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Will you please
write research guides for Revolutionary
War on Wednesday and Civil War on
Sunday? |
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You're in luck! Natalie
Pope Boyce (who is my sister!) and I are working
on the Magic Tree House Research Guide:
The Revolutionary War right now. In the
meantime, don't miss Magic Tree House Research
Guide: Dolphins and Sharks which
is out now, and The Olympics of Ancient
Greece which will come out in the spring
of 2004. |
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Why is Christmas
in Camelot big and different than the
others? Can you write more longer books so
my class can read them in more than a week? |
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Christmas in Camelot
is the first book in a special group of Magic
Tree House books called the Merlin Missions.
In these special books, Jack and Annie will
have magical adventures inspired by ancient
myths and legends. The books are twice as
long as regular Magic Tree House books. The
second Merlin Mission, Haunted Castle
on Hallow's Eve, is out now, just in
time for Halloween! And the one after that
will be Summer of the Sea Serpent,
which will come out in spring 2004. |
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In High
Tide in Hawaii Jack is afraid to dance.
But he has had to face so much worse in the
Magic Tree House. Why is he still scared? |
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It may seem silly but
many people (even grown ups) have a real fear
of dancing. Jack is a little bit shy so the
thought of dancing the hula in front of a
big group of people is almost as scary to
him as lions and gorillas once were. Jack
may be timid but he always finds the courage
to confront his fears. Usually he finds that
things aren't as scary as they appear. |
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How did Annie get so brave? |
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Annie's great curiosity
and love for adventure help her overcome her
fears. But Annie's especially brave when other
people or animals need her help. Her desire
to help others gives her the courage she needs
to face the scariest parts of the Magic Tree
House adventures. |
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How come Jack and Annie never get older? |
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Jack and Annie are
actually getting a little older now. Between
Christmas in Camelot and Haunted
Castle on Hallow's Eve, almost a year
passes. So, in Haunted Castle on Hallow's
Eve, Jack is nine-years-old and Annie
is eight. In the book after that, Summer
of the Sea Serpent, they'll be even older. |
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What grade is
Annie in? Isn't she smarter than her class?
Maybe she should skip ahead. |
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You're right. Annie is very smart—but
I think that most kids are smart—sometimes
much smarter than they let on. Annie was in
second grade when the series started. But
in my most recent books (the first 3 Merlin
Missions) she's in third and fourth grade. |
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At the end of
High Tide in Hawaii, Morgan says
to Jack and Annie “Your most exciting
challenges are yet to come.” What does
this mean? |
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Jack and Annie were
wondering the same thing! Christmas in
Camelot and Haunted Castle on Hallow’s
Eve are in stores right now. Read these
next Jack and Annie stories and decide for
yourself whether these adventures are the
most exciting challenges they've ever had
to face... |
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Why do you like writing
books? |
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I love using my imagination.
I love doing research and learning new things.
I love old stories about magic and fantasy.
And I love kids. So if you combine all these
things—I love writing books filled with
imagination and real life and fantasy for
kids. |
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Where do you get
your ideas for the Magic Tree House books?
Do you ever get ideas from kids? |
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All the time. A kid
in California even gave me the idea for the
title of High Tide in Hawaii. I was
going to call it Holiday in Hawaii.
When I told this to a group of kids at a book
store, a third grader named Matthew said he
had a better idea for the title for the Hawaii
book—High Tide in Hawaii. He
was right, don't you think? |
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When you were a
little girl were you like Jack or Annie? |
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The truth is that
when I was little, I was afraid of lots of
things—such as bugs and spiders and
going into the ocean. But in my fantasy life,
I was not afraid of anything. I loved to read
and to play games of pretend. So I would say
that I was very adventurous—in my imagination. |
I want to see more Questions & Answers!
If you have questions for Mary Pope Osborne please send them to the
following address:
Mary Pope Osborne
c/o Random House, Inc.
1745 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
Attn: Web Site Questions
Back to About the Author |
