Plot Summary

A New Mission for Teddy

The story begins on a stormy night when seven-year-old Annie wakes her older brother, Jack. She insists the rain is calling them to the magic tree house. Despite his reluctance, Jack senses the importance of her call and joins her. Inside the tree house, they find a small, scruffy terrier puppy and a note from Morgan le Fay.

The note explains the puppy is under a magic spell and needs their help. To free him, they must collect four special gifts over four separate missions. The first required gift is: “A gift from a ship lost at sea.”

The puppy, whom Annie names Teddy, nudges a book titled The Unsinkable Ship. Recognizing this as their first destination, Jack points to the cover and wishes them there. The tree house spins, whisking them away on their new quest.

Arrival on the Titanic

Jack and Annie land on the cold, star-lit deck of a massive ocean liner, positioned between two giant smokestacks. They are magically dressed in old-fashioned clothing appropriate for the era. By reading from their research book, Jack discovers they are on a famous English ship making its first voyage to New York City on the night of April 14, 1912.

Just as they absorb this information, a lookout shouts, “Iceberg ahead!” They feel a jolt and hear a grinding sound as the ship scrapes against a massive iceberg. The ship comes to a stop, and an eerie calm settles over the night. Annie, confident in the ship’s “unsinkable” reputation, is ready to explore. Jack, however, is deeply worried. He finds a life preserver and confirms his worst fear: the ship’s name is R.M.S. TITANIC. He knows the true fate of the ship, and that they have landed in the middle of a historic disaster.

A Race Against Time

Jack wants to return home immediately, but Annie insists they must stay and help. Realizing they can’t change history but might be able to assist someone, they decide to explore. They find the ship strangely quiet, with most passengers still asleep and unaware of the danger.

They peek into the radio room and overhear the captain ordering the operator to send out an SOS, the international distress signal. Jack’s book reveals the tragic truth: the nearest ship has turned off its radio, and no other ships are close enough to arrive in time. The Titanic will sink around 2:20 A.M., all alone.

They then hear the captain order the crew to prepare the lifeboats. Again, Jack’s book provides grim context: there are only enough lifeboats for about half the passengers, and in the confusion, many will leave partially empty. Furthermore, third-class passengers on the lower decks will have trouble finding their way to the boat deck. Seeing a clear way to help, Jack and Annie decide their mission is to guide people from the lower decks to the lifeboats.

Rescuing William and Lucy

Using a map from their book, Jack and Annie navigate the ship’s luxurious but confusing interior. They descend to the third-class decks, noticing the floor is beginning to slant as the ship’s bow sinks. They try to warn passengers, but their alerts are dismissed with cheerful disbelief.

As they reach a lower hallway, they see sea water sloshing at the far end. The cabins appear empty, but Teddy, whom Annie has been carrying, suddenly leaps from Jack’s arms and runs toward the water, barking furiously at a closed door. The door opens to reveal a small, sleepy boy named William. His older sister, Lucy, appears moments later. They are traveling alone to meet their parents in New York.

Jack and Annie quickly explain the danger. Seeing the water creeping down the hall, Lucy understands. They help the siblings put on their coats and life belts and lead them back up through the ship, with Teddy now riding in Jack’s knapsack.

The Gift and a Narrow Escape

On the top deck, the scene is chaotic yet surreal. A band plays lively music, and rockets are fired into the sky, which William mistakes for fireworks. The atmosphere of a party makes Lucy doubt the danger, but Jack and Annie convince her the threat is real.

An officer shouts, “Women and children first!” and directs them toward a lifeboat. Lucy and William are terrified of the small boat dangling over the dark, icy water, but Jack and Annie persuade them to be brave. Before they board, Lucy gives Annie a precious gift: her father’s silver pocket watch, which they carried for good luck. She believes Jack and Annie were their good luck. As Jack glances at the watch, he sees the time is 1:50 A.M.—only thirty minutes remain.

After Lucy and William are safely in the lifeboat, a crewman mistakes Annie for another child and tosses her in as well. Jack yells for her to get out, but the boat begins to lower. Just then, a wealthy woman demands the boat be brought back up for her. In that brief moment, Jack pulls Annie back onto the deck of the Titanic, and they escape into the crowd.

The Sinking and the Journey Home

With the gift secured, Jack and Annie race back toward the smokestacks to find the tree house. The ship’s tilt is now severe, and deck chairs slide past them. The band plays a solemn hymn as panic erupts. They scramble up to where they left the tree house, only to find it gone.

The front of the ship plunges deeper, and the lights flicker and die, casting them into darkness. Just as they cling to the railing, fearing they are lost, they hear Teddy barking in the distance. He had somehow gotten out of the knapsack. Following his calls, Annie discovers the tree house, which had been knocked on its side and wedged against a smokestack. She helps Jack inside, and as the Titanic makes a final, cracking groan, Annie points to their Pennsylvania book and wishes them home.

