Jack and Annie are ready for their next fantasy adventure in the bestselling middle-grade series—the Magic Tree House!
Where did the t... read full description
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reviews
Nov 24, 2008
Lstirl
rated it: 
Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House Series #1) by Mary Pope Osborne,
A good transition into chapter books for the new reader.
While formulaic, predictable, and not particularly clever, this series serves the purpose of providing adventure at a fast moving pace for the new to chapter book set. The predictable nature of these books adds to their appeal as it makes them easier to comprehend and also helps them stay familiar. Kids of this age can be easily daunted by books More...
A good transition into chapter books for the new reader.
While formulaic, predictable, and not particularly clever, this series serves the purpose of providing adventure at a fast moving pace for the new to chapter book set. The predictable nature of these books adds to their appeal as it makes them easier to comprehend and also helps them stay familiar. Kids of this age can be easily daunted by books More...
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Oct 02, 2011
Carol
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As an adult, I'd have to say this is not five star reading material. However, it rates five stars because my second grader eats these books up, and is getting a glimpse of loads of different places and historical events.
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Nov 01, 2008
Jess
rated it: 
Beginning reader
For grades 1-3
Jack and his sister Annie discover a book-filled tree house, and, when Jack opens a book about dinosaurs, discover that it can magically transport them back in time to see real dinosaurs.
Organized into ten short chapters, with a full-page illustration per chapter, this is a highly appealing story for early readers. The text is clear and concise, with a fairly simple vocabulary but with characters and plot that will keep readers hooked. More...
For grades 1-3
Jack and his sister Annie discover a book-filled tree house, and, when Jack opens a book about dinosaurs, discover that it can magically transport them back in time to see real dinosaurs.
Organized into ten short chapters, with a full-page illustration per chapter, this is a highly appealing story for early readers. The text is clear and concise, with a fairly simple vocabulary but with characters and plot that will keep readers hooked. More...
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Mar 12, 2009
Nicole
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The first book in the Magic Tree House series is an exciting beginning to the time-traveling adventures of 8½ year old Jack and his 7 year old sister Annie. Osborne builds this excitement deftly, first introducing the mysterious tree house full of books that then transporting them on Jack’s inadvertent wish to see a Pteranodon in one of the books to the Cretaceous period when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. The sibling’s encounters with various dinosaurs prove heart pounding, as some of them are not
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Feb 23, 2009
Sandie
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Okay, Elliott and I love these books!! I have always read to Elliott, and so we have an amazing assortment of childrens' books. But when Elliott was approaching Kindergarten I could tell he was ready for just a little bit more. We got a CD of this book read by the author Mary Pope Osborne in a 'mighty kid's meal' at Wendys!! one of the only times that I ever agreed to getting the 'toy suprise':O) This is the first book in a long series of amazing books of adventure, magic, and true and factual h
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Feb 10, 2012
Anna
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Feb 01, 2012
Bridgette
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In 1992, Mary Pope Osborne published a short little book that would spawn a long, still unended series that would be popular with children, parents, and teachers. It was Dinosaurs Before Dark, the first of the Magic Treehouse books.
On the surface, the books seem simple enough. They lack complexity and aren’t particularly original. However, they are perfect for their readers with just enough creativity to capture and maintain interest. With so many of the early reader books barely risi More...
On the surface, the books seem simple enough. They lack complexity and aren’t particularly original. However, they are perfect for their readers with just enough creativity to capture and maintain interest. With so many of the early reader books barely risi More...
Oct 03, 2011
Bethany
rated it: 
Okay, so I have a confession to make. I've been a children's librarian for nearly four years, now, and I just, today, read my first Magic Tree House book. I don't have any excuses; I just never got around to it. And these things are so popular, it's not like I ever needed to sell them; I just needed to be able to find them.
But, okay. Jack and Annie, a brother and sister, discover a tree house. It's the highest-up tree house either of them has ever seen before, and when they clim More...
But, okay. Jack and Annie, a brother and sister, discover a tree house. It's the highest-up tree house either of them has ever seen before, and when they clim More...
