Magic Tree House is an American children's series written by American author Mary Pope Osborne. The original American series was illustrated by Salvatore Murdocca until 2016, after which AG Ford took over [citation needed]. Other illustrators have been used for foreign-language editions.
The series is divided into two groups. The first group consists of Books 1–39, in which Morgan Le Fay sends Jack and Annie Smith, siblings from the fictional small town of Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, on adventures and missions through a magical tree house. The second group, called Magic Tree House: Merlin Missions, begins with Book 1, Christmas in Camelot, and has ancient wizard Merlin the Magician giving Jack and Annie quests. These books are longer than others, and some take place in fantasy realms such as Camelot. Kathleen and Teddy are apprentices who befriend Jack and Annie and provide support, occasionally joining them on adventures. In Super Edition #1, Teddy sends them on a mission instead of Morgan or Merlin. The companion Magic Tree House Fact Trackers are co-written by Mary Pope Osborne with her husband Will Osborne or sister Natalie Pope Boyce.
Series background
After graduating from college, Mrs. Osborne and a friend went traveling.[1] Mrs. Osborne spent time in Crete and traveled through Iraq, Iran, India, Afghanistan, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, and Pakistan.[2] The trip ended when Mrs. Osborne experienced blood poisoning in Nepal and was hospitalized for several weeks, during which she read The Lord of the Rings.[1] Remarking on her travels, Mrs. Osborne said, "That journey irrevocably changed me. The experience gathered serves as a reference point every day of my life. I encountered worlds of light and worlds of darkness — and planted seeds of the imagination that led directly to my being an author of children's books."[2]
Mrs. Osborne's travels and experiences have largely factored into her writing, which has allowed her to experience the thrills of traveling. She has stated that, "Without even leaving my home, I’ve traveled around the globe, learning about the religions of the world."[3]
Mrs. Osborne's writing career began "one day, out of the blue"[3] when she wrote Run, Run As Fast As You Can in 1982, which she has said is semi-autobiographical, as she stated: "The girl was a lot like me and many of the incidents in the story were similar to happenings in my childhood."[3] The book served as the starting point for Mrs. Osborne's writing career; her early work received mixed reviews.[4][5] Her work includes young adult novels, picture books, retellings of mythology and fairy tales, biographies, mysteries, a six-part series of the Odyssey, a book of American Tall Tales, and a book for young readers about major world religions.
The idea for the series came when Penguin Random House asked Mrs. Osborne to start writing a series of children's books.[6] Mrs. Osborne knew from the beginning that she wanted to include time travel,[6] and the idea for the treehouse as the means of time travel came to her when she and her husband saw one while on a walk in the forest in Pennsylvania.[6]
Mrs. Osborne says that she can work on Magic Tree House up to 12 hours a day and seven days a week[7] and has used space at shared office space, The Writer's Room.[8] She has modeled her writing after Hemingway by trying to be simple and direct[7] and is "noted for writing clear, lively, well-paced prose in both her stories and her informational books."[2]
Main characters
When Mrs. Osborne started writing the series, she wrote Jack as a main character and added Annie as a typical annoying younger sister.[9] After writing her in, Osborne eventually decided to make her a main character.[9] Mrs. Osborne highlights Annie’s bravery as a characteristic that is the main difference between Annie and herself, as Mrs. Osborne has noted she often wished she was braver.[9]
Jack
Jack is the older brother, who is known for his love of books and learning, an attribute Osborne says connects her to him.[10] He tends to be cautious.[11] According to the original illustrations by Sal Murdocca, Jack has brown hair, wears red glasses, and is taller than Annie.[12]
Annie
Annie is the younger sister, who is known for her bravery, impulsive decisions, and caring for the people and animals around her.[10] According to the original illustrations by Sal Murdocca, Annie is depicted as having medium-length blonde hair, often worn in double braids, and bangs.[12]
Legacy
