Mary Pope Osborne
Encyclopedia
Mary Pope Osborne is an American
children's book author. She is best known for her award-winning and bestselling Magic Tree House series
, which has been translated into over 20 languages and sold over 53 million copies.
, Oklahoma
, the daughter of William Pope, a United States Army
Colonel, and Barnette (nee
Dickens), a homemaker. Osborne has a twin brother, Bill, a younger brother, and an older sister, Natalie, who has collaborated with her. Until she was 15, Osborne's family relocated often for her father's career; the family lived in Oklahoma
, Austria
, Florida
and on four different Army posts before ending up in North Carolina
, where the family settled once her father retired. Osborne credits her lifelong peripatetic tendencies and love of adventure to this nomadic childhood.
After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
, Osborne traveled extensively around the world before settling in New York City
. In 1976, she married Will Osborne, actor and children's playwright. He is Osborne's occasional collaborator.
From 1993 to 1997, Osborne served as the 27th president of the Authors Guild, the oldest organization for writers in the United States.
Osborne eventually hit upon a formula for a series of chapter book
s with protagonists 8-year-old Jack and his 7-year-old sister Annie patterned on her own sibling relationships, and living in the fictional pastoral Frog Creek, Pennsylvania. Desiring to make it a time-travel series, Osborne happened on an old children's tree house on a walk and was inspired as to the means.
In 1992, the first of the Magic Tree House stories, Dinosaurs Before Dark, was published. The book opens with the siblings finding a magic tree house filled with books near their home. Osborne casts Morgan le Fay
, fairy sister of King Arthur
, as the head librarian of Camelot
. When Jack and Annie read one of le Fay's books, they are transported with a wish to its time and setting.
The book established the mold for future releases. Osborne followed with 27 more in the same pattern, changing little more than the setting and adventure. At #29, Osborne altered the series and renamed it the "Magic Tree House Merlin Missions". The books now featured missions assigned to them by Merlin
the magician. Osborne also aged the protagonists 2 years, although she has stated in interviews that she does not intend to age the characters any further.
Osborne's writing style is credited for the popularity of the series; it is most usually called by reviewers 'clear', 'well-paced', and, most notably, 'easy to read'. Osborne tends to small cliffhangers at the end of chapters, which have been highlighted as a major ingredient in the books' appeal with the target age group. The series is most commonly considered to be educational, both with the historical and geographical accuracy of its content and in its vocabulary.
The popularity of the series eclipsed that of Harry Potter
as #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list in 2006. The series has received honors from such organizations as the National Council of Teachers of English, the American Booksellers Association and the author received the Ludington Memorial Award from the Educational Paperback Association and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Random House Sales Force.
The Magic Tree House brand has spawned several other products. A non-fiction companion series, the Magic Tree House Research Guides, was launched in 2000 to expand on the facts behind the Magic Tree House entries. Osborne collaborates on these with her husband and sister, Natalie Pope Boyce. A full-scale musical adaptation was created by Will Osborne; Magic Tree House: The Musical, premiered in September 2007. A planetarium show; "Magic Tree House: Space Mission", is produced and presented exclusively at the Morehead Planetarium
in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
. Audio and braille versions of the books are available as well as companion programs aimed at educators using the books to illustrate history and writing skills. However, Magic Tree House merchandise is rarely offered and usually for an educational purpose. For example, a small selection of t-shirts, bags, and pencils are available in support of Osborne's alma mater at the UNC Morehead Planetarium.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
children's book author. She is best known for her award-winning and bestselling Magic Tree House series
Magic Tree House series
The Magic Tree House series is an award-winning series of children's books written by American author Mary Pope Osborne.In the first series, consisting of the first 28 books, Morgan le Fay sends Jack and Annie, two normal children from Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, on numerous adventures and missions...
, which has been translated into over 20 languages and sold over 53 million copies.
Background
Mary Pope was born in Fort SillFort Sill
Fort Sill is a United States Army post near Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.Today, Fort Sill remains the only active Army installation of all the forts on the South Plains built during the Indian Wars...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, the daughter of William Pope, a United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Colonel, and Barnette (nee
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Dickens), a homemaker. Osborne has a twin brother, Bill, a younger brother, and an older sister, Natalie, who has collaborated with her. Until she was 15, Osborne's family relocated often for her father's career; the family lived in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and on four different Army posts before ending up in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, where the family settled once her father retired. Osborne credits her lifelong peripatetic tendencies and love of adventure to this nomadic childhood.