Sep 24, 2011
Jessica
rated it:
Absolutely loved this book for my 7 yr old son! We read it together in one night, just over an hour (he read parts, I read parts). The reading level is simple enough that he could have read the book on his own (although it would have taken quite a bit longer), but the story was fun enough for me to read as well and extremely intriguing for my son. He LOVED it, and as it was night time and he just wanted to hear the story so bad, I read a bit as well to keep the story going in just one night.
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Apr 11, 2011
Emily
rated it:
This review goes for the entire series. Any books that can keep my almost-4-year-old so interested and excited that we can discuss them in the car, at breakfast, at lunch, before bed, guess what might happen next, say, "this is kind of like what happened in our book," and that we actually have to have a stack of the next few sitting here "just in case," is a 5 star in my book.
Each one takes Jack and Annie into the pages of a new book. We have learned about (and w More...
Each one takes Jack and Annie into the pages of a new book. We have learned about (and w More...
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Nov 29, 2010
Gunther
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In this book there are two kids named jack and anny that go into a tree house with books in them and when they look at a picture in one of the books and say i wish to go there they get tooken there. And in this book jack and anny go back in time to the dinasoars time. While there there they have to find a lost book that moran lost who is the owner of the tree house to get back to there home in Pennsylvania thay need to find the book and go back to the tree house. In the beginning of the book the
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Oct 12, 2010
Sue
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Title: Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House #1)
Author: Mary Pope Osborne
Genre: Young Adult
Challenges: To Be Continued…Challenge, 101 Books in 1001 Days Challenge, Read and Review Challenge 2010, 2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge, 100 + Reading Challenge, Young Adult Reading Challenge, YA Through the Decades, 1st In A Series, Pages Read 2010, A to Z challenge, What An Animal III Challenge
Rating: 4/5
No. of Pages: 69
Published: 1 More...
Author: Mary Pope Osborne
Genre: Young Adult
Challenges: To Be Continued…Challenge, 101 Books in 1001 Days Challenge, Read and Review Challenge 2010, 2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge, 100 + Reading Challenge, Young Adult Reading Challenge, YA Through the Decades, 1st In A Series, Pages Read 2010, A to Z challenge, What An Animal III Challenge
Rating: 4/5
No. of Pages: 69
Published: 1 More...
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Sep 19, 2010
Denise
rated it:
Some of my students in Phoenix, as well as my little cousin, have been big fans of Magic Tree House. This was the first time I'd read any of the books, and it was a good book. I did not have the depth a book requires for me to give it anything more than three stars, but that's not Mary Pope Osborne's purpose in this book, so I don't mean that as a criticism. What I had heard about Magic Tree House (and what I now can agree with having read the first book) is that the beauty of the series is h
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Jun 23, 2009
Someone Called Abi
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Ok, well this book specifically really deserves more than two stars, but the two stars are referring to the series overall, and since this is the first book in the series it should have the overall series rating. So if you are looking for short little books to fill up your reading log, these are great. They are just long enough to qualify as chapter books, but that is only because the print is so huge. I'll admit, they are pretty good too. At least one of them describes one of your top three wis
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May 11, 2009
Nikki
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I will save everyone on my feeder the thrill of my adding each and every Magic Treehouse book. Suffice to say, that Jack and I are reading them all.
The following pretty well sums up my opinon. Actually, it does it much better than I might have. There are just two small comments I would make. The first is that I am reading them with a 5 year old who is just going into kindergarten and he still enjoys them as well. Additionally, I love the fact that there are strong even character More...
The following pretty well sums up my opinon. Actually, it does it much better than I might have. There are just two small comments I would make. The first is that I am reading them with a 5 year old who is just going into kindergarten and he still enjoys them as well. Additionally, I love the fact that there are strong even character More...
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Oct 25, 2011
Amy
rated it:
Apparently my niece has read this one before, and she enjoyed it, so there's not much point in continuing with the story. Neither she nor her brother seem particularly engaged with the story. I read the whole book in about 15 minutes, so if the kids aren't engaged, then I see no point in continuing to read this one aloud to them.
My niece said that she did like the story the first time she read it, and I know that there was a period of time that she was enthusiastic about these Magi More...
