The magical tree house
The Magic Tree House (original title: Magic Tree House ) is a series of children's books written by the author Mary Pope Osborne . This successful series is about two children named Anne and Philipp who, with the help of an enchanted tree house , can fly to any place and any time. All they have to do is open a book, point to a picture of the desired location and wish to go there. Then the tree house begins to rotate until you are in the desired location shortly afterwards. In this way, Anne and Philipp travel on their own in the first four volumes. In the fourth book it turns out that the tree house belongs to Morgan, whose figure is modeled on the mythical Morgan le Fay . On behalf of Morgan, they experience numerous adventures and are later sent on trips by Merlin . By the beginning of 2020, 56 books in this series had been published in German. The books have so far been sold in at least 32 countries in Europe, Asia and America.
Author Mary Pope Osborne came up with the idea for the books when she saw a derelict tree house while walking in the woods in the 1990s.
Magical tree house books
No. | German title | Original title | Publishing year |
---|---|---|---|
1 | In the valley of the dinosaurs | Dinosaurs Before Dark | 1992 |
2 | The mysterious knight | The Knight at Dawn | 1993 |
3 | The secret of the mummy | Mummies in the Morning | 1993 |
4th | The pirates' treasure | Pirates past noon | 1994 |
5 | In the land of the samurai | Night of the Ninjas | 1995 |
6th | Danger in the Amazon | Afternoon on the Amazon | 1995 |
7th | In the realm of the mammoths | Sunset of the Sabertooth | 1996 |
8th | Adventure on the moon | Midnight on the Moon | 1996 |
9 | The call of the dolphins | Dolphins at Daybreak | 1997 |
10 | The mystery of the ghost town | Ghost Town at Sundown | 1997 |
11 | In the valley of the lions | Lions at Lunchtime | 1998 |
12 | On the trail of the polar bears | Polar Bears past Bedtime | 1998 |
13 | In the shadow of the volcano | Vacation Under the Volcano | 1998 |
14th | In the land of dragons | Day of the Dragon King | 1998 |
15th | Island of the Vikings | Viking Ships at Sunrise | 1998 |
16 | On the trail of the Indians | Buffalo before breakfast | 1999 |
17th | In the realm of the tiger | Tigers at Twilight | 1999 |
18th | Rescue in the wild | Dingoes at Dinnertime | 2000 |
19th | Adventure in Olympia | Hour of the Olympics | 1998 |
20th | In the eye of the hurricane | Twister on Tuesday | 2001 |
21st | Danger in the city of fire | Earthquake in the Early Morning | 2001 |
22nd | Lost on the high seas | Tonight on the Titanic | 1999 |
23 | The secret of the old theater | Stage fright on a summer night | 2002 |
24 | on the trail of the gorillas | Good morning, gorillas | 2002 |
25th | In the land of the first settlers | Thanksgiving on Thursday | 2002 |
26th | Adventure in the South Seas | High tide in Hawaii | 2003 |
27 | On behalf of the red knight | Christmas in Camelot | 2003 |
28 | The enchanted haunted castle | Haunted Castle on Hallows Eve | 2003 |
29 | The mighty magic sword | Summer of the Sea Serpent | 2004 |
30th | Under the spell of the ice wizard | Winter of the Ice Wizard | 2004 |
31 | Storm surge off Venice | Carnival at Candlelight | 2005 |
32 | The stolen desert treasure | Seasons of the Sandstorm | 2005 |
33 | Secret mission in Paris | Night of the new magicians | 2006 |
34 | The enchanted unicorn | Blizzard of the Blue Moon | 2006 |
35 | Attack of the cloud dragon | Dragon of the Red Dawn | 2007 |
36 | The secret flight of Leonardo | Monday with a Mad Genius | 2007 |
37 | The monster from the ocean floor | Dark Day in the Deep Sea | 2008 |
38 | The hidden realm of the penguins | Eve of the Emperor Penguin | 2008 |
39 | The secret power of the magic flute | Moonlight on the Magic Flute | 2009 |
40 | Pirate ghost on the Mississippi | A good night for ghosts | 2009 |
41 | Trapped in the elven forest | Leprechaun in a Late Winter | 2010 |
42 | Ghosts in the foggy night | A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time | 2010 |
43 | The poison of the king cobra | A crazy day with cobras | 2011 |
44 | Avalanche dogs in a snow storm | Dogs in the Dead of Night | 2011 |
45 | The pen of power | Abe Lincoln at least | 2011 |
46 | Pandas in great danger | A perfect time for pandas | 2012 |
47 | Under the spell of the black stallion | Stallion by Starlight | 2013 |
48 | The magician's secret | Hurry up Houdini! | 2013 |
49 | Adventure in the Valley of the Kings | High time for heroes | 2014 |
50 | The best soccer game ever | Soccer on Sunday | 2014 |
51 | The King of the Mayans | Shadow of the Shark | 2015 |
52 | Race of the sled dogs | Balto of the Blue Dawn | 2016 |
53 | The gateway to Dragon Island | Night of the Ninth Dragon | 2016 |
54 | The big game | A big day for baseball | 2018 |
55 | Heroes in the hurricane | Hurricane Heroes in Texas | 2019 |
56 | The Roman spy | ? | 2020 |
In English the order is a little different.
