Mary Pope Osborne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Pope Osborne
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Mary Pope Osborne, photographed in 2012 by Elena Seibert.
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| Born | Mary Pope May 20, 1949 Fort Sill, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | American |
| Period | 1982–present |
| Genre | Children's picture books, fantasy, myths and fairy tales retold, American biography and fictional diary |
| Notable works |
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| Spouse | Will Osborne |
Mary Pope Osborne (born May 20, 1949) is an American author who writes books for children. She is most famous for creating the Magic Tree House series. These popular books have sold over 134 million copies worldwide! Mary Pope Osborne and her books have won many awards, including some for her work helping kids learn to read.
Mary is one of four children. She moved around a lot during her childhood. After college, she traveled the world before settling in New York City. She started writing almost by chance, and her first book came out in 1982. She wrote many other books for kids and young adults before starting the Magic Tree House series in 1992. Her sister, Natalie Pope Boyce, has also written books that go along with the Magic Tree House series. Sometimes, Mary's husband, Will, helps too.
Contents
About Mary Pope Osborne
Her Early Life
Mary Pope Osborne grew up in a military family. She has a sister, Natalie Pope Boyce, a twin brother, Bill, and a younger brother, Michael. Because her father was in the military, her family moved very often. As a child, Mary lived in places like Salzburg, Austria, and also in Oklahoma and Virginia in the U.S. She once said that moving was never hard for her, but staying in one place was!
After her father retired, her family settled in a small town in North Carolina. Mary became very involved in the local community theater. She spent all her free time there.
College and World Travels
Mary Pope Osborne first studied drama at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. But in her third year, she changed her major to religion. She focused on studying different religions. After graduating in 1971, Mary and a friend went traveling. For six weeks, she camped in a cave on the island of Crete.
After that, Mary joined a small group of Europeans traveling to the East. Her journey took her through eleven countries in Asia. These included Iraq, Iran, India, Nepal, Afghanistan, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, and Pakistan. The trip ended when Mary got blood poisoning. She had to stay in a hospital for a few weeks, where she read The Lord of the Rings. Mary said that this journey changed her forever. She felt it planted seeds of imagination that led her to become an author.
After her travels, Mary lived in California and Washington D.C. In D.C., she met her husband, Will, at a theater show. They moved to New York after getting married in 1976. During this time, she worked many different jobs. She was a medical assistant, a travel agent, a drama teacher, and even a bartender. She also worked as an assistant editor for a children's magazine.
Life as an Author
Mary Pope Osborne has written over 60 children's stories. These books cover many different types of stories and are for various age groups. Her books have been named to many "Best Books of the Year" lists. She has also received awards from important organizations. These include the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association. In 2013, she received an honorary doctorate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Mary has served as president of the Authors Guild twice. She also led its Children's Book Committee. She has traveled a lot, visiting schools and talking about reading and books. In 2011, she went to Japan for the premiere of the Magic Tree House anime film. She also visited schools in areas hit by a tsunami. The film earned a lot of money, and Mary donated all her earnings to her educational projects.
She was featured on NBC's Rock Center with Brian Williams. This was for her work getting books to children who don't have many. She talked about the responsibility she feels as an author. She said it's amazing for a child to look up to someone who writes books.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Magic Tree House series in 2012, Mary created the Magic Tree House Classroom Adventures Program. Her goal is to inspire children to read and love reading. She also wants to help kids read at their grade level by the end of 3rd grade. This program offers free online resources for teachers. It also allows schools with many low-income students to apply for free Magic Tree House books. Through this program, Mary has donated hundreds of thousands of books to schools in need.
How She Writes
Mary Pope Osborne's travels and experiences have greatly influenced her writing. Her writing has also allowed her to experience the thrill of traveling. She said, "Without even leaving my home, I’ve traveled around the globe, learning about the religions of the world."
Mary's writing career began "one day, out of the blue." She wrote Run, Run As Fast As You Can in 1982. This book was partly about her own life. She said the main character was a lot like her, and many events in the story were similar to things that happened in her childhood. This book was the start of her writing career. Her early books received mixed reviews. She has written young adult novels, picture books, retellings of myths and fairy tales, biographies, and mysteries. She also wrote a six-part series based on the Odyssey.
Mary says she can work on Magic Tree House books for up to 12 hours a day, seven days a week. She tries to write simply and directly. She is known for writing clear, lively, and well-paced stories.
Her Family
Mary Pope Osborne married Will Osborne in 1976. She met him after seeing him in a play. Mary says Will is very important to her writing. She says he gives her the support and encouragement she needs to be a "professional daydreamer"—which is what she calls being an author of children's books. Will and Mary also work with Mary's sister, Natalie, on the non-fiction "Fact Tracker" books. Mary enjoys doing book tours with them. She does not have any children, explaining that she "got too busy."
Her home by a lake even has a treehouse!
Magic Tree House Series
Mary Pope Osborne's most famous work is the Magic Tree House series. These books have sold over 134 million copies worldwide since they first came out in 1992. The series has spent a total of 132 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list. Because the books were so successful, Mary resisted efforts to turn the characters into toys or other products for many years. She wanted the characters to live in the imaginations of children.