Mary Pope Osborne's books have been featured in several Best Books of the Year Lists, including School Library Journal, Parents’ Magazine, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, and Bank Street College of Education.[2] She has received honors from organizations as the National Council of Teachers of English, The Children's Book Council, and the International Reading Association.[2] She received the 1992 Diamond State Reading Association Award,[2] 2005 Ludington Memorial Award from the Educational Paperback Association[13] and the 2010 Heidelberger Leander Award.[14] She has also received awards from the Carolina Alumni Association,[15] the Virginia Library Association[2] and in spring 2013, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.[16]
Mrs. Osborne served two separate terms as president of the Authors Guild and also chaired its Children's Book Committee.[2] She has since traveled extensively in the states and throughout the world, visiting schools and speaking on issues related to reading and books. In 2011, she attended the Tokyo International Film Festival for the premiere of the Magic Tree House anime film and visited schools in the tsunami-hit area of Japan.[17] The film grossed 5.7 million dollars; Mrs. Osborne donated all proceeds into her educational works.[18]
She was profiled on NBC's Rock Center with Brian Williams for her continued efforts to give children books while on a Magic Tree House-themed tour bus.[18] She spoke of the pressure she feels as an author that children look up to, "for a child to value someone who writes books is so extraordinary."[18]
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Magic Tree House series in 2012, Mrs. Osborne created a Magic Tree House Classroom Adventures Program, through which she aims to inspire children to read and love reading[19] while helping them to read at grade level by the end of 3rd grade.[18] The program is free of charge and provides a set of online educational resources for teachers and allows for Title 1 schools to apply for free Magic Tree House books.[19] Under Classroom Adventures, Mrs. Osborne, in partnership with the First Book organization in Washington, D.C., has donated hundreds of thousands of Magic Tree House books to underserved schools.[20]
Adaptations
Magic Tree House Children's Theatre
The Magic Tree House brand has expanded into other forms. A musical adaptation, Magic Tree House: The Musical, was created by Will Osborne and Randy Court based on Christmas in Camelot and premiered in September 2007.[21] Osborne hoped that it would have appeal to both kids and adults, like The Lion King or Mary Poppins.[21] The musical has toured nationally[21][22] and had a cast album.[23]
A planetarium show, Magic Tree House: Space Mission, also created by Will Osborne, is produced and presented at the Morehead Planetarium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.[24]
In 2011, Will Osborne collaborated with New Orleans composer Allen Toussaint and Ain't Misbehavin' co-creator Murray Horwitz to write A Night in New Orleans, a musical adaptation of A Good Night for Ghosts about the life of Louis Armstrong which features an ensemble cast and live jazz band. It premiered in 2012 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and was shown free to Newark 4th grade students.[25]
Magic Tree House Kids Shows are theatrical adaptations of select titles in the Magic Tree House series designed specifically for kids' performances.[26] To date, children's shows have been created by husband and wife playwright and composer team Randy Courts and Jenny Laird[27] in collaboration with Will Osborne based on Dinosaurs Before Dark, The Knight at Dawn, Pirates Past Noon, A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time,[27] and A Night in New Orleans. Stage Fright on a Summer Night, based on the life of William Shakespeare, premiered at the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre in October 2017.[22]
Film adaptation
The animated film Magic Tree House (マジック・ツリーハウス, Majikku Tsurī Hausu), produced by Media Factory, premiered in Japan in October 2011[28] and was released there on January 7, 2012.[29]
List of Magic Tree House books
According to its official website, Magic Tree House books are for beginning chapter book readers.[30]
Main series
Arc
Number
Title
First printed
Companion book
The Mystery of the Magic Tree House (#1)
#1
Dinosaurs Before Dark (UK Title: Valley of the Dinosaurs)
July 28, 1992
#1, Dinosaurs
Plot: Jack and Annie discover the tree house and, using the magical books there, unwittingly travel back to the late Cretaceous period, where they meet a Pteranodon that saves them from a Tyrannosaurus rex. Jack finds a gold medallion with the letter "M" on it.
Plot:Morgan le Fay is under a spell, and Jack and Annie must find four magical objects to reverse it with help from a mouse named Peanut. In ancient Japan, they encounter ninjas and samurai and get a moonstone.
The Mystery of the Magic Spell (#2)
#6
Afternoon on the Amazon (UK title: Adventure on the Amazon)
August 29, 1995
#5, Rain Forests
Plot: Jack and Annie search the Amazon rainforest for the second magical object, a mango.
