Magic Tree House
| Author | Mary Pope Osborne |
|---|---|
| Illustrator |
Sal Murdocca (USA) Ayana Amako (Japan) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's historical fantasy |
| Publisher |
Random House (USA) Media Factory (Japan) |
The Magic Tree House is an American series of children's books written by American author Mary Pope Osborne. The original American series is illustrated by Salvatore Murdocca, although other illustrators have been used for foreign-language editions.
The series consists of two groups. The first group consists of books 1-28, in which Morgan Le Fay sends Jack and Annie Smith, two normal children who are siblings from the fictional small town of Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, on numerous adventures and missions with a magical tree house. The second group, referred to as the Magic Tree House "Merlin Missions," begins with book 29, Christmas in Camelot. In the Merlin Missions, Jack and Annie have quests from the ancient wizard Merlin the Magician. These books are longer than the previous 28, and some take place in fantasy realms like Camelot. Kathleen and Teddy are two apprentices who befriend Jack and Annie during their adventures, with one of these adventures being to free Teddy from a spell. The two occasionally join Jack and Annie, and, when they don't, provide them support instead. During 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 her sister Natalie Pope Boyce.
In the beginning, Mary Pope Osborne wrote the books with Morgan sending the children on missions. Then she switched over to them being sent on missions by Merlin. About 10 years later, in 2015, she switched back to writing only the books with Morgan sending them on missions. These books were again, much shorter.
Magic Tree House Books
Magic Tree House Books are for Beginning Chapter Book Readers. Adventures with Jack and Annie, for readers ages 6–9 who are just starting to read chapter books.[1]
| # | Title | Published | Story Arc | Place Origin | Plot Summary/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dinosaurs Before Dark (UK Title: Valley of the Dinosaurs) | July 28, 1992 | In the mystery of the Treehouse #1 | Jack and Annie discover the tree house and, using the magical books there, they travel back to the late Cretaceous period (65 million years ago) where they meet a Pteranodon that saves them from a Tyrannosaurus rex. Jack finds a gold medallion with the letter "M" on it. Companion book: #1, Dinosaurs. | |
| 2 | The Knight at Dawn (UK title: Castle of Mystery) | February 16, 1993 | In the mystery of the Tree house #2 | In England during the Middle Ages, Jack and Annie explore a castle and meet a brave knight. Companion book: #2, Knights and Castles. | |
| 3 | Mummies in the Morning (UK title: Secret of the Pyramid) | August 24, 1993 | In the mystery of the Tree house #3 | In Ancient Egypt, Jack and Annie help Queen Hutepi find her missing Book of the Dead. Companion book: #3, Mummies and Pyramids. | |
| 4 | Pirates Past Noon (UK title: Pirates' Treasure!) | March 8, 1994 | In the mystery of the Tree house #4 | Jack and Annie encounter some pirates in the Caribbean Sea and meet Morgan le Fay, who turns out to be the mysterious "M". Companion book: #4, Pirates. | |
| 5 | Night of the Ninjas | March 21, 1995 | In the mystery of the Magic spell #1 | Morgan le Fay is under a spell. Jack and Annie must find four magical objects to reverse the spell, with the help of a mouse named Peanut. In ancient Japan, Jack and Annie encounter ninjas and samurai and get a moonstone. Companion book: #30, Ninjas and Samurai. | |
| 6 | Afternoon on the Amazon (UK title: Adventure on the Amazon) | August 29, 1995 | In the mystery of the Magic spell #2 | Jack and Annie search the Amazon rainforest for a second magical object for Morgan le Fay, which turns out to be a mango. Companion book: #5, Rain Forests. | |
| 7 | Sunset of the Sabertooth (UK title: Mammoth to the Rescue) | April 14, 1996 | In the mystery of the Magic spell #3 | In the last Ice Age, Jack and Annie encounter Cro-Magnons, wooly mammoths, and a saber-toothed cat while looking for the third object to help Morgan - a mammoth bone flute. Companion book: #12, Sabertooths and the Ice Age. | |
| 8 | Midnight on the Moon (UK title: Moon Mission) | October 29, 1996 | In the mystery of the Magic spell #4 | Thirty-five years into their future (2031), Jack and Annie travel to the moon to look for the fourth object needed to help Morgan le Fay. Companion book: #6, Space. | |
