where they embark on a quest to find Sir Lancelot, save the kingdom from a wicked spell, and bring back the joy of Christmas. The story combines elements of fantasy, history, and folklore to create a captivating tale that explores the power of hope, heroism, and the magic of Christmas. Osborne has penned over 60 books for children, and her accolades include the Diamond State Reading Association Award (1992), the Ludington Memorial Award (2005), and the Heidelberger Leander Award (2010).

Citations in this study guide refer to the eBook edition released by Random House in 2017.

Plot Summary

Siblings Jack and Annie discover a magic tree house that takes them on adventures to the places featured in books. The tree house belongs to the enchantress Morgan Le Fay, who lives in King Arthur’s Camelot. At the start of their Christmas break, Jack and Annie spot the tree house in the woods near their home. Inside, they find an invitation to spend Christmas at Camelot and the tree house whisks them away to King Arthur’s castle. To their surprise, Morgan Le Fay didn’t send the invitation. In fact, Camelot isn’t celebrating Christmas at all this year because a curse has robbed the kingdom of all its joy. King Arthur sent his three bravest knights, Sir Lancelot, Sir Percival, and Sir Galahad, on a quest to the Otherworld to break the spell. However, they haven’t returned, and the king has forbidden magic in Camelot as a result. The Christmas Knight, arrayed in red and green, charges into the great hall and claims that Arthur’s kingdom is doomed unless someone else takes up the quest. Annie bravely declares that she and Jack will go.

The Christmas Knight freezes Morgan Le Fay, King Arthur, Queen Guinevere, and the Knights of the Round Table like statues. To save them, the children must find a cauldron containing The Water of Memory and Imagination in the Otherworld. To guide them on this quest, the Christmas Knight tells them three rhyming riddles. The first rhyme warns Jack and Annie that the Keepers of the Cauldron wait beyond an iron gate. The second specifies that they will need four gifts–something from the Christmas Knight, a cup, a compass, and a key. The third rhyme tells them to search for a secret door in the west. After giving the children his red cloak, the knight rides away.

An enormous white stag appears and carries Jack and Annie to the gate of the Otherworld. The children sneak past the gate’s guards by hiding under the Christmas Knight’s cloak, which turns them invisible. When Jack and Annie step through the gate, they find themselves in a beautiful, sunny meadow. They follow the sound of music to a glade full of winged merrymakers and join in the dance. The music makes Jack forget his quest, and Annie saves him by tugging him out of the circle. She spots the three lost knights of Camelot dancing themselves to death among the winged revelers, and she and her brother pull them to safety. Sir Lancelot, Sir Galahad, and Sir Percival are too exhausted to continue on the quest right away, so the children encourage them to rest. The knights give Jack and Annie a cup, a compass, and a key. Together with the Christmas Knight’s cloak, these three objects complete the second rhyme.

Jack and Annie use Sir Percival’s compass to go west in search of the secret door mentioned in the third rhyme. They discover a glass door set in a hillside and unlock it using Sir Lancelot’s key. On the other side, they find a beautiful crystal cave and discover a golden cauldron full of the Water of Memory and Imagination. With Jack’s help, Annie fills Sir Galahad’s cup with the water. Suddenly, four dragons surround the siblings. Jack realizes that they are the Keepers of the Cauldron the first rhyme warned them about. The siblings drink the Water of Memory and Imagination, which gives them the courage to chase the dragons away with burning branches.

Jack and Annie return to the knights, who are feeling much better after their rest. The children guide the knights to their horses and ride with Sir Lancelot through the Otherworld’s gate. The white stag appears to carry the children back to Camelot, and they say their goodbyes to the three knights. Back at King Arthur’s castle, Annie gives the Christmas Knight’s cloak to the white stag to thank him for his help. The siblings return to the great hall, where Morgan and the others are still frozen like statues. Jack trips and spills the water from the cup.

The Water of Memory and Imagination forms a golden cloud that fills the great hall and then spreads across Camelot. Everyone comes back to life, and the curse that took away their joy breaks. Morgan Le Fay embraces Jack and Annie, who tell her all about their quest. King Arthur and Queen Guinevere thank the children for saving their kingdom and invite the people of Camelot to gather for a Christmas celebration. Soon, the great hall is filled with light, music, and laughter. The white stag appears and transforms into Merlin. Morgan realizes that Merlin invited Jack and Annie to Camelot, assumed the shape of the Christmas Knight, and then carried them to the Otherworld as the white stag. The siblings return home, and Jack uses his memory and his imagination to write the story of their Christmas in Camelot.