Magic Tree House series
| Author | Mary Pope Osborne |
|---|---|
| Illustrator |
Sal Murdocca (USA) Ayana Amako (Japan) |
| Genre | Children's historical fantasy |
| Publisher |
Random House (USA) Media Factory (Japan) |
| Website |
www |
The Magic Tree House is a series of children's books written by American author Mary Pope Osborne.
The series consists of two groups. The first group consists of books 1-28, in which Morgan Le Fay sends Jack and Annie, two normal children who are siblings from Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, on numerous adventures and missions with a magical tree house in order to help free Morgan from a spell, solve four ancient riddles to become Master Librarians, and save four ancient stories from being lost forever. 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. It is also the first time the two don't use any form of magic since the "Merlin Missions" began, instead once again relying on their own talents and abilities.
The 52nd book in the fiction series, Soccer on Sunday, was published in May 2014, along with the 29th nonfiction companion book, Soccer. 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. They provide nonfiction background for several of the topics explored in the stories.[1] The first two Fact Checkers 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; simultaneous production has been common since.
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[2] and was generally released there on January 7, 2012.[3]
On February 4, 2016, it was announced Lionsgate would be making a feature film adaption.[4]
Fiction books
| # | Title | Published | Type | Plot Summary/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dinosaurs Before Dark (UK Title: Valley of the Dinosaurs) | July 28, 1992 | In the mystery of the Tree house #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. |
| 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 jungles of the past. |
| 20 | Dingoes at Dinnertime | March 14, 2000 | In the mystery of the Enchanted dog arc #4 | Set in ancient Australia. 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 who is a young magician who trapped himself under a spell. This story introduces the character of Teddy who becomes a friend and ally to Jack and Annie over later stories. |
| 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 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 rain forest, 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 | 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. (Note: NOTE- This is the 25th book chronologically, due to the main storyline built upon the end of "Earthquake in the Early Morning".) |
| 30 | Haunted Castle on Hallow's 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 | 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 and a possible love interest for Jack. 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 Basho. |
| 38 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Leprechaun in Late Winter | January 12, 2010 | In the Inspiring arc #3 | The kids meet a leprechaun girl in their third mission to put "artists" on the right path. The leprechaun girl grows up to be Lady Gregory, a famous legendteller of the Irish lore. Can the kids save Gregory 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Hurry Up Houdini![5] | August 23, 2013 | In the Greatness arc #2 | Jack and Annie meet magician Harry Houdini. |
| 51 | High Time for Heroes[6] | January 7, 2014 | In the Greatness arc #3 | Jack and Annie meet Florence Nightingale in Egypt. Companion book: #28, Heroes for All Times. |
| 52 | Soccer on Sunday[7] | May 27, 2014 | In the Greatness arc #4 | Jack and Annie travel to a soccer field in Mexico. Companion book: #29, Soccer. |
| 53 | Shadow of the Shark | June 23, 2015 | 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 | Balto of the Blue Dawn | January 5, 2016 | Jack and Annie meet Balto, a jet-black Siberian husky in Alaska, 1925. Companion book: #34, Dogsledding and Extreme Sports | |
| 55 | "Night of the Ninth Dragon" | July 26, 2016 | Companion book: #35, Dragons and Mythical Creatures | |
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. As of January 2016, 34 have been published.
| No. | Title | Companion To: | Date Published: | Notes: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Dinosaurs | Magic Tree House #1: Dinosaurs Before Dark | August 1, 2000 | |
| 02 | Knights and Castles | Magic Tree House #2: The Knight at Dawn | August 1, 2000 | |
| 03 | Mummies and Pyramids | Magic Tree House #3: Mummies in the Morning | February 27, 2001 | |
| 04 | Pirates | Magic Tree House #4: Pirates Past Noon | May 22, 2001 | |
| 05 | Rain Forests | Magic Tree House #6: Afternoon on the Amazon | September 25, 2001 | |
| 06 | Space | Magic Tree House #8: Midnight on the Moon | February 26, 2002 | |
| 07 | Titanic | Magic Tree House #17: Tonight on the Titanic | August 27, 2002 | |
| 08 | Twisters and Other Terrible Storms | Magic Tree House #23: Twister on Tuesday | February 5, 2003 | |
| 09 | 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 #39: Dark Day in the Deep Sea | March 25, 2008 | |
| 18 | Penguins and Antarctica | Magic Tree House #40: Eve of the Emperor Penguin | September 23, 2008 | |
| 19 | Leonardo da Vinci | Magic Tree House #38: Monday with a Mad Genius | January 13, 2009 | |
| 20 | Ghosts | Magic Tree House #42: A Good Night for Ghosts | July 28, 2009 | |
| 21 | Leprechauns and Irish Folklore | Magic Tree House #43: Leprechaun in Late Winter | January 12, 2010 | |
| 22 | Rags and Riches: Kids in the Time of Charles Dickens | Magic Tree House #44: A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time | September 14, 2010 | |
| 23 | Snakes and Other Reptiles | Magic Tree House #45: A Crazy Day with Cobras | January 11, 2011 | |
| 24 | Dog Heroes | Magic Tree House #46: Dogs in the Dead of Night | August 9, 2011 | |
| 25 | Abraham Lincoln | Magic Tree House #47: Abe Lincoln At Last | December 27, 2011 | |
| 26 | Pandas and Other Endangered Species | Magic Tree House #48: A Perfect Time For Pandas | July 24, 2012 | |
| 27 | Horse Heroes[8] | Magic Tree House #49: Stallion by Starlight | March 26, 2013 | |
| 28 | Heroes for All Times | Magic Tree House #51: High Time for Heroes | January 7, 2014 | |
| 29 | Soccer[9] | Magic Tree House #52: 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 #53: 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 #54: Balto of the Blue Dawn | January 5, 2016 | |
| 35 | "Dragons and Mythical Creatures" | Magic Tree House #55: "Night of the Ninth Dragon" | July 26, 2016 |
Super editions
Main Article: Danger in the Darkest Hour
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.
The first Magic Tree House Super Edition is called Danger in the Darkest Hour [10] and features 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.
Characters
There are roughly six main character 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. 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 is the magical enchantress from Camelot who owns the magic tree house. Morgan send them on missions for the first group of the Magic Tree House books. Morgan is wise and kind to Annie and Jack, and she is mysterious, often appearing and disappearing suddenly. Morgan is also a magical librarian who uses the tree house to travel through space and time. Then, she collects books to put in her library.
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 into a seal. 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 long black hair that reaches down to her waist, and blue eyes. She also wears a seaweed cloth. Kathleen is a selkie, which means that she can turn into a seal and turn others in seals as well. 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.
References
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "Lionsgate acquires film rights to Magic Tree House books".
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Osborne, Mary Pope (2013). Horse Heroes. Paw Prints. ISBN 9781451786026. OCLC 81160106.
- ↑ Osborne, Mary Pope (2014). Soccer. Random House. ISBN 9780385386296. OCLC 857879358.
- ↑ "Magic Tree House Super Edition #1: Danger in the Darkest Hour".
External links
- Official website
- Magic Tree House at Mediafactory (Japanese)
- Mary Pope Osborne blog
- Magic Tree House series listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database