| 9 | Dolphins at Daybreak (UK title: Diving with Dolphins) | April 29, 1997 | In the mystery of the Ancient riddles #1 in | Set in the Pacific Ocean with bottlenose dolphins. Companion book: #9, Dolphins and Sharks. | |
| 10 | Ghost Town at Sundown (UK title: A Wild West Ride) | September 16, 1997 | In the mystery of the Ancient riddles #2 | Set in the American Wild West, where Jack and Annie meet a cowboy named Slim. Companion book: #38, Wild West. | |
| 11 | Lions at Lunchtime (UK title: Lions on the Loose) | February 12, 1998 | In the mystery of the Ancient riddles #3 | Jack and Annie are on a mission on the African Savannah. | |
| 12 | Polar Bears Past Bedtime (UK title: Icy Escape) | April 24, 1998 | In the mystery of the Ancient riddles #4 | Set in the North Pole, Jack and Annie meet an Inuit. Companion book: #16, Polar Bears and the Arctic. | |
| 13 | Vacation Under The Volcano (UK title: Racing with Gladiators) | June 20, 1998 | In the mystery of the Lost stories #1 | Jack and Annie travel to Pompeii on the eve of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Companion book: #14: Ancient Rome and Pompeii. | |
| 14 | Day of the Dragon King (UK title: Palace of the Dragon King) | August 11, 1998 | In the mystery of the Lost stories #2 | Jack and Annie travel to China as it was 2,000 years in their past. The Dragon King is also known as Emperor Qin. Companion book: #31, China: Land of the Emperor's Great Wall. | |
| 15 | Viking Ships at Sunrise (UK title: Voyage of the Vikings) | October 20, 1998 | In the mystery of the Lost stories #3 | In medieval Ireland, Jack and Annie encounter Vikings. Companion book: #33, Vikings. | |
| 16 | Hour of the Olympics (UK title: Olympic Challenge!) | December 17, 1998 | In the mystery of the Lost stories #4 | Jack and Annie travel to Ancient Greece and see the first Olympic games. Companion book: #10, Ancient Greece and the Olympics. | |
| 17 | Tonight on the Titanic | March 23, 1999 | In the mystery of the Enchanted dog arc #1 | Jack and Annie travel back to 1912 and are on the RMS Titanic during her fateful voyage. In this arc the two are assisted by a dog named Teddy that they must find gifts to free. Companion book: #7, Titanic. | |
| 18 | Buffalo Before Breakfast | May 18, 1999 | In the mystery of the Enchanted dog arc #2 | In the American Old West, Jack and Annie encounter a Lakota boy on the Great Plains. | |
| 19 | Tigers at Twilight | August 17, 1999 | In the mystery of the Enchanted dog arc #3 | Jack and Annie explore the Indian jungle to find a gift from a forest far away. Along the way, they work together to save a tiger from a steel trap. | |
| 20 | Dingoes at Dinnertime | March 14, 2000 | In the mystery of the Enchanted dog arc #4 | Jack and Annie explore in the Australian Outback to find the gift from a kangaroo. Along the way, they helped a joey and a koala bear escape a wildfire. As soon as Jack and Annie receive the final gift and return home where Morgan removes the spell on the dog who is revealed to be a boy named Teddy, a young magician who trapped himself under a spell causing him to become a dog. | |
| 21 | Civil War on Sunday | May 23, 2000 | In the Morgan's library arc #1 | In the American Civil War, Jack and Annie encounter Clara Barton. | |
| 22 | Revolutionary War on Wednesday | September 26, 2000 | In the Morgan's library arc #2 | Jack and Annie travel back in time and cross the Delaware River with George Washington. Companion book: #11, American Revolution. | |
| 23 | Twister on Tuesday | March 27, 2001 | In the Morgan's library arc #3 | In the 1870s, Jack and Annie encounter pioneer settlement of the Midwestern prairie. They have to save a teacher and some kids before they are hit by a tornado. Companion book: #8, Twisters and Other Terrible Storms. | |
| 24 | Earthquake in the Early Morning | August 24, 2001 | In the Morgan's library arc #4 | In 1906, Jack and Annie experience the San Francisco earthquake. The two are able to use what they find to inspire King Arthur to battle Mordred, although in a later book it is shown that he wins without dying in these stories. | |
| 25 | Stage Fright on a Summer Night | March 12, 2002 | In the Type of magic arc #1 | In Elizabethan England, Jack and Annie meet William Shakespeare | |
| 26 | Good Morning Gorillas | August 23, 2002 | In the Type of magic arc #2 | In the Congo rainforest, Jack and Annie encounter gorillas. | |