The Mystery of the Magic Spell (#3)
#7
Sunset of the Sabertooth (UK title: Mammoth to the Rescue)
Plot: Thirty-five years into the future (2031), Jack and Annie travel to a moon base on the moon to look for the fourth object, a moon rock, or so they think.
The Mystery of the Ancient Riddles (#1)
#9
Dolphins at Daybreak (UK title: Diving with Dolphins)
Day of the Dragon King (UK title: Palace of the Dragon King)
August 11, 1998
#31, China: Land of the Emperor's Great Wall
Plot: Jack and Annie travel to China 2,000 years in the past, when it was ruled by the Dragon King, Emperor Qin. Their mission is to save a story from the book burning Qin ordered.
The Mystery of the Lost Stories (#3)
#15
Viking Ships at Sunrise (UK title: Voyage of the Vikings)
October 20, 1998
#33, Vikings
Plot: In medieval Ireland, Jack and Annie encounter Vikings raiding a village of monks where one was writing a lost story of a sea serpent named Sarph.
The Mystery of the Lost Stories (#4)
#16
Hour of the Olympics (UK title: Olympic Challenge!)
December 17, 1998
#10, Ancient Greece and the Olympics
Plot: In Ancient Greece, Jack and Annie witness the first Olympic games. At the end, Morgan revealed that every lost story they saved, including Pegasus, are in the stars.
The Mystery of the Enchanted Dog (#1)
#17
Tonight on the Titanic
March 23, 1999
#7, Titanic
Plot: Jack and Annie are assisted by the dog Teddy, who they must find gifts for so he can become human again. They travel back to 1912 on the RMS Titanic during its fateful voyage.
Plot: Jack and Annie explore the Indian jungle and save a tiger from a steel trap.
The Mystery of the Enchanted Dog (#4)
#20
Dingoes at Dinnertime
March 14, 2000
N/A
Plot: Jack and Annie explore the Australian Outback to find the gift from a kangaroo, and along the way help a joey and a koala bear escape a wildfire. After they receive the final gift and return home, Morgan removes the spell on Teddy, who is revealed to be a young magician who accidentally turned himself into a dog after casting a spell.
The Mystery of Morgan's Library (#1)
#21
Civil War on Sunday
May 23, 2000
N/A
Plot: Camelot is in trouble, so Morgan had Jack and Annie to bring four pieces of writing for her library. During the American Civil War, they encounter Clara Barton.
Plot: In the 1870s, Jack and Annie encounter a pioneer settlement on the Midwestern prairie and must save a teacher and kids before a tornado hits.
The Mystery of Morgan's Library (#4)
#24
Earthquake in the Early Morning
August 24, 2001
N/A
Plot: In 1906, Jack and Annie experience the San Francisco earthquake. They use what they have learned to inspire King Arthur to battle Mordred; later books show he survived and won the battle.
The Mystery of Morgan's Rhymes (#1)
#25
Stage Fright on a Summer Night
March 12, 2002
N/A
Plot: Morgan tells Jack and Annie that they are ready to learn magic themselves. In Elizabethan England, the two meet William Shakespeare.
The Mystery of Morgan's Rhymes (#2)
#26
Good Morning, Gorillas!
August 23, 2002
N/A
Plot: In the Congo rainforest, Jack and Annie encounter gorillas.
Plot: In Mongolia, Jack and Annie meet its little horses, who are recovering from near extinction, and the people who take care of them, and must protect them from wolves.
Merlin Missions subseries
Magic Tree House: Merlin Missions Books 1-27 were written for more advanced readers ages 7–10.[30] The Magic Tree House: Merlin Missions were originally ordered sequentially, starting at Book #29 (Christmas in Camelot). With the 25th anniversary re-prints, the books have been separated into their own distinct series and re-numbered starting at Merlin Mission #1.[30]
Original #
Merlin Mission #
Title
Published
Story Arc
Plot Summary/Notes
Companion book
29
1
Christmas in Camelot
October 10, 2001
Quest to save Camelot arc #1
Jack and Annie go on a quest to save Camelot and prove to a beleaguered King Arthur that children and imagination can make a difference; along the way, they meet the Knights of the Round Table, most notably Sir Lancelot. This is the first story where Merlin the Magician sends Jack and Annie on an adventure instead of Morgan, having learned of their abilities from her.