My niece said that she did like the story the first time she read it, and I know that there was a period of time that she was enthusiastic about these Magi More...
Jan 30, 2010
Heidi
rated it:
Ages K-4
Brother-and sister team Jack and Annie transport through space and time in a book-filed magic tree house in the woods behind their neighborhood. I first tried reading from Lions at Lunchtime, but quickly realized that it referred to important events and objects from this first book of the series, Dinosaurs Before Dark. I read aloud this book to my Kindergartener, and she loved the characters and action, which moves along at a fast pace. Osborne builds suspense and strong imagery, More...
Brother-and sister team Jack and Annie transport through space and time in a book-filed magic tree house in the woods behind their neighborhood. I first tried reading from Lions at Lunchtime, but quickly realized that it referred to important events and objects from this first book of the series, Dinosaurs Before Dark. I read aloud this book to my Kindergartener, and she loved the characters and action, which moves along at a fast pace. Osborne builds suspense and strong imagery, More...
Dec 11, 2011
Jack and Annie are walking home. Annie runs into the woods where they find a tree house full of books. They point to a page in the book and travel back in time. They encounter a Pteranodon, Triceratops and Anatosaurus, and Annie tries to be their friend, Jack tries to stop her. They run into a Trex who isn’t friendly and starts chasing them. Jack and Annie release they need to go home. But they can’t Jack left his backpack on the hill where the dinosaur is. Henry a Pteranodon helps them fi
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Feb 16, 2010
Beth
rated it:
I was looking for a book series that my six-year-old new reader might enjoy listening to (and down the road, reading to himself) and the Magic Tree House books fit the bill perfectly. It probably helped that the first book featured dinosaurs (his favorite subject), but everything about it seemed to be just his speed--the language, subject matter, interactions between the siblings Jack and Annie, the intensity of peril the kids face, etc., were all pitch-perfect for him.
I enjoyed the More...
I enjoyed the More...
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Oct 19, 2011
Mare
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Jack & Anne are brother & sister who happen upon a mysterious tree house in the forest close to their home. In the tree house is a library filled with old & new books; Which is great because Jack loves to read. As Jack looks at a book about dinosaurs & wishes he could see one…wa-la the magic kicks in & the tree house teleports them into the past to see the dinosaurs. Jack's love of reading helps them out as he looks up the various kinds of dinosaurs to see if they’re safe (herbivores) or unsafe
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Nov 05, 2011
Cassie
rated it:
Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House 1)
By: Mary Pope Osborne
Illustrated by: Sal Murdocca
ISBN: 9780679824114
Published July 28, 1992 by Random House
Available Format: Hardcover, Paperback, ebook, Audiobook
My Rating: ★★★★☆
Goodreads’ Synopsis: Where did the tree house come from? Before Jack and Annie can find out, the mysterious tree house whisks them to the prehistoric past. Now they have to figure out how to get home. Can they do it b More...
By: Mary Pope Osborne
Illustrated by: Sal Murdocca
ISBN: 9780679824114
Published July 28, 1992 by Random House
Available Format: Hardcover, Paperback, ebook, Audiobook
My Rating: ★★★★☆
Goodreads’ Synopsis: Where did the tree house come from? Before Jack and Annie can find out, the mysterious tree house whisks them to the prehistoric past. Now they have to figure out how to get home. Can they do it b More...
Oct 04, 2011
Simon
rated it:
My rating and experience of this book and the others in the series are reflecting on what my 7-12 year old self thought about these books.
"Dinosaurs Before Dark" was the very first "Magic Tree House" book that I ever read. Now it was actually read to me, but it still counts because in the years since I have read it countless times.
It was September 14, 1999 ( I know because I made a journal entry about it in my daily journal that my class did. I dug it More...
"Dinosaurs Before Dark" was the very first "Magic Tree House" book that I ever read. Now it was actually read to me, but it still counts because in the years since I have read it countless times.
It was September 14, 1999 ( I know because I made a journal entry about it in my daily journal that my class did. I dug it More...