| 27 | Thanksgiving on Thursday | October 24, 2002 | In the Type of magic arc #3 | In Plymouth in 1621, Jack and Annie share the first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians. Companion book: #13, Pilgrims. | |
| 28 | High Tide in Hawaii | March 25, 2003 | In the Type of magic arc #4 | Jack and Annie travel to the Hawaii of the past and almost get caught in a tsunami. They also make two friends who share an adventure with them. Companion book: #15, Tsunamis and Other Natural Disasters. | |
| 29 | A Big Day For Baseball | August 1, 2017 | Jack & Annie are whisked back to Brooklyn's Ebbets Field on April 15, 1947, to witness Jackie Robinson's Major League debut. Companion book: #37, Baseball. | ||
| 30 | Hurricane Heroes in Texas | August 7, 2018 | Jack and Annie are on a mission! When the magic tree house whisks them back to Galveston, Texas, in 1900, they find out that a big storm is coming. But even though there is rain and wind, no one believes there is any danger. As the storm grows, seawater floods the city. Now everyone needs help! Jack and Annie have a little bit of magic and a lot of hope—but will it be enough? Companion book: #39, Texas. | ||
| 31 | Warriors in Winter | January 8, 2019 | We are warriors! Jack and Annie have met knights, pirates, ninjas, and Vikings, but they have never met the most fearsome warriors of all: Roman soldiers. When the magic tree house whisks them back to the early 100s AD, Jack and Annie find themselves in a Roman camp. Their mission: Be like a warrior. That is easier said than done! The Roman soldiers are much scarier in person--and suspicious of strangers. Then a mysterious man riding a black horse gives Jack and Annie some advice to help them on their mission. But the man may not be who he seems. Will Jack and Annie be good warriors? Can they learn what makes the Roman soldiers so great? And who is the mysterious rider . . . ? Companion book: #40, Warriors. |
Magic Tree House Merlin Mission Books
Magic Tree House Merlin Mission Books 1-27 were written for more advanced readers. They are more challenging adventures for readers ages 7–10.[1]
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.[1]
| Original # | Merlin Mission # | Title | Published | Story Arc | Plot Summary/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | 1 | Christmas in Camelot | October 10, 2001 | In the Quest to save Camelot arc #1 | Jack and Annie go on a quest to save Camelot, a quest that will prove to a beleaguered King Arthur that children and imagination really can make a difference. Eventually Jack and Annie break the spell over Camelot and meet the Knights of the Round Table most notably Sir Lancelot. This is also the first story where Merlin the Magician sends Jack and Annie on an adventure instead of Morgan, having learned of their abilities from Morgan Le Fay. |
| 30 | 2 | Haunted Castle on Hallows Eve | June 18, 2003 | In the Quest to save Camelot arc #2 | Jack, Annie, and Teddy must restore order to a duke's castle, on the outer realm of Camelot, for Merlin. Jack and Annie reunite with Teddy from the Enchanted Dog arc who becomes a recurring character in the rest of the books. It is also the first book where Jack and Annie perform their own magic. Jack and Annie are able to use the power of a magic hazel twig to transform themselves back to humans from ravens and Jack is able to tap into its power to defeat the Evil Raven King by turning him into a baby raven. This new ability of theirs is likely foreshadowing of later books when they start to make magic of their own. |
| 31 | 3 | Summer of the Sea Serpent | March 9, 2004 | In the Quest to save Camelot arc #3 | Jack and Annie must retrieve the Sword of Light for Merlin for all the good of Camelot. Jack and Annie meet Kathleen who, along with Teddy, becomes a recurring character in the books, acting as their sidekick. In this book Jack and Annie retrieve the Sword of Light and earn the right to wield it, learning later that the sword is in fact Excalibur and they retrieved it from Camelot's past so King Arthur can one day get it. |
| 32 | 4 | Winter of the Ice Wizard | September 28, 2004 | In the Quest to save Camelot arc #4 | Jack and Annie must go on a mission for the evil Ice Wizard, which is retrieving one of his eyes, in order to free Merlin and Morgan. |
