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Mary Pope Osborne Books in Order
Below is the complete list of Mary Pope Osborne books in order of publication. This is the recommended reading sequence for the series.
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Magic Tree House Series
- Dinosaurs Before Dark / Valley of the Dinosaurs (1992)
Buy on Amazon - The Knight at Dawn / Castle of Mystery (1993)
Buy on Amazon - Mummies in the Morning / Secret of the Pyramid (1993)
Buy on Amazon - Pirates Past Noon / Pirates’ Treasure! (1994)
Buy on Amazon - Night of the Ninjas (1995)
Buy on Amazon - Afternoon on the Amazon (1995)
Buy on Amazon - Sunset of the Sabertooth / Mammoth to the Rescue (1996)
Buy on Amazon - Midnight on the Moon / Moon Mission! (1996)
Buy on Amazon - Dolphins at Daybreak (1996)
Buy on Amazon - Ghost Town at Sundown / A Wild West Ride (1997)
Buy on Amazon - Lions at Lunchtime / Lions on the Loose (1998)
Buy on Amazon - Vacation Under the Volcano / Racing with Gladiators (1998)
Buy on Amazon - Polar Bears Past Bedtime / Icy Escape! (1998)
Buy on Amazon - Day of the Dragon King / Palace of the Dragon King (1998)
Buy on Amazon - Viking Ships at Sunrise / Voyage of the Vikings (1998)
Buy on Amazon - Hour of the Olympics / Olympic Challenge! (1998)
Buy on Amazon - Tonight on the Titanic (1999)
Buy on Amazon - Buffalo Before Breakfast (1999)
Buy on Amazon - Tigers at Twilight (1999)
Buy on Amazon - Dingoes at Dinnertime (2000)
Buy on Amazon - Civil War on Sunday (2000)
Buy on Amazon - Revolutionary War on Wednesday (2000)
Buy on Amazon - Twister on Tuesday (2001)
Buy on Amazon - Earthquake in the Early Morning (2001)
Buy on Amazon - Stage Fright on a Summer Night (2002)
Buy on Amazon - Good Morning, Gorillas (2002)
Buy on Amazon - Thanksgiving on Thursday (2002)
Buy on Amazon - High Tide in Hawaii (2003)
Buy on Amazon - A Big Day for Baseball (2017)
Buy on Amazon - Hurricane Heroes in Texas (2018)
Buy on Amazon - Warriors in Winter (2019)
Buy on Amazon - To the Future, Ben Franklin! (2019)
Buy on Amazon - Narwhal on a Sunny Night (2020)
Buy on Amazon - Late Lunch with Llamas (2020)
Buy on Amazon - Camp Time in California (2021)
Buy on Amazon - Sunlight on the Snow Leopard (2022)
Buy on Amazon - Rhinos at Recess (2023)
Buy on Amazon - Time of the Turtle King (2023)
Buy on Amazon - Windy Night with Wild Horses (2024)
Buy on Amazon - Sea Otter Sunrise (2025)
Buy on Amazon
Magic Tree House Merlin Missions Series
- Christmas in Camelot (2001)
Buy on Amazon - Haunted Castle on Hallows Eve (2003)
Buy on Amazon - Summer of the Sea Serpent (2004)
Buy on Amazon - Winter of the Ice Wizard (2004)
Buy on Amazon - Carnival at Candlelight (2004)
Buy on Amazon - Season of the Sandstorms (2005)
Buy on Amazon - Night of the New Magicians (2006)
Buy on Amazon - Blizzard of the Blue Moon (2006)
Buy on Amazon - Dragon of the Red Dawn (2007)
Buy on Amazon - Monday with a Mad Genius (2007)
Buy on Amazon - Dark Day in the Deep Sea (2008)
Buy on Amazon - Eve of the Emperor Penguin (2008)
Buy on Amazon - Moonlight on the Magic Flute (2009)
Buy on Amazon - A Good Night for Ghosts (2009)
Buy on Amazon - Leprechaun in Late Winter (2010)
Buy on Amazon - A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time (2010)
Buy on Amazon - A Crazy Day with Cobras (2010)
Buy on Amazon - Dogs in the Dead of Night (2011)
Buy on Amazon - Abe Lincoln At Last! (2011)
Buy on Amazon - A Perfect Time for Pandas (2012)
Buy on Amazon - Stallion by Starlight (2013)
Buy on Amazon - Hurry Up, Houdini! (2013)
Buy on Amazon - High Time for Heroes (2014)
Buy on Amazon - Soccer on Sunday (2014)
Buy on Amazon - Shadow of the Shark (2015)
Buy on Amazon - Balto of the Blue Dawn (2016)
Buy on Amazon - Night of the Ninth Dragon (2016)
Buy on Amazon
Magic Tree House Super Edition Series
- Danger in the Darkest Hour / World at War, 1944 (2015)
Buy on Amazon
Spider Kane Series
- Spider Kane and the Mystery Under the May-Apple (1992)
Buy on Amazon - Spider Kane and the Mystery at Jumbo Nightcrawler’s (1993)
Buy on Amazon
My America: Virginia’s Civil War Diary Series
- My Brother’s Keeper (2000)
Buy on Amazon - After the Rain (2002)
Buy on Amazon - A Time to Dance (2003)
Buy on Amazon
Tales From The Odyssey Series
- The One-Eyed Giant (2002)
Buy on Amazon - The Land of the Dead (2002)
Buy on Amazon - Sirens and Sea Monsters (2003)
Buy on Amazon - The Gray-Eyed Goddess (2003)
Buy on Amazon - Return to Ithaca (2004)
Buy on Amazon - The Final Battle (2004)
Buy on Amazon