Mar 28, 2011
Jeff
rated it:
My four year-old daughter, her mom, and I just finished reading this aloud. We read it in two sittings, and we all loved it! Osborne has written a quick, albeit formulaic (I think she is on her 43 Magic Treehouse book in the series) fun book for kids. She keeps the action and plot moving while embedding some interesting scientific background about dinosaurs. We found this first book in the series to be a terrific read-aloud to a pre-reader that gets them into chapter books. There are enough
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Jul 29, 2010
Vesra
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I've read this book when I was a kid, but never thought I be coming across this book while I work and get to refresh my read on it. This is about two siblings who accidentally found a strange rope leading up the tallest tree they have ever seen, into a treehouse, which is filled with books.
Jack loves books, his sister too, and that is enough determination to go up and explore. But after just a short while, the siblings realized this is no ordinary treehouse. They could open a book an More...
Jack loves books, his sister too, and that is enough determination to go up and explore. But after just a short while, the siblings realized this is no ordinary treehouse. They could open a book an More...
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May 21, 2009
Morgan
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I opted to listen to Dinosaurs Before Dark on audio. It was read by Mary Pope Osborne, which I don't believe was the best choice. It was difficut to stay focused on the book for two reasons. The first, Ms. Osborne's Annie voice is irritating; my five year old even picked up on this by herself. The other reason is the number of times the word 'said' is used. Annie said...Jack said....said Annie...said Jack. I realize that these books are written for very young readers, those that are just v
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Apr 18, 2009
Kirei
rated it:
How could this book not get a good rating??? It is so popular and responsible for so many kids reading.
Having said that, I, as an adult, didn't find it interesting. I think my son found parts of it interesting, but he wasn't mesmerized.
A couple of things I didn't like: Mary Pope Osborne (the writer) often uses sentence fragment. Come on, I know it is easy reading, but I was always taught not to use fragments.
Another thing is that at the end, Annie and Jack (t More...
Having said that, I, as an adult, didn't find it interesting. I think my son found parts of it interesting, but he wasn't mesmerized.
A couple of things I didn't like: Mary Pope Osborne (the writer) often uses sentence fragment. Come on, I know it is easy reading, but I was always taught not to use fragments.
Another thing is that at the end, Annie and Jack (t More...
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Sep 18, 2010
Ci546_blairwagonheim
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Dinosaurs Before Dark is the first installment of Mary Pope Osborne's Magic Tree House series. In the story, siblings Annie and Jack discover a tree house that contains numerous books on a variety of subjects. While skimming through a book about dinosaurs, Jack makes a wish that transports them back in time over sixty-five million years ago. While Annie and Jack explore the land, Osborne subtly incorporates information about various types of dinosaurs that Jack and Annie encounter.
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Mar 04, 2011
Ashley
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I read this book to my 6 year old son last night and he absolutely loved it! I had only planned on reading him a couple chapters but he wouldn't let me stop! I love to read, and I am hoping that my son will one day love reading as much as me. This was definetly a great first step in getting him to enjoy longer books with very few pictures. Before this book I would have a hard time keeping him focused on the story if there weren't any pictures. I have to say this book has very few pictures, but t
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Oct 18, 2010
Patti
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This was a great introduction to chapter books for my daughter who is, believe it or not, only 3. She loves books and loves to have me read her stories, and lately, she had been asking me to read multiple Dr Seuss books (which, if you've read them, are 70 pages each in some cases). She also loves it when I make up stories for her instead of reading her one, and the kid has a phenomenal imagination. I figured she might be ready to start hearing some stories that had more words and less pictures.
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Jan 20, 2012
Jill
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The first Magic Tree House!
So, this year I have read a few random Magic Tree Houses aloud to the kids during snack time. They made no sense because they were out of order, and apparently there are some major plot developments that take place over time. So I decided to start from numero uno at the beginning of January!
The Magic Tree House books, if you aren't familiar with them, are written at a 2nd/3rd grade reading level. They are a little adventure-y and suspenseful and More...
So, this year I have read a few random Magic Tree Houses aloud to the kids during snack time. They made no sense because they were out of order, and apparently there are some major plot developments that take place over time. So I decided to start from numero uno at the beginning of January!
The Magic Tree House books, if you aren't familiar with them, are written at a 2nd/3rd grade reading level. They are a little adventure-y and suspenseful and More...
