Magic Tree House

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. Other illustrators have been used for foreign-language editions.
The series is divided into two groups. The first group consists of Books 1–28, 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 29, Christmas in Camelot, and has ancient wizard Merlin the Magician giving Jack and Annie quests. These books are longer, 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, Osborne and her roommate went traveling. She spent time in Crete and traveled through Iraq, Iran, India, Afghanistan, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, and Pakistan. The trip ended when Osborne experienced sepsis in Nepal and was hospitalized for several weeks, during which she read The Lord of the Rings. Remarking on her travels, 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."
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."
Osborne's writing career began "one day, out of the blue" 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." The book served as the starting point for Osborne's writing career; her early work received mixed reviews. 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 Osborne to start writing a series of children's books. She knew from the beginning that she wanted to include time travel, 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.
Osborne says that she can work on Magic Tree House up to 12 hours a day and seven days a week and has used space at shared office space, The Writer's Room. She has modeled her writing after Hemingway by trying to be simple and direct and is "noted for writing clear, lively, well-paced prose in both her stories and her informational books."

Main characters

When Osborne started writing the series, she wrote Jack as a main character and added Annie as a typical annoying younger sister. After writing her in, Osborne eventually decided to make her a main character. She highlights Annie’s bravery as a characteristic that is the main difference between Annie and herself, as Osborne has noted she often wished she was braver.

Jack

Jack is the older brother, who is known for his love of books and learning, an attribute Osborne says connects her to him. He tends to be cautious. According to the original illustrations by Sal Murdocca, Jack has brown hair, wears red glasses, and is taller than Annie.

Annie

Annie is the younger sister, who is known for her bravery, impulsive decisions, and caring for the people and animals around her. According to the original illustrations by Sal Murdocca, Annie has medium-length blonde hair, often worn in double braids, and bangs, and is shorter than Jack.

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. She has received honors from organizations as the National Council of Teachers of English, The Children's Book Council, and the International Reading Association. She received the 1992 Diamond State Reading Association Award, 2005 Ludington Memorial Award from the Educational Paperback Association and the 2010 Heidelberger Leander Award. She has also received awards from the Carolina Alumni Association, the Virginia Library Association and in spring 2013, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Osborne served two separate terms as president of the Authors Guild and also chaired its Children's Book Committee. 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. The film grossed 5.7 million dollars; Osborne donated all proceeds into her educational works.
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. 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."
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Magic Tree House series in 2012, Osborne created a Magic Tree House Classroom Adventures Program, through which she aims to inspire children to read and love reading while helping them to read at grade level by the end of 3rd grade. 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. Under Classroom Adventures, 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.

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. Osborne hoped that it would have appeal to both kids and adults, like The Lion King or Mary Poppins. The musical has toured nationally and had a cast album.
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.
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.
Magic Tree House Kids Shows are theatrical adaptations of select titles in the Magic Tree House series designed specifically for kids' performances. To date, children's shows have been created by husband and wife playwright and composer team Randy Courts and Jenny Laird in collaboration with Will Osborne based on Dinosaurs Before Dark, The Knight at Dawn, Pirates Past Noon, A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time, 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.

Film adaptation

An anime film Magic Tree House, produced by Media Factory, premiered in Japan in October 2011 and was released there on January 7, 2012.

List of ''Magic Tree House'' books

According to its official website, Magic Tree House books are for beginning chapter book readers.

Main series

''Merlin Missions'' subseries

Magic Tree House: Merlin Missions Books 1-27 were written for more advanced readers ages 7–10. The Magic Tree House: Merlin Missions were originally ordered sequentially, starting at Book #29. With the 25th anniversary re-prints, the books have been separated into their own distinct series and re-numbered starting at Merlin Mission #1.

Original #	Merlin Mission #	Title	Published	Story Arc	Plot Summary/Notes	Companion book
29	1	Christmas in Camelot		Quest to save Camelot arc #1	On Christmas. 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		Quest to save Camelot arc #2	On Halloween, 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		Quest to save Camelot arc #3	On the Summer solstice, 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		Quest to save Camelot arc #4	On the Winter solstice, Jack and Annie go on a mission for the evil Ice Wizard to retrieve his eye and free Merlin and Morgan. They also had to get back Merlin's Staff of Strength, but luckily, Teddy and Kathleen are there to help.	N/A
33	5	Carnival at Candlelight		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		Using magic wisely arc #2	Jack and Annie must help the caliph of ancient Baghdad spread wisdom to the world.	N/A
35	7	Night of the New Magicians		Using magic wisely arc #3	During the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1889, Jack and Annie must save four magicians, Alexander Graham Bell, Louis Pasteur, Thomas Edison, and Gustave Eiffel, before an evil sorcerer kidnaps them and steals the secrets of their magic. It is revealed that there is no evil sorcerer, with Merlin wanting the two to meet them.	N/A
36	8	Blizzard of the Blue Moon		Using magic wisely arc #4	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		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		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		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 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		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		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		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		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		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		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		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!		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		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.	#26, Pandas and Other Endangered Species
49	21	Stallion by Starlight		Greatness arc #1	In Ancient Macedonia, Jack and Annie meet a young Alexander the Great and his stallion Bucephalus.	#27, Horse Heroes
50	22	Hurry Up Houdini!		Greatness arc #2	Jack and Annie meet magician Harry Houdini.	Magic Tricks from the Tree House
51	23	High Time for Heroes		Greatness arc #3	In Egypt, Jack and Annie meet Florence Nightingale.	#28, Heroes for All Times
52	24	Soccer on Sunday		Greatness arc #4	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		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, Mayan warriors, and Yohl Ikʼnal.	#32, Sharks and Other Predators
54	26	Balto of the Blue Dawn		none	In Alaska in 1925, Jack and Annie meet Balto.	#34, Dogsledding and Extreme Sports
55	27	Night of the Ninth Dragon		none	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