After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
, Osborne traveled extensively around the world before settling in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In 1976, she married Will Osborne, actor and children's playwright. He is Osborne's occasional collaborator.
From 1993 to 1997, Osborne served as the 27th president of the Authors Guild, the oldest organization for writers in the United States.
Magic Tree House series
Osborne was a published author for over 10 years before writing the first Magic Tree House entry. Her first book, 1982's Run, Run, As Fast As You Can, was a semi-autobiographical story of a young girl growing up in a military family and was published by Random House's Children's Book imprint. After several other books, mostly targeted to the youth audience, the publisher suggested to Osborne that she write a series. She spent the next year formulating the idea.Osborne eventually hit upon a formula for a series of chapter book
Chapter book
A chapter book is a story book intended for intermediate readers, generally age 7-10. Unlike picture books for younger readers, a chapter book tells the story primarily through prose, rather than pictures. Unlike books for older readers, chapter books contain plentiful illustrations...
s with protagonists 8-year-old Jack and his 7-year-old sister Annie patterned on her own sibling relationships, and living in the fictional pastoral Frog Creek, Pennsylvania. Desiring to make it a time-travel series, Osborne happened on an old children's tree house on a walk and was inspired as to the means.
In 1992, the first of the Magic Tree House stories, Dinosaurs Before Dark, was published. The book opens with the siblings finding a magic tree house filled with books near their home. Osborne casts Morgan le Fay
Morgan le Fay
Morgan le Fay , alternatively known as Morgane, Morgaine, Morgana and other variants, is a powerful sorceress in the Arthurian legend. Early works featuring Morgan do not elaborate her character beyond her role as a fay or magician...
, fairy sister of King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
, as the head librarian of Camelot
Camelot
Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and eventually came to be described as the fantastic capital of Arthur's realm and a symbol of the Arthurian world...
. When Jack and Annie read one of le Fay's books, they are transported with a wish to its time and setting.
The book established the mold for future releases. Osborne followed with 27 more in the same pattern, changing little more than the setting and adventure. At #29, Osborne altered the series and renamed it the "Magic Tree House Merlin Missions". The books now featured missions assigned to them by Merlin
Merlin
Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
the magician. Osborne also aged the protagonists 2 years, although she has stated in interviews that she does not intend to age the characters any further.
Osborne's writing style is credited for the popularity of the series; it is most usually called by reviewers 'clear', 'well-paced', and, most notably, 'easy to read'. Osborne tends to small cliffhangers at the end of chapters, which have been highlighted as a major ingredient in the books' appeal with the target age group. The series is most commonly considered to be educational, both with the historical and geographical accuracy of its content and in its vocabulary.
The popularity of the series eclipsed that of Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
as #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list in 2006. The series has received honors from such organizations as the National Council of Teachers of English, the American Booksellers Association and the author received the Ludington Memorial Award from the Educational Paperback Association and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Random House Sales Force.
The Magic Tree House brand has spawned several other products. A non-fiction companion series, the Magic Tree House Research Guides, was launched in 2000 to expand on the facts behind the Magic Tree House entries. Osborne collaborates on these with her husband and sister, Natalie Pope Boyce. A full-scale musical adaptation was created by Will Osborne; Magic Tree House: The Musical, premiered in September 2007. A planetarium show; "Magic Tree House: Space Mission", is produced and presented exclusively at the Morehead Planetarium
Morehead Planetarium
Morehead Planetarium and Science Center is located on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It is one of the oldest and largest planetariums in the United States having welcomed over 7 million visitors by its 60th anniversary in 2009...
in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
. Audio and braille versions of the books are available as well as companion programs aimed at educators using the books to illustrate history and writing skills. However, Magic Tree House merchandise is rarely offered and usually for an educational purpose. For example, a small selection of t-shirts, bags, and pencils are available in support of Osborne's alma mater at the UNC Morehead Planetarium.