Review: Magic Tree House, Books 1-5 by Mary Pope Osborne

Synopsis:  Jack and his sister Annie discover a tree house full of books. When they wish to see a place, the magic tree house transports them there. But who created this marvelous place? Who owns the books? What does it have to do with the letter M they find written all around?

Review: I picked up these books as a thrift store, paying pennies, managing with a little work, to get 1-12 of the series. I wanted to read them because they are an excellent example of books for ages 5-8. I have story idea for that age group and wanted to read something similar.
As it turned out, these are quite good. The characters of Jack and Annie have distinct personalities, with some depth, I enjoyed the "big reveal" at the end of book 4 (who created the tree house and why), and any story about books and magic thrills me. The writing and plot were simple, but not dumb-down, and have more depth than I would have ascribed to a young readers book such as this series.  In the end, I'm glad I read these and I intend to collect all 50 and read them. I highly recommend for kids ago 5-6. These are excellent starter chapter books and since they have some historical and natural fact in them, an excellent place to start discussions.

Bookmarks:  7 of 10

Awards: None

ISBN: 0-590-62352-4 (Book 1)
Date Finished: 10-31-2013
Pages: 65-70 per book.