Standalone Novels Series
- Run, Run, As Fast As You Can (1982)
Buy on Amazon - Love Always, Blue (1983)
Buy on Amazon - Best Wishes, Joe Brady (1984)
Buy on Amazon - Last One Home (1986)
Buy on Amazon - The Deadly Power of Medusa (1988)
Buy on Amazon - Moonhorse (1988)
Buy on Amazon - Jason and the Argonauts (1988)
(With Will Osborne)
Buy on Amazon - Molly and the Prince (1994)
Buy on Amazon - Haunted Waters (1994)
Buy on Amazon - Rocking Horse Christmas (1997)
Buy on Amazon - Adaline Falling Star (2000)
Buy on Amazon - Kate and the Beanstalk (2000)
Buy on Amazon - The Brave Little Seamstress (2002)
Buy on Amazon - New York’s Bravest (2002)
Buy on Amazon
Short Story Collections Series
- American Tall Tales (1991)
Buy on Amazon
Picture Series
- Mo to the Rescue (1985)
Buy on Amazon - Pandora’s Box (1987)
Buy on Amazon - A Visit to Sleep’s House (1989)
Buy on Amazon - Mo and His Friends (1989)
Buy on Amazon - Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Buy on Amazon - The Life of Jesus in Masterpieces of Art (1998)
Buy on Amazon - Sleeping Bobby (2005)
Buy on Amazon - Pompeii: Lost & Found (2006)
Buy on Amazon
Magic Tree House Fact Tracker Series
- Dinosaurs (2000)
Buy on Amazon - Knights and Castles (2000)
Buy on Amazon - Mummies and Pyramids (2001)
Buy on Amazon - Pirates (2001)
Buy on Amazon - Rain Forests (2001)
Buy on Amazon - Space (2002)
Buy on Amazon - Titanic (2002)
Buy on Amazon - Twisters and Other Terrible Storms (2003)
Buy on Amazon - Dolphins and Sharks (2003)
Buy on Amazon - Ancient Greece and the Olympics (2004)
Buy on Amazon - American Revolution (2004)
Buy on Amazon - Sabertooths and the Ice Age (2005)
Buy on Amazon - Pilgrims (2005)
Buy on Amazon - Ancient Rome and Pompeii (2006)
Buy on Amazon - Tsunamis and Other Natural Disasters (2007)
Buy on Amazon - Polar Bears and the Arctic (2007)
Buy on Amazon - Sea Monsters (2008)
Buy on Amazon - Penguins and Antarctica (2008)
Buy on Amazon - Leonardo da Vinci (2009)
Buy on Amazon - Ghosts (2009)
Buy on Amazon - Leprechauns and Irish Folklore (2010)
Buy on Amazon - Kids in Hard Times (2010)
Buy on Amazon - Snakes and Other Reptiles (2011)
Buy on Amazon - Dog Heroes (2011)
Buy on Amazon - Abraham Lincoln (2011)
Buy on Amazon - Pandas and Other Endangered Species (2012)
Buy on Amazon - Horse Heroes (2013)
Buy on Amazon - Magic Tricks from the Tree House (2013)
Buy on Amazon - Heroes for All Times (2013)
Buy on Amazon - Soccer (2014)
Buy on Amazon - Ninjas and Samurai (2014)
Buy on Amazon - China (2014)
Buy on Amazon - Sharks and Other Predators (2015)
Buy on Amazon - Vikings (2015)
Buy on Amazon - Dogsledding and Extreme Sports (2016)
Buy on Amazon - Dragons and Mythical Creatures (2016)
Buy on Amazon - World War II (2017)
Buy on Amazon - Baseball (2017)
Buy on Amazon - Wild West (2018)
Buy on Amazon - Texas (2018)
Buy on Amazon - Warriors (2019)
Buy on Amazon - Benjamin Franklin (2019)
Buy on Amazon - Narwhals and Other Whales (2020)
Buy on Amazon - Llamas and the Andes (2020)
Buy on Amazon
Magic Tree House Non-Fiction Series
- Games and Puzzles from the Tree House (2010)
(With Natalie Pope Boyce)
Buy on Amazon - My Magic Tree House Journal (2014)
Buy on Amazon - Magic Tree House Survival Guide (2014)
Buy on Amazon - Animal Games and Puzzles (2015)
Buy on Amazon - Magic Tree House Incredible Fact Book (2016)
Buy on Amazon
Non-Fiction Series
- The Story of Christopher Columbus (1987)
Buy on Amazon - George Washington (1991)
Buy on Amazon - One World, Many Religions (1996)
Buy on Amazon - Happy Birthday America (2003)
Buy on Amazon - Memories and Life Lessons from the Magic Tree House (2022)
Buy on Amazon
Dear America Series
- Standing in the Light: The Captive Diary of Catharine Carey Logan, Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania, 1763 (1998)
Buy on Amazon - My Secret War: The World War II Diary of Madeline Beck, Long Island, New York 1941 (2000)
Buy on Amazon
Graphic Novels Series
with Jenny Laird
- Dinosaurs Before Dark (2021)
(With Jenny Laird)
Buy on Amazon - Dinosaurs Before Dark Graphic Novel ) (2021)
Buy on Amazon - The Knight at Dawn (2021)
(With Jenny Laird)
Buy on Amazon - Mummies in the Morning (2022)
(With Jenny Laird)
Buy on Amazon - Pirates Past Noon (2022)
(With Jenny Laird)
Buy on Amazon - Night of the Ninjas Graphic Novel (Magic Tree House (2023)
(With Jenny Laird)
Buy on Amazon - Afternoon on the Amazon Graphic Novel (2024)
(With Jenny Laird)
Buy on Amazon - Sunset of the Sabertooth Graphic Novel (2024)
(With Jenny Laird)
