Bookworm List: 20 years at the Magic Tree House

Tomorrow at 4pm, children, grades K-5, are invited to spend Halloween at the Magic Tree House. We'll visit some of the no-so- scary adventures of Jack and Annie, play some games, and make a haunted house. Please register at Library Events or call 769-3541 ext 360.

Speaking of the Magic Tree House, this year is their 20th anniversary. The adventures of Jack and Annie started July 1992 in Dinosaurs before Dark, written by Mary Pope Osborne. While playing hide and seek in the woods of Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, they find a tree house filled with books. Jack was looking at a Pteranodon ( which was a flying reptile, the P is silent) and wishes he could see a real one. Suddenly the tree house starts to spin... and the children land in the time of the dinosaurs. They meet lots of them and almost eaten by a T. Rex. But don't worry, they find a way home and go on more adventures. They eventually learn in book 4, Pirates past Noon, the Magic Tree House is owned by Morgan Le Fay, an enchantress from the tales of King Arthur. Currently there are 48 books ( book 49 comes out in March 2013), and the children have gone everywhere from the prairie to the rainforest, even to the moon and the Titanic. (Note-There are actually two parts to the series. The original series consists of 28 books. At book 29, Osborne renamed the series The Magic Tree House Merlin Missions. While it is a continuation of the original series, they are a bit longer and feature a mix of fantasy and reality.)

I learned about the series about five years ago during my first two weeks on the job(every kid was asking for them or Junie B.  Jones). I decided to check them out, and they are a fun quick and educational read. Currently, my favorite in the series ( and we'll be hearing parts of it tomorrow) is A Good Night for Ghosts (book 42 in the series.) In this adventure, Jack and Annie travel to New Orleans, 1915, to help a young Louis Armstrong find his musical talent and face some real ghosts.

Our Magic Tree House collection can be found on the red display shelves in the middle of the department. Also, check out the Magic Tree House Fact Trackers. These are simple non-fiction books that provide more information on the topics covered in the series. Currently, there are 26 in the series, and they are shelved according to subject. Some titles ( and their call number) include:

• Rags and Riches : Kids in the Time of Charles Dickens (companion to A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time)-362.74 OSBO
•  Sea Monsters (companion to Dark Day in Deep Sea)-591.77 OSBO     
• Ghosts ( companion to A Good Night For Ghosts)-133.1 OSBO  
• Space( companion to Midnight on the Moon)-520 OSBO

Keep reading!!