| 33 | 5 | Carnival at Candlelight | March 8, 2005 | In the Using magic wisely arc #1 | Jack and Annie must go and save Venice, Italy from a flood disaster, but Merlin's instructions are confusing. The next four books are part of an arc where Jack and Annie complete missions to prove to Merlin that they can use magic wisely. |
| 34 | 6 | Season of the Sandstorms | June 26, 2005 | In the Using magic wisely arc #2 | Jack and Annie must help the caliph of ancient Baghdad spread wisdom to the world. |
| 35 | 7 | Night of the New Magicians | March 14, 2006 | In the Using magic wisely arc #3 | Jack and Annie travel to the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1889 in the Magic Tree House. They have to save four new magicians (Alexander Graham Bell, Louis Pasteur, Thomas Edison, and Gustave Eiffel), before an evil sorcerer kidnaps them and steals the secrets of their magic. As it turns out, there is no evil sorcerer and the only one that shows up is Merlin himself who had wanted Jack and Annie to meet the four. |
| 36 | 8 | Blizzard of the Blue Moon | September 26, 2006 | In the Using magic wisely arc #4 | Jack and Annie travel in the Magic Tree House to the New York City of the Great Depression in 1938. They must help a unicorn under a spell. However, two evil sorcerers in training, Balor and Grinda, are up to the same challenge. In this book, Jack and Annie are given the power to make magic on their own via a magic wand. |
| 37 | 9 | Dragon of the Red Dawn | February 27, 2007 | In the Happiness arc #1 | Jack and Annie travel back in the Magic Tree House to feudal Japan to find the first of four secrets of happiness for Merlin the magician because Morgan has noticed that he does not feel well, does not eat or sleep, and is tired. To do this, they must spend the day with famous Japanese haiku poet Matsuo Bashō. |
| 38 | 10 | Monday with a Mad Genius | August 28, 2007 | In the Happiness arc #2 | Jack and Annie travel back in the Magic Tree House to Florence, Italy, to find the second of four secrets of happiness. To do this, they must help Leonardo da Vinci all day, "morning, noon, and afternoon, till the night bird sings its song." Companion book: #19, "Leonardo da Vinci" |
| 39 | 11 | Dark Day in the Deep Sea | March 25, 2008 | In the Happiness arc #3 | The magic tree house takes Jack and Annie to a deserted island, in the 1870s, looking for another secret of happiness. They get rescued by scientists on the HMS Challenger (1858), in the Atlantic Ocean, and end up helping the scientists, who are looking for a sea monster. Will they be able to help the scientist and find the secret of happiness? This book is 144 pages long, making it the longest book in the series. Companion book: #17, "Sea Monsters" |
| 40 | 12 | Eve of the Emperor Penguin | September 23, 2008 | In the Happiness arc #4 | Jack and Annie go to Antarctica to try to find their last secret of happiness, but they only find penguins. Only the penguins have the answer to this question. This is the only book where it is specifically stated that Jack and Annie did not travel through time. They also use the wand to make magic twice: once to find the penguins and a second time to teleport to Mount Erebus, the only time they use its power twice. Companion book: #18, "Penguins and Antarctica" |
| 41 | 13 | Moonlight on the Magic Flute | March 10, 2009 | In the Inspiring arc #1 | Jack and Annie head to 18th-century Austria, where they must find and help a musician by the name of Mozart. Decked out in the craziest outfits they’ve ever worn—including a wig for Jack and a giant hoopskirt for Annie, the two siblings search an entire palace to no avail. Their hunt is further hampered by the appearance of a mischievous little boy who is determined to follow them everywhere. But when the boy lets the animals out of the palace zoo, Jack and Annie have to use the only magic at their disposal to save themselves and the naughty little boy. The party is in the Summer Palace at five o'clock in the evening on October 13, 1762. When Jack and Annie use their magic flute (In Inspiring #1, 2, 3, and 4, the Wand of Dianthus changes into instruments.) Mozart makes a song called The Magic Flute. |
| 42 | 14 | A Good Night for Ghosts | July 28, 2009 | In the Inspiring arc #2 | Jack and Annie are on their second mission to find—and inspire—artists to bring happiness to millions. After traveling to New Orleans, Jack and Annie come head to head with some real ghosts, as well as discover the world of jazz when they meet a young Louis Armstrong. Companion book: #20, "Ghosts" |