They land safely back in the Frog Creek woods, returned to their own time and clothes. The silver watch has stopped at 2:20, the exact moment the Titanic sank. They have their first gift. But as they prepare to take Teddy home, he vanishes as mysteriously as he appeared, leaving them to wonder about his magic. Looking at the starry sky, Jack reflects on how stories and memories keep the Titanic alive, forever wishing its tragic story had a different ending.

Characters

Jack

Eight-year-old Jack is the cautious, analytical older brother. He relies on facts, research, and logic to navigate their adventures. When they land on the Titanic, his first instinct is to consult their research book, which gives him a grim understanding of the historical event they are witnessing. He is initially overwhelmed by fear and the desire to escape, but his loyalty to Annie and his innate sense of duty compel him to stay and help. Jack represents the voice of reason and strategy, using the map in their book to formulate a plan to rescue passengers.

Annie

Seven-year-old Annie is impulsive, empathetic, and driven by her heart. She is the one who senses the call to adventure and is the first to connect with the magical puppy, Teddy. On the Titanic, she refuses to leave, insisting they have a responsibility to help others. Her bravery is instinctive rather than calculated, and her direct, earnest pleas to passengers—though often ignored—show her unwavering compassion. It is her connection with Teddy and her determination that ultimately lead them to William and Lucy.

Teddy

Teddy is a small terrier puppy who is the catalyst for the mission. Though he cannot speak, his actions are guided by a magical intelligence. He is under a spell that Jack and Annie must break, but he is far from helpless. He leads them directly to the children trapped on a flooding deck and later guides them to the misplaced tree house in the final, chaotic moments of the sinking. Teddy functions as a magical guide, a symbol of innocence in need of rescue, and, ultimately, their savior.

Lucy and William O’Malley

Lucy and William are two young Irish siblings traveling in third class to reunite with their parents. Lucy, the older sister, embodies responsibility and courage as she cares for her four-year-old brother. They represent the countless innocent and vulnerable passengers on the ship. Their rescue becomes Jack and Annie’s immediate, tangible mission. Lucy’s gratitude is expressed through the gift of her father’s pocket watch, a valuable and meaningful object that fulfills the first requirement of Morgan’s quest.

Core Themes

Courage in the Face of Tragedy

The story explores different forms of courage amidst a catastrophic event. Jack and Annie display the courage to act despite their fear, choosing to help strangers on a sinking ship. Lucy shows immense bravery by taking responsibility for her younger brother and trusting Jack and Annie. The book also alludes to the legendary courage of the ship’s band, which continued to play music to calm passengers as the ship went down, transforming a historical detail into a powerful symbol of grace under pressure.

The Power of Empathy and Helping Others

At its heart, the book is a story about the moral imperative to help others. Annie’s immediate declaration, “We have to stay and help,” sets the tone for their mission. Their goal shifts from a magical quest for an object to a deeply human mission to save lives. By focusing on the rescue of two specific children, the story makes the immense tragedy of the Titanic personal and relatable, demonstrating that even small acts of kindness and assistance have profound meaning in the face of disaster.

History, Memory, and Myth

The narrative thoughtfully engages with the Titanic‘s place in history and culture. Through Jack’s research book, the reader learns the factual details of the sinking. However, the story also touches on how historical events become legends. Jack’s final reflection that the Titanic is “a true story, but it’s also like a myth now” speaks to this transformation. The silver watch, stopped at the exact moment of the sinking, becomes a physical artifact of a frozen moment in time, symbolizing how memory preserves history and allows future generations to connect with the past.

Plot devices

The Magic Tree House

The Magic Tree House is the central device that enables the entire series. It functions as a time machine, transporting Jack and Annie to a specific historical setting. It also serves as a safe haven and their only means of escape. In this story, its displacement during the sinking creates a moment of high-stakes tension, as their only way home is temporarily lost, forcing them to rely on Teddy’s magical guidance.

The Research Book

The book about the Titanic that Jack brings with them is a crucial narrative tool. It provides factual exposition about the historical event, educating the reader about the ship, the timeline of the sinking, and the reasons for the high death toll. This device creates dramatic irony, as Jack, Annie, and the reader possess knowledge that the characters on the ship do not. This foreknowledge shapes Jack’s fear and their motivation to act urgently.

Morgan le Fay’s Quest

The overarching quest assigned by Morgan le Fay provides the narrative framework for Jack and Annie’s adventure. The specific goal—to find “a gift from a ship lost at sea”—gives them a clear purpose for being on the Titanic. This quest structure elevates their journey from mere historical observation to a mission with a magical purpose. It cleverly balances the grim reality of the disaster with a hopeful, fantastical element, ensuring the story remains appropriate and engaging for its young audience.