Buy on Amazon - Midnight on the Moon Graphic Novel (2025)
(With Jenny Laird)
Buy on Amazon
About Mary Pope Osborne
Mary Pope Osborne is one of the most important writers in modern children’s publishing, but her career is broader and more varied than the enormous success of Magic Tree House can sometimes make it seem. She is best known, of course, as the creator of Jack and Annie, the siblings who travel through time in one of the most durable chapter-book series ever written. Yet her bibliography stretches well beyond that single phenomenon, into picture books, mythology retellings, historical fiction, fantasy, and books written for a range of ages. What ties it all together is a very clear gift: she knows how to make wonder feel immediate.
Her official biography emphasizes that she “was born into adventure,” and that phrase is not just promotional shorthand. Because her father was in the army, Osborne moved constantly as a child, living in many different places and attending multiple schools before adulthood. That restless early life helps explain why travel, discovery, and unfamiliar worlds feel so natural in her fiction. Even when she is writing for very young readers, her books carry the excitement of stepping beyond the ordinary and finding that the world is much larger than it first appeared.
Before Magic Tree House transformed her career, Osborne had already built a significant body of children’s literature. She wrote picture books, retold myths and legends, and published fantasy and historical works that showed both range and confidence. That earlier career matters because Magic Tree House did not come from nowhere. It grew out of a writer already deeply interested in storytelling as a way of crossing boundaries: between times, cultures, landscapes, and kinds of knowledge. Her fascination with myth, religion, history, and adventure was there before Jack and Annie ever climbed into the tree house.
The great breakthrough, though, was Dinosaurs Before Dark in 1992. With that book, Osborne found a form almost perfectly suited to her strengths. The series gave beginning readers short chapters, clear prose, and fast-moving adventures, but it also gave them something more lasting: the feeling that reading itself could be a portal. Jack and Annie do not simply visit exciting places. They move through history, legend, and geography in a way that makes curiosity feel active and rewarding. That is one reason the books lasted so powerfully. They did not merely entertain children. They made children want to know more.
Her bibliography is best understood in several connected layers. The first is the main Magic Tree House line, which remains the center of her reputation. Around that grew the Merlin Missions, companion Fact Trackers, and other related formats that widened the world for readers at different stages. The second layer is her earlier and parallel work outside the tree house, including retellings such as American Tall Tales and the Tales from the Odyssey books, along with other fiction and historical titles. Seen together, those books show that Osborne has always been interested in introducing young readers to the breadth of human story, not just one recurring fictional setup.
Her style is often praised for being simple, but that simplicity is carefully made. Osborne writes with unusual clarity and pace, and that is one of the reasons her books work so well for children just becoming independent readers. She understands that ease is not the same as thinness. A book can be accessible and still carry atmosphere, movement, emotion, and genuine imaginative reach. That may be her strongest technical gift as a writer.
Another important part of her career is literacy advocacy. Osborne has long been associated not only with children’s books as products, but with reading as a life-changing act. That feels consistent with everything else in her work. Her fiction is full of doors opening, worlds widening, and knowledge becoming adventure. It makes sense that her public life would reflect the same belief.
The best way to understand Mary Pope Osborne’s bibliography, then, is as the work of a writer who made learning and wonder feel inseparable. Magic Tree House may be the towering center of her legacy, but the larger shelf shows something just as impressive: a children’s author who has spent decades inviting readers to step into history, myth, mystery, and imagination with the confidence that curiosity itself is a kind of magic.
Series: Mary Pope Osborne