| 43 | 15 | Leprechaun in Late Winter | January 12, 2010 | In the Inspiring arc #3 | The kids meet a girl in their third mission to put "artists" on the right path. She is sad because she believes in leprechauns and faerie, but cannot find any. The girl grows up to be Lady Gregory, a famous legend teller of the Irish lore. Can the kids save her from sadness and put the third artist on the right path? This is the first time that something that one of the kids has written has been used to travel through time: the kids time travel by wishing using Jack's notes on where they are traveling to. They travel to 1862 to go to Ireland. Companion book: #21, "Leprechauns and Irish Folklore" |
| 44 | 16 | A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time | September 14, 2010 | In the Inspiring arc #4 | The kids are whisked back to Victorian England to help famed author Charles Dickens. The kids know Charles had everything he wants. Will the kids find the thing Charles wants? The kids are thrown in jail, only to be saved by Charles Dickens! To find Charles' secret, they will need help from three ghosts and get to know Charles very, very, well. Companion book: #22, "Rags and Riches: Kids in the Time of Charles Dickens" |
| 45 | 17 | A Crazy Day with Cobras | January 11, 2011 | In the Penny's spell arc #1 | When Penny, Merlin's beloved penguin (from Eve of the Emperor Penguin), is accidentally turned to stone by Teddy, the kids must travel to an Indian desert and find an ingredient to a spell before Merlin comes back. Jack and Annie have to escape a swarm of king cobras and meet the infamous All-Power Great Mogul. To start their quest, Jack and Annie must find an emerald rose to find the first piece of breaking Penny's spell. Companion book: #23, Snakes and Other Reptiles. |
| 46 | 18 | Dogs in the Dead of Night | August 9, 2011 | In the Penny's spell arc #2 | Jack and his sister Annie travel to Swiss Alps to get the second magical object to break the spell on the beloved baby penguin, Penny. They face a dog rescue and many other adventures. Companion book: #24, Dog Heroes. |
| 47 | 19 | Abe Lincoln At Last! | December 27, 2011 | In the Penny's spell arc #3 | Jack and Annie travel to the time of the Civil War, and they must help a friend of Abe's in order to find the third gift for breaking Penny's spell. The friend is an orphan named Sam. It's a race against time as Jack and Annie try to decide what is right. Companion book: #25, Abraham Lincoln. |
| 48 | 20 | A Perfect Time For Pandas | July 24, 2012 | In the Penny's spell arc #4 | Jack and Annie visit China during the Great Sichuan Earthquake of 2008. Companion book: #26, Pandas and Other Endangered Species. |
| 49 | 21 | Stallion by Starlight | March 26, 2013 | In the Greatness arc #1 | Jack and Annie go back to Ancient Macedonia and an adventure with Alexander the Great when he was a child and his famous stallion: Bucephalus. Companion book: #27, Horse Heroes. |
| 50 | 22 | Hurry Up Houdini![2] | August 23, 2013 | In the Greatness arc #2 | Jack and Annie meet magician Harry Houdini. |
| 51 | 23 | High Time for Heroes[3] | January 7, 2014 | In the Greatness arc #3 | Jack and Annie meet Florence Nightingale in Egypt. Companion book: #28, Heroes for All Times. |
| 52 | 24 | Soccer on Sunday[4] | May 27, 2014 | In the Greatness arc #4 | Jack and Annie travel to a soccer field in Mexico. Companion book: #29, Soccer. |
| 53 | 25 | Shadow of the Shark | June 23, 2015 | none | While on a vacation from Morgan and Merlin, Jack and Annie accidentally travel back in time over a thousand years to ancient Mayan times and meet sharks and Mayan warriors. In this book, Jack and Annie accidentally go to the right place but the wrong time due to pointing to the wrong illustration. Companion book: #32, Sharks and Other Predators. |
| 54 | 26 | Balto of the Blue Dawn | January 5, 2016 | none | Jack and Annie meet Balto, a jet-black Siberian husky in Alaska, 1925. Companion book: #34, Dogsledding and Extreme Sports. |
| 55 | 27 | Night of the Ninth Dragon | July 26, 2016 | none | Jack and Annie must help save Merlin, Morgan, Teddy, and Kathleen (trapped in Avalon) and King Arthur (injured) when invaders threaten Camelot. Companion book: #35, Dragons and Mythical Creatures. |
Magic Tree House Super editions
On January 6, 2015, the first Magic Tree House Super Edition was released. It is 183 pages long. The super editions are longer than the original Magic Tree House books and the Magic Tree House Merlin Missions.