N/A
30
2
Haunted Castle on Hallows Eve
June 18, 2003
Quest to save Camelot arc #2
Merlin tasks Jack, Annie, and Teddy with restoring order to a duke's castle on the outskirts of Camelot. This is the first book in which Jack and Annie use their own magic, as they harness the power of a magical hazel branch to turn back into humans after Teddy accidentally turns them into ravens. Jack is also able to use its power to defeat the evil Raven King by turning him into a baby raven. This ability is likely foreshadowing for when they start making their own magic.
N/A
31
3
Summer of the Sea Serpent
March 9, 2004
Quest to save Camelot arc #3
Merlin tasks Jack and Annie with retrieving the Sword of Light for Camelot; along the way, they meet the selkie Kathleen, who, along with Teddy, becomes a recurring character. They turn into seals to retrieve the Sword of Light and earn the right to wield it, later learning that it is Excalibur, which they retrieved from Camelot's past for King Arthur to one day have.
N/A
32
4
Winter of the Ice Wizard
September 28, 2004
Quest to save Camelot arc #4
Jack and Annie go on a mission for the evil Ice Wizard to retrieve his eye and free Merlin and Morgan.
N/A
33
5
Carnival at Candlelight
March 8, 2005
Using magic wisely arc #1
Merlin tasks Jack and Annie with completing missions to prove to him they can use magic wisely. The first mission is to save Venice, Italy from a flood, but Merlin's instructions are confusing.
N/A
34
6
Season of the Sandstorms
June 26, 2005
Using magic wisely arc #2
Jack and Annie must help the caliph of ancient Baghdad spread wisdom to the world.
During the Great Depression in New York City, Jack and Annie must help a unicorn under a spell. However, two evil sorcerers in training, Balor and Grinda, are up to the same challenge. Jack and Annie also gain the power to make their own magic using a magic wand.
N/A
37
9
Dragon of the Red Dawn
February 27, 2007
Happiness arc #1
Merlin tasks Jack and Annie with finding the four secrets of happiness, as Morgan has noticed that he does not feel well, does not eat or sleep, and is tired. They travel to feudal Japan to spend the day with Japanese haiku poet Matsuo Bashō.
N/A
38
10
Monday with a Mad Genius
August 28, 2007
Happiness arc #2
In Florence, Italy, to find the second secret of happiness, Jack and Annie must help Leonardo da Vinci all day, "morning, noon, and afternoon, till the night bird sings its song." They unwittingly inspire him to try to fly his Ornithopter machine with their knowledge of the present day, but he is dejected when his efforts fail and he crashes. Annie uses magic to make them grow bird wings, allowing them to fly.
#19, Leonardo da Vinci
39
11
Dark Day in the Deep Sea
March 25, 2008
Happiness arc #3
In the 1870s, Jack and Annie look for the third secret of happiness. They are rescued by scientists on the HMS Challenger (1858) in the Atlantic Ocean, and end up helping them look for a sea monster. At 144 pages long, this book is the longest book in the series.
#17, Sea Monsters
40
12
Eve of the Emperor Penguin
September 23, 2008
Happiness arc #4
In Antarctica, Jack and Annie look for the fourth and final secret of happiness, but only find penguins, who know the answer. This is the only book where it is stated Jack and Annie did not travel through time, and is the only time they use the wand's power twice; once to find the penguins and once to teleport to Mount Erebus.
#18, Penguins and Antarctica
41
13
Moonlight on the Magic Flute
March 10, 2009
Inspiring arc #1
In 18th-century Austria, Jack and Annie must help the musician Mozart and encounter a mischievous boy who follows them around. When the boy lets the animals out of the palace zoo, Jack and Annie must use magic to resolve the situation in time for the party at the Summer Palace. When they use their magic flute, Mozart is inspired to make a song called The Magic Flute.
N/A
42
14
A Good Night for Ghosts
July 28, 2009
Inspiring arc #2
In New Orleans, Jack and Annie encounter real ghosts and discover the world of jazz when they meet a young Louis Armstrong.
