World War II: A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House Super Edition #1: World at War, 1944

Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #36

by Mary Pope Osborne, Natalie Pope Boyce, Carlo Molinari (Illustrator)

In the next Magic Tree House® Fact Tracker, track the facts about World War II—with Jack and Annie!
 
When Jack and Annie came back from their adventure in Magic Tree House Super Edition #1: World at War, 1944, they had lots of questions. How did World War II begin? Why were so many innocent people killed? What was D-Day? Find out the answers to these questions and more as Jack and Annie learn all about one of the darkest hours of history.
 
Filled with up-to-date information, photographs, illustrations, and tidbits from Jack and Annie, the Magic Tree House Fact Trackers are the perfect way for kids to find out more about the topics they discover in their favorite Magic Tree House adventures. And teachers can use the Fact Trackers alongside their Magic Tree House fiction companions to meet Common Core text pairing needs.
 
Have more fun with Jack and Annie on the Magic Tree House website at MagicTreeHouse.com!
 
Did you know there’s a Magic Tree House book for every reader? Find the perfect book for you:
 
Classic: Adventures with Jack and Annie, perfect for readers who are just starting to read chapter books. F&P Level M.
 
Merlin Missions: More challenging adventures for the experienced Magic Tree House® reader. F&P Level N.
 
Super Edition: A longer and more dangerous adventure with Jack and Annie. F&P Level P.
 
Fact Trackers: Non-fiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House® adventures

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Childrens

132 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 14, 2017

About the author

Mary Pope Osborne is an American author of children's books and audiobook narrator. She is best known as the author of the Magic Tree House series, which as of 2017 sold more than 134 million copies worldwide. Both the series and Osborne have won awards, including for Osborne's charitable efforts at promoting children's literacy. One of four children, Osborne moved around in her childhood before attending the University of North Carolina. Following college, Osborne traveled before moving to New York City. She somewhat spontaneously began to write, and her first book was published in 1982. She went on to write a variety of other children's and young adult books before starting the Magic Tree House series in 1992. Osborne's sister Natalie Pope Boyce has written several compendium books to the Magic Tree House series, sometimes with Osborne's husband Will Osborne.

Reviews

[PeachyTO · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tame yet fairly informative introduction to the conflict between the Axis and the Allies, that I read to my mature 7 year old. He has had a growing interest in history and global conflicts for a couple of years now, but this was the first time I said yes to a book covering specifically WWII. Neither of us was disappointed.

You can check out his very first review on Goodreads, that he wrote for this book, here: https://bit.ly/391HXnw

[Mister_T1313 · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good book that had lots of facts, and I might read it again to write down the facts, to document it or make an essay. I am 7 and I still liked it.
3 STARS⭐⭐⭐

[Jenny Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brief introduction to WWII, that does not go into too much detail, but manages to convey how horrible the war and the holocaust were. This is meant for slightly older readers, since it is a heavy subject matter. As with the others, there are pictures and drawings of many things, such as victory gardens, many of the generals, and some of the soldiers. I did like that this mentioned two groups often forgotten- the Navajo Code talkers and the Tuskegee Airmen. This also has a good further references section. This goes with the Super Edition, Danger in the Darkest Hour, which was renamed to World at War, 1944

[Ella Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't realize when I grabbed this book that it was not a regular Magic Tree House book. That being said I can see very specific students really enjoying this book. This book essentially answers the questions that a student might think of if they read the regular Magic Tree House fiction book on WWII. It had pictures on almost every page which I think makes this book a really great nonfiction option for younger students.

[Karine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️ so much good information about the past and world war 2. I enjoyed reading this book and series, I just read the newest book Rhinos at recess and can’t wait to see what will come out next ... 👍🏻

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 2017, Mary Pope Osborne and her sister Natalie Pope Boyce published the Magic Tree House Fact Trackers entitled World War II. This book is a nonfiction research guide to the book entitled World at War, 1944 by Mary Pope Osborne which was published in 2017. The book is for young readers. The book has wonderful black-and-white illustrations. The book has wonderful black-and-white photographs. The illustrator for this book was Carlo Molinari. This book has a timeline. Similar to the other books in the Magic Tree House Fact Trackers series, the book has a section on how to do more research for young readers about World War II. I think this book is a good introduction to World War II especially paired with another book about World War II for young people. The book was advised by a historian and an educational adviser. The book has chapters on an introduction to World War II, the political leaders of World War II, and the military actions of World War II. Chapter 4 is on the “Home Front” of the United States (Osborne & Boyce 73-84). Chapter 5 is on “Code, Spies, and Resistance” (Osborne & Boyce 85-102). There is a chapter on “The Holocaust” (Osborne & Boyce 103-120). The last chapter is on the conclusion of World War II. I believe Osborne’s and Boyce’s World War II is a good introduction to World War II if one reads other introductions to World War II as well.
Works Cited:
Sullivan, George. The Day Pearl Harbor Was Bombed: A Photo History of World War II. New York: Scholastic, Incorporated.

[Krista Clinton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This super edition from the Magic Tree House series brings Jack and Annie to Europe during World War II to try to save a lot of lives by going behind enemy lines to crack a code. This work of historical fiction is a great way to dive into what World War II might have been like while captivating the the young student's attention. This would be great in a 2nd-4th grade classroom and could be used alongside a social studies unit on World War II to improve comprehension.

[Bea Elwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Getting ready to have my students read the Diary of Anne Frank and am going to demonstrate building some schema with this book and a few other quick reads. When it comes to picking a topic and then narrowing it down (plus working on identifying subtopics) I thought this book would help my older students.

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever want to know what started World War ll? Who started the war and why? Read this book and you will find out. The who's who of the leaders is also in this book. Who was the bad guys and the good guys.

[AMY · Rating 5 out of 5]

139 pages. Great information on WWII. I learned a lot. It is written in a very kid-friendly format. I think the photos and additional information is very helpful in understanding the war. Great for reports. Highly recommend for Grades 4-5.

[Jessica S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good starting point about World War II for my homeschool kiddos. However, we stopped throughout and read other books to enhance this one. For example, we stopped at the D-Day section in this book to read a separate book on D-Day to give more information about it.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well done! A very good basis book about World War II that covers quite a bit for such a short book. Definitely recommend for young people interested in learning about the War. It should be in every school library!

[Maximilian Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kind of liked this book because I think all the information and stuff is good. I didn't really like this book because it was nonfiction and I don't really like nonfiction.

[robin marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect book to read with my five year old and discuss, explain, and learn about the war and the Holocaust. It was a very good book to follow up on others about Anne Frank we’d already explored.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of information about WWII perfect for those who are beginning to wonder why and how and who.

[Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Factoid book...does an okay job. Not too impressed.

[Hillary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great companion text for my fourth graders. We learned a lot and in a way that wasn't scary (as so much of WWII is to my kiddos) and I appreciated that.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit of a heavy Fact Tracker - the Second World War and the Holocaust . . .

[Amanda Pitts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm

[Everly · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s about history and I like it.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent review of World War II for young readers. Factual, with just enough detail, but not too scary. Photos and diagrams to provide interest.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theme Song: The Resistance by Skillet

[Sandi Yorac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helped me learn a lot. Thank you.

[Shontel Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this to my daughter. There is a lot of details about the war, so definitely no child under 10 should read this.

[Selah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as comprehensive as I would've liked (I think 9-12 year olds could handle more), but solid.