| # | Title | Published | Story Arc | Plot Summary/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danger in the Darkest Hour | January 6, 2015 | none | The first Magic Tree House Super Edition is called Danger in the Darkest Hour [5]
Jack and Annie going back to World War II shortly before D-Day to rescue Kathleen from behind enemy lines. It also features the first time they have had to deal with a situation using their own talents and with no help from magic since the Merlin Missions began. Companion book: #36, World War II |
Non-fiction 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. They were first released in 2000 by Scholastic and Random House. They provide more in-depth follow-up information on the topics in the series than already covered.[6] As of January 2018, 38 have been published. The first two Fact Trackers were published in August 2000 as companions for the first two stories, then 7 to 8 years old. In 2008 story #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.
| No. | Title | Companion To: | Date Published: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dinosaurs | Magic Tree House #1: Dinosaurs Before Dark | August 1, 2000 |
| 2 | Knights and Castles | Magic Tree House #2: The Knight at Dawn | August 1, 2000 |
| 3 | Mummies and Pyramids | Magic Tree House #3: Mummies in the Morning | February 27, 2001 |
| 4 | Pirates | Magic Tree House #4: Pirates Past Noon | May 22, 2001 |
| 5 | Rain Forests | Magic Tree House #6: Afternoon on the Amazon | September 25, 2001 |
| 6 | Space | Magic Tree House #8: Midnight on the Moon | February 26, 2002 |
| 7 | Titanic | Magic Tree House #17: Tonight on the Titanic | August 27, 2002 |
| 8 | Twisters and Other Terrible Storms | Magic Tree House #23: Twister on Tuesday | February 5, 2003 |
| 9 | Dolphins and Sharks | Magic Tree House #9: Dolphins at Daybreak | June 4, 2003 |
| 10 | Ancient Greece and the Olympics | Magic Tree House #16: Hour of the Olympics | June 1, 2004 |
| 11 | American Revolution | Magic Tree House #22: Revolutionary War on Wednesday | September 14, 2004 |
| 12 | Sabertooths and the Ice Age | Magic Tree House #7: Sunset of the Sabertooth | February 1, 2005 |
| 13 | Pilgrims | Magic Tree House #27: Thanksgiving on Thursday | September 1, 2005 |
| 14 | Ancient Rome and Pompeii | Magic Tree House #13: Vacation Under a Volcano | April 25, 2006 |
| 15 | Tsunamis and Other Natural Disasters | Magic Tree House #28: High Tide in Hawaii | February 27, 2007 |
| 16 | Polar Bears and the Arctic | Magic Tree House #12: Polar Bears Past Bedtime | September 25, 2007 |
| 17 | Sea Monsters | Magic Tree House Merlin Missions #11: Dark Day in the Deep Sea | March 25, 2008 |
| 18 | Penguins and Antarctica | Magic Tree House Merlin Missions #12: Eve of the Emperor Penguin | September 23, 2008 |
| 19 | Leonardo da Vinci | Magic Tree House Merlin Missions #10: Monday with a Mad Genius | January 13, 2009 |
| 20 | Ghosts | Magic Tree House Merlin Missions #14: A Good Night for Ghosts | July 28, 2009 |
| 21 | Leprechauns and Irish Folklore | Magic Tree House Merlin Missions #15: Leprechaun in Late Winter | January 12, 2010 |
| 22 | Rags and Riches: Kids in the Time of Charles Dickens | Magic Tree House Merlin Missions #16: A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time | September 14, 2010 |
| 23 | Snakes and Other Reptiles | Magic Tree House Merlin Missions #17: A Crazy Day with Cobras | January 11, 2011 |
| 24 | Dog Heroes | Magic Tree House Merlin Missions #18: Dogs in the Dead of Night | August 9, 2011 |
| 25 | Abraham Lincoln | Magic Tree House Merlin Missions #19: Abe Lincoln At Last | December 27, 2011 |
| 26 | Pandas and Other Endangered Species | Magic Tree House Merlin Missions #20: A Perfect Time For Pandas | July 24, 2012 |
| 27 | Horse Heroes[7] | Magic Tree House Merlin Missions #21: Stallion by Starlight | March 26, 2013 |
| 28 | Heroes for All Times | Magic Tree House Merlin Missions #23: High Time for Heroes | January 7, 2014 |
| 29 | Soccer[8] | Magic Tree House Merlin Missions #24: Soccer on Sunday | May 27, 2014 |