#20, Ghosts
43
15
Leprechaun in Late Winter
January 12, 2010
Inspiring arc #3
In Ireland in 1862, Jack and Annie meet a young Lady Gregory, who is sad because she believes in leprechauns and faeries, but cannot find any. This is the first time that something that one of the kids has written has been used to travel through time, as they time travel using Jack's notes.
#21, Leprechauns and Irish Folklore
44
16
A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time
September 14, 2010
Inspiring arc #4
In Victorian England, Jack and Annie meet Charles Dickens after they are thrown in jail and he saves them. To find Charles' secret, they need help from three ghosts.
#22, Rags and Riches: Kids in the Time of Charles Dickens
45
17
A Crazy Day with Cobras
January 11, 2011
Penny's spell arc #1
When Teddy accidentally turns Merlin's penguin Penny to stone, Jack and Annie must find four ingredients for a spell to turn her back to normal before Merlin returns. To find the first ingredient, an emerald rose, they travel to an Indian desert, where they encounter a swarm of king cobras and meet the Great Mogul.
#23, Snakes and Other Reptiles
46
18
Dogs in the Dead of Night
August 9, 2011
Penny's spell arc #2
In the Swiss Alps, Jack and Annie search for the second object to break Penny's spell and become involved in a dog rescue.
#24, Dog Heroes
47
19
Abe Lincoln At Last!
December 27, 2011
Penny's spell arc #3
During the Civil War, Jack and Annie must help the orphan Sam, who is a friend of Lincoln, in order to find the third object to break Penny's spell.
#25, Abraham Lincoln
48
20
A Perfect Time for Pandas
July 24, 2012
Penny's spell arc #4
In China during the Great Sichuan Earthquake of 2008, Jack and Annie search for the fourth and final object to break Penny's spell and help to rescue pandas.
In Mexico during the 1970 FIFA World Cup, Jack and Annie seek out Pelé for him to tell them the "secret of greatness".
#29, Soccer
53
25
Shadow of the Shark
June 23, 2015
none
Morgan and Merlin allow Jack and Annie to go on vacation, but they accidentally travel to ancient Mayan times after pointing at the wrong illustration; there, they encounter sharks and Mayan warriors.
Jack and Annie must help save Merlin, Morgan, Teddy, and Kathleen, who are trapped in Avalon, and King Arthur, who has been injured, when invaders threaten Camelot.
#35, Dragons and Mythical Creatures
Magic Tree House Super Edition book
On January 6, 2015, the first and currently only Magic Tree House Super Edition book was released. At 183 pages long, it is longer than both the original Magic Tree House books and the Magic Tree House: Merlin Missions.
The first Magic Tree House Super Edition is called Danger in the Darkest Hour.[37] It was reprinted as World at War, 1944 in 2017.
During World War II, shortly before D-Day, Jack and Annie must rescue Kathleen from behind enemy lines. It features the first time they have had to deal with a situation using their own talents, without help from magic.
#36, World War II
Nonfiction books
The Magic Tree House Fact Trackers (formerly called Magic Tree House Research Guides) are non-fiction companions to the fiction books written by Mary Pope Osborne, Will Osborne, and Natalie Pope Boyce, which provide more in-depth information on topics featured in the series.[38] They were first released in 2000 by Scholastic and Random House. As of January 2022,[update] 44 have been published. The first two Fact Trackers were published in August 2000 as companions for the first two stories. In 2008, book #39, Dark Day in the Deep Sea, and its fact tracker, #17, Sea Monsters, were the first story and fact tracker to be published simultaneously.
Magic Tree House #36: Sunlight on the Snow Leopard
January 4, 2022
Other Magic Tree House books
#
Title
Published
Story Arc
Summary/Notes
1
Memories and Life Lessons from the Magic Tree House
September 6, 2022
none
This book serves as a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Magic Tree House series, including quotes from the series and illustrations by the original artist, Sal Murdocca. Mary Pope Osborne fills this book with advice and with life lessons to share with readers of the series[41].
^ abLa Gorge, Tammy (13 April 2008). "Taking Young Readers on a Magical History Tour". New York Times. p. CT6.
^"For Writers, a Place to Work in Peace: The Room in the Village offers a haven from disturbance. 'There's a sense that you matter and that writing matters.'". New York Times. 30 January 1988. p. 17.
