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Osborne was brought up in a military family, and her parents' work led to a lifestyle marked by constant change. "By the time I was 15," she says on randomhouse.com, "I had lived in Oklahoma, Austria, Florida, and four different army posts in Virginia and North Carolina." While many kids would probably feel disoriented by such constant change, Osborne wouldn't have had it any other way. "Moving was never traumatic for me, but staying in one place was. When my dad finally retired to a small town in North Carolina, I nearly went crazy with boredom. I craved the adventure and changing scenery of our military life."
And adventure is exactly what Osborne got! After college, she embarked on a series of daring treks across the globe that would surely give Jack and Annie a run for their money. "For a while I camped in a cave on the island of Crete," she said. "Then I joined up with a small band of European young people heading to 'The East.' We traveled through 11 Asian countries and nearly lost our lives, first in an earthquake in northern Afghanistan and then in a riot in Kabul."
Following an illness she contracted in Katmandu, Osborne returned home to the U.S. trying her hand at a vast variety of jobs: window dresser, medical assistant, Russian travel consultant, waitress, bartender, and an assistant editor at a children's magazine. Although Osborne had unconsciously moved closer toward her ultimate career, she says that her first attempts at writing seemed to come without warning. "One day, out of the blue, I began writing a story about an 11-year-old girl in the South," she recalls. "The girl was a lot like me, and many of the incidents in the story were similar to happenings in my childhood...it became a young adult novel called Run, Run Fast as You Can. Finally, I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up."
She sure did! Since then, Osborne has penned a slew of stories, including picture books, chapter books, middle-grade biographies, and young adult novels; but she is indisputably best known for her wonderful Magic Tree House books, a happy hodge-podge of history and mystery with a time travel theme kids find irresistible. No doubt inspired by Osborne's own highly adventurous life, these exiting expeditions have attracted droves of children and pleased educators by combining compulsively readable storytelling with useful facts about geography and history.
As was written of the series in Children's Literature, "Mary Pope Osborne provides nicely paced excitement for young readers, and there's just enough information mixed in so that children will take away some historical fact along with a sense of accomplishment at having completed a chapter book." As much as Osborne has certainly pleased her readers (not to mention their parents and teachers), perhaps no one is quite as pleased as she. "I'm one of those very lucky people who absolutely loves what they do for a living," she explained. "There is no career better suited to my eccentricities, strengths, and passions than that of a children's book author."
"One of the most defining experiences of my life was traveling overland in an old van through the Middle East and Asia in the early 1970's. One day, when a small group of us were camped in a remote part of northern Afghanistan, we saw a woman riding horseback over the sloping plain. Her long brown hair floated on the wind and she wore a bright gypsy-style dress. When she got closer, I realized she was one of my roommates from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill! Though I didn't even know she'd left the U.S.—and she didn't know I was in Afghanistan, we weren't that surprised to come upon each other. That says a lot about the times we were living in then."
"After 26 years of living in New York City, my husband Will and I now spend most of our time in Northwestern Connecticut, living in a house that overlooks a lake. We kayak and hike with our two Norfolk terriers, Joey and Mr. Bezo. Will's learning Italian, and I've been working with a tutor for two years trying to understand Dante's Divine Comedy. One of my biggest hobbies is reading philosophy and theology. We spend lots of time, of course, on our work. After writing three shows for the Morehead Planetarium in North Carolina, Will's writing a musical based on the Magic Tree House series. I'm writing book # 38 in the series. I also spend a lot of time with my sister Natalie Pope Boyce who works on the Magic Tree House Research Guides. Natalie and our nephews and some of our best friends live nearby in the Berkshires Hills of Massachusetts, so we're up there a lot, too. My only complaint is there is not enough time to do all I want to do. For instance, I'd love to take drawing classes and I'd love to paint the lake we're living on. And I'd love to bird watch and become a better cook and learn about classical music. Maybe sometime in the future...."
Anonymous
Posted February 9, 2008
This is my first time reading a Magic Tree House book and I wanted to see what had all these young children interested. This book was non-stop action! Annie and Jack are transported through their magic tree house to depression-era New York City in the middle of a blinding blizzard. They are on a quest to find a unicorn. This book is good for young readers because it has short chapters and kids love to follow beloved characters, such as Annie and Jack through many adventures. There are many secondary characters that are seen throughout the stories, such as Kathleen, Teddy, Merlin and Morgan Le Fay. I particularly enjoyed the 'More Facts' section because it was a fun way to learn about another time.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 7, 2012
One time i checked out of my school libarey it was so sparkly it cought my atenion out of all the magic tree house book its the best i ever read you should get it its really eyecatching oh and its a merlin mission!
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The cover art of the protagonists on a unicorn in a blizzard was very attractive and eye-catching. Upon "entering" the storyline you will be drawn right in. Descriptions of New York in 1938 were vivid enough to grab readers' attention and encourage them to read more and learn the outcome of this tale; it grabs your imagination. And everyone person is not exactly the person you think they are, and some clues are easy to figure out while others will take a little more thinking to decipher.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 29, 2011
3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 24, 2011
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8014962
Posted June 30, 2011
Read it and loved it
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 7, 2011
This book was great
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 27, 2011
I just LOVE it!!!!!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 8, 2006
I have read all of the books.1 - 35 and almost 36! I can't wait to read it. I love the books because Jack is my age and he's going all around the world and back in time! I would think any other kid would like these books too.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 11, 2012
This is best book ever l love if
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 28, 2012
Make a den. There are 15 badgers...
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 13, 2012
Sould i buy it???????????
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 27, 2011
ygyhhhhece??????
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Jack and Annie must free a unicorn for Merlin, but they are quite astonished to find that the unicorn is somewhere in New York City, in 1938. The Great Depression is still deeply affecting the world, and anyway, what would a unicorn be doing in the midst of a large city?! Osborne once again used her marvelous imagination to make an otherwise dull (to kids) subject come alive.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 13, 2008
Blizzard of the Blue Moon, by Mary Pope Osborne, is another exciting story in the Magic Tree House collection. While reading this story, I felt as if I was right there along-side Jack and Annie as the magical Merlin sent them, yet again, on another wonderful adventure. Their mission is to find and rescue a magical unicorn so that it can return back home. Before they can rescue the beautiful unicorn, they must first find it somewhere in the city. Little do they know that the Dark Wizard has sent two of his apprentices to find the unicorn before they do. Set in New York City during the Great Depression, this story is filled with history, magic, fantasy, and adventure. This story held my attention from start to finish. I highly recommend this book.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 19, 2007
In the Blizzard of the Blue Moon, Mary Pope Osborne writes an adventure story about two children and a unicorn. It was wintertime when Jack and Annie were searching for a unicorn in New York City at the Empire State Building. They are following clues to save the unicorn. However, two other people were trying to kidnap the unicorn. Will Jack and Annie be able to save the unicorn? Read the exciting book The Blizzard and the Blue Moon and find out! Boys and girls who like adventures will love this book.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 27, 2007
Blizzard of the blue moon is a wonderful book. I read it almost every night with a light, just because i like it and can't wait to read it again.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 27, 2006
Jack and Annie save a magic unicorn in this story. It is very suspenseful and exciting! The description of the snow storm was so vivid that I actually felt cold while reading the book. The pictures are really great too! Especially the ones of the unicorn.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 5, 2013
I want a unicorn
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 1, 2013
I used to own this one and it was my absolute favorite! Unfortunately
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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