| 30 | Ninjas and Samurai | Magic Tree House #5: Night of the Ninjas | September 23, 2014 |
| 31 | China: Land of the Emperor's Great Wall | Magic Tree House #14: Day of the Dragon King | December 23, 2014 |
| 32 | Sharks and Other Predators | Magic Tree House Merlin Missions #25: Shadow of the Shark | June 23, 2015 |
| 33 | Vikings | Magic Tree House #15: Viking Ships at Sunrise | September 22, 2015 |
| 34 | Dogsledding and Extreme Sports | Magic Tree House Merlin Missions #26: Balto of the Blue Dawn | January 5, 2016 |
| 35 | Dragons and Mythical Creatures | Magic Tree House Merlin Missions #27: Night of the Ninth Dragon | July 26, 2016 |
| 36 | World War II | Magic Tree House Super Edition #01: World at War, 1944 | March 14, 2017 |
| 37 | Baseball | Magic Tree House #29: A Big Day for Baseball | August 1, 2017 |
| 38 | Wild West | Magic Tree House #10: Ghost Town at Sundown | January 2, 2018 |
| 39 | Texas | Magic Tree House #30: Hurricane Heroes in Texas | August 7, 2018 |
| 40 | Warriors | Magic Tree House #31: Warriors in Winter | January 8, 2019 |
Characters
There are roughly six main characters throughout the Magic Tree House series. These include: Jack, Annie, Merlin, Morgan le Fay, Kathleen, and Teddy. Jack and Annie play the largest role in the series, and they embark on numerous adventures for Merlin and Morgan le Fay throughout the series. They also receive the help of the young magicians Kathleen and Teddy while they embark on their missions.
Jack
Jack is the brother of Annie, the other major character in the series. He has short brown hair and wears red-rimmed glasses that have round lenses. Jack is often shy around others, unlike Annie, and he often takes time to get used to new situations. Jack also believes in science and reason much more than Annie does, and he often keeps a small notebook in which he takes notes about their adventures. Jack often wants to read about a place and time and absorb as much information as he can before embarking on their adventure. He is also older than Annie, which may play a role in his maturity. Jack is extremely intelligent for his young age, and his vast knowledge often helps him and Annie complete their missions. This results in him having unexpected knowledge or talents that help complete their missions such as Jack being able to drive a vehicle despite not being old enough to possess the skill. Jack is courageous, willing to risk his own life to help others, and he is compassionate, caring for everything and everyone. He also reveals in Civil War On Sunday #21 that he thinks war is kind of cool until the end. However, he sometimes lacks self-confidence until something motivates him to perform the needed feat. When he is confident in his abilities, Jack is good at doing the tasks. On one occasion, while driving a truckload of kids past a Nazi checkpoint, his confident demeanor was enough to fool the Nazis into thinking he was a regular truck driver and let him pass without an inspection. He completed the feat thanks to Kathleen lying to him that she'd made them invisible and was left stunned at what he was capable of. He also has a growing crush on Kathleen, as he gets shy around her and notes that she is extremely pretty. Her opinion of him matters to Jack greatly enough that if she shows confidence in his ability to perform tasks, he has more confidence in himself if only for the reason of not wanting to let Kathleen down.
Annie
Annie is the younger sister of Jack, and she is the second major character in the series. Annie has blond hair tied in pigtails, and has blue eyes. Annie believes in magic much more than Jack does, and Morgan le Fay reveals that Annie's belief in magic helped her see the magic tree house. Annie is often impulsive and not as shy as Jack. However, this often leads to trouble that the pair has to deal with. Annie is younger than Jack, which means that she is less mature. Annie also talks to animals much more than Jack does, and she is kind to them.