The first Magic Tree House book, Dinosaurs Before Dark, was published in 1992. Mary was inspired to write the books while working at a shelter for homeless teens. She noticed that when teens wrote themselves into stories, it had a big effect on them. Mary says she tried writing the first book seven different ways before she found one that worked. The series introduces the main characters, Jack and Annie. They are a brother and sister who travel to different times and places thanks to a magical treehouse. The first book set the pattern for future books. It also introduced characters like Morgan le Fay and Merlin, who are from the King Arthur legends. Mary says she is more like Jack, but she wishes she was more like Annie.
Mary often ends each chapter with a small cliffhanger. This is one of the main reasons kids love the books so much. Another important reason for their success is that the series is educational. The books are known for making students interested in history. Mary's use of new words encourages young readers to learn. The books also promote kindness and understanding of different cultures.
Adaptations
Magic Tree House Children's Theatre
The Magic Tree House stories have been adapted into other forms. A full musical, Magic Tree House: The Musical, was created by Will Osborne and Randy Court. It first showed in September 2007. Mary hoped it would appeal to both kids and adults, like The Lion King. This musical is based on the Magic Tree House book Christmas in Camelot. It has toured nationally and has a cast album.
There is also a planetarium show called Magic Tree House: Space Mission. Will Osborne created this show too. It is shown only at the Morehead Planetarium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
In 2011, Will Osborne worked with composer Allen Toussaint and writer Murray Horwitz. They wrote A Night in New Orleans, a musical based on Magic Tree House #42: A Good Night for Ghosts. This musical is about the life of Louis Armstrong. It features a cast and a live jazz band. It premiered in 2012 and was shown for free to every 4th-grade student in Newark, New Jersey.
Magic Tree House Kids Shows are plays based on selected Magic Tree House books. They are designed for kids to perform. These shows have been created by Randy Courts, Jenny Laird, and Will Osborne. Some of the books adapted include Dinosaurs Before Dark and The Knight at Dawn. A new show about William Shakespeare, Stage Fright on a Summer Night, premiered in October 2017.
Film Adaptation
In 2011, the series was made into a Japanese animated fantasy film. It was called Magic Tree House (マジック・ツリーハウス). The film was directed by Hiroshi Nishikiori. The story was based on the Japanese version of the "Magic Tree House" novels.
In 2016, Lionsgate bought the rights to make a live-action film. The script was written by Will Osborne and Jenny Laird. The movie was mainly going to use parts of the story from Book #29, Christmas in Camelot. As of 2021, no new information about this movie has been shared.
Other Books
Mary Pope Osborne has written many books outside the Magic Tree House series.
- Run, Run As Fast As You Can (Random House Children's Books, 1982)
- The Deadly Power of Medusa (Scholastic, 1988), with Will and Mary Pope Osborne, illustrated by Steve Sullivan
- Jason and the Argonauts (Scholastic, 1988), with Will and Mary Pope Osborne, illustrated by Steve Sullivan
- Favorite Greek Myths (Scholastic, 1989), retold by Osborne, illustrated by Troy Howell
- American Tall Tales (Knopf, 1991), retold by Osborne, illustrated by Michael McCurdy
- Spider Kane and the Mystery under the May-apple (Knopf, 1992), illustrated by Victoria Chess — first book in the Spider Kane series
- Mermaid Tales from Around the World (Scholastic, 1993), retold by Osborne, illustrated by Troy Howell
- Haunted Waters (Candlewick, 1994), a young-adult fantasy novel
- Favorite Norse Myths (Scholastic, 1996), retold by Osborne, illustrated by Troy Howell
- Rocking Horse Christmas (Scholastic, 1997), illustrated by Ned Bittinger
- Favorite Medieval Tales (Scholastic, 1998), retold by Osborne, illustrated by Troy Howell
- Standing in the Light: The Captive Diary of Catharine Carey Logan, Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania, 1763 (Dear America series, Scholastic, 1998)
- My Secret War: The World War II Diary of Madeline Beck (Dear America, Scholastic, 2000)
- My Brother's Keeper (My America series, Scholastic, 2000), first of three Virginia's Civil War Diary
- Kate and the Beanstalk (Atheneum Books, 2000), a picture book illustrated by Giselle Potter — an adaptation of Jack and the Beanstalk
- Tales from the Odyssey (Hyperion Books, 2002 to 2005), illustrated by Troy Howell — six children's novels adapted from Odyssey
- Tales from the Odyssey (Hyperion, 2010), a two-volume edition
- Moonhorse (Dragonfly Books, 2010), a chapter book
- Johnny Appleseed
- The Life of Jesus in Masterpieces of Art (Viking: Penguin Putnam, 1998)
Audiobooks (Excerpt)
- 2005: Magic Tree House Collection: Books 17-24, Random House UK Ltd, EAN 9780307245267 (read by the author)
- 2011: Magic Tree House Collection: Books 1-8 (read by the author, Listening Library publishing & Audible)
See also
In Spanish: Mary Pope Osborne para niños