Morgan le Fay
Morgan le Fay is a witch and Time Librarian from King Arthur's time. She is King Arthur's sister.[9] In Books 1-3, she was in form of a pteranodon, cat, and knight.[10] In Book 4, she transforms from a green parrot into human form.[11] She has since become the kids' mentor and adviser on their quest to become Master Librarians of Time. She is the one who gives Jack and Annie riddles and quests to solve in Books 1 through 28.
Teddy
A young sorcerer and apprentice of Morgan. Jack and Annie first meet Teddy when he's trapped in the form of a dog and spend books 17-20 freeing him from the spell. Teddy is not his actual name but the nickname Jack and Annie gave him when he was a dog. His real name is unknown but everyone calls him Teddy, not just Jack and Annie. When he regained human form, he chose to have Jack and Annie continue calling him Teddy as he liked the nickname though he asked for them to call him Ted, something they only did for his brief appearance as a human at the end of book 20. Teddy is kind-hearted but overconfident in his abilities and isn't actually that good at magic usually, requiring Kathleen to aid him in finishing his spells more often than not. Over the course of the books, Teddy gets better but still requires help a lot. His misfortunes with magic resulted in him turning himself into a dog and Penny the Penguin into stone, resulting in Jack and Annie having to help him break the spells.
Kathleen
Kathleen is the youngest of 20 sisters, and she is a selkie, or being that can morph herself and others into seals. Kathleen is one of Morgan's apprentices, and she is extremely friendly, quickly befriending Annie, Jack, Morgan, Merlin, and Teddy. Kathleen is free-spirited and playful, probably due to her being a selkie. Kathleen has brown hair that is long and curly and brown eyes. She also wears a seaweed dress. In seal form, she can communicate with other seals as well. Kathleen is also talented in magic spells. She is also very caring as shown when she is sent to rescue two children in Normandy during World War II and instead risks her life to protect ten children. Her empathic nature results in her losing her magic when she loses hope, forcing Jack and Annie to rescue her. Once her hope is restored, so is her magic. Jack has a crush on her, but it is unknown if she shares these feelings.
Film adaptations
The animated film Magic Tree House (マジック・ツリーハウス), produced by Media Factory, premiered in Japan in October 2011[12] and was generally released there on January 7, 2012.[13]
In 2016, Lionsgate acquired the film rights with a script by Will Osborne and Jenny Laird. The movie will primarily contain plot elements from Book 29, "Christmas in Camelot."[14]
References
- 1 2 3 "Celebrating 25 Years – Magic Tree House". www.magictreehouse.com.
- ↑ Osborne, Mary Pope (2013). Hurry up, Houdini!. Random House Childrens Books. ISBN 9780307980472. OCLC 816027002.
- ↑ Osborne, Mary Pope (2014). High Time for Heroes. Random House Childrens Books. ISBN 9780307980496. OCLC 840464294.
- ↑ Osborne, Mary Pope (2014). Hurry up, Houdini!. Random House Childrens Books. ISBN 9780307980533. OCLC 857879351.
- ↑ "Magic Tree House Super Edition #1: Danger in the Darkest Hour".
- ↑ "Magic Tree House The Mystery of the Ancient Riddles Boxed Set #3: Book 9-12 (Magic Treehouse Series): "Meet the writer: Biography"". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
- ↑ Osborne, Mary Pope (2013). Horse Heroes. Paw Prints. ISBN 9781451786026. OCLC 81160106.
- ↑ Osborne, Mary Pope (2014). Soccer. Random House. ISBN 9780385386296. OCLC 857879358.
- ↑ Book #4, Pirates Past Noon, p. 59
- ↑ Book #4, Pirates Past Noon, p. 63
- ↑ Book #4, Pirates Past Noon, p. 56-58
- ↑ "TIFF 上映作品: マジック・ツリーハウス (Films: The Magic Tree House)" (in Japanese). Tokyo International Film Festival. 2011-10-23. Retrieved 2013-03-06.
- ↑ "Magic Tree House Books' 2012 Film Confirmed as Anime". Anime News Network. 2011-03-08. Retrieved 2013-03-06.
- ↑ McNarry, Dave (4 February 2016). "'Magic Tree House' Movies in Development at Lionsgate". Variety. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
External links
- Official website
- Magic Tree House at Mediafactory (in Japanese)
- Mary Pope Osborne blog
- Magic Tree House series listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database