Anthologies
In German, four individual volumes were also brought out together in an anthology. Each of these anthologies has a self-contained plot:
In the first anthology, Anne and Philipp are exploring without instructions, in the second they travel to free Morgan from a spell. In the third, they pass an exam as master librarians, which they pass, and in the next anthology, they travel as master librarians to save four books. Then, in the fifth anthology, they release a dog from a spell. Then, in the next anthology, they look for four everyday magic . This is followed by four magical adventures for Merlin. In the next anthology, they prove to Merlin that they can use magic well and receive the so-called Dianthus wand from Merlin . In the next volume they help Merlin, who is very ill, by using the magic wand to find four secrets of happiness and to bring Merlin, including a penguin named Penny, who stands for taking care of someone who needs you. Later, in the tenth anthology, they help famous artists to find the right path. In the eleventh anthology they get four items to bring the penguin Penny, who was unfortunately petrified, back to life.
No. of the anthology | Title of the anthology | Individual volumes that have been combined in the anthology |
---|---|---|
1 | Adventure with the magical tree house | Volume 1-4 |
2 | Around the world with the magical tree house | Volume 5-8 |
3 | On an expedition with the magical tree house | Volume 9-12 |
4th | Mysterious journey with the magical tree house | Volume 13-15 + 19 |
5 | In the realm of infinite dangers | Volume 16-18 + 22 |
6th | In the jungle of adventure | Vols 23-26 |
7th | The mysterious world of Merlin | Volume 27-30 |
8th | Magic journey into enchanted worlds | Volume 31-34 |
9 | Expedition through fire and ice | Volume 35-38 |
10 | Fantastic journey through time | Volume 39-42 |
11 | Adventurous mission into the animal kingdom | Volume 43-46 |
Volumes 20 and 21 are not included in any anthology, but have appeared as a double volume.
Researcher manuals
Mary Pope Osborne also wrote research manuals for several volumes. In addition to the story, these contain information on the respective topic. Her older sister Natalie Pope Boyce is co-author of several of the researcher's manuals. Mary Pope Osborne's husband, Will Osborne, is also a co-author of several researcher manuals.
- Research manual dinosaurs (volume 1)
- Researcher Handbook Knight (Volume 2)
- Researcher's Handbook Mummies (Volume 3)
- Pirates Research Guide (Volume 4)
- Ice Age Researcher Handbook (Volume 7)
- Polar Bear Research Guide (Volume 12)
- Researcher Handbook Ancient Rome (Volume 13)
- Researcher's Guide to Cyclones (Volume 20)
- Researcher Handbook Leonardo da Vinci (Volume 36)
- Deep Sea Research Guide (Volume 37)
- Penguins Research Guide (Volume 38)
- The great researcher's handbook
The magical tree house Junior
The first 18 volumes of the Magical Tree House are also available in simplified form for smaller children as The Magical Tree House Junior Volumes. In contrast to the usual volumes, these are illustrated in color throughout.
- Adventure with the dinosaurs
- On the trail of the knights
- The enigmatic mummy
- Search for the pirate treasure
- The secret of the ninjas
- Hidden in the jungle
- Danger to the mammoth
- The abandoned lunar station
- The secret of the dolphins
- Ride through the Wild West
- In the kingdom of lions
- Rescue for the little polar bears
- The great volcano eruption
- Danger in the dragon realm
- Adventure with the Vikings
- On the path of the Indians
- On the trail of the tiger
- Little kangaroo in danger
main characters
Philip
Philipp, (in English Jack) is the older of the two siblings at the beginning of 9 years. He likes to read and is mostly in favor of finding out about the time and place to which you are traveling. Philipp also wears glasses and has a backpack, a notebook and a pen with him when he travels.
Anne
Anne, (in English Annie) is 8 years old at the beginning and thus Philip's younger sister. She believes in magic and is more adventurous than her brother. She has freckles and blond curly hair. Anne loves animals more than anything.
Morgan
Morgan, ( Morgan le Fay ) is the librarian from the Camelot library and the owner of the magical tree house she created to get books for the Camelot library. She has magical powers, which she used, among other things, to enchant the tree house so that it is only visible to people who believe in magic and love books. She gives Anne and Philipp their first assignments. Unlike in the Arthurian legend , she is friends with her half-brother Arthur and the magician Merlin.
Merlin
Philipp and Anne meet Merlin for the first time in Camelot, where they help Merlin to free Camelot from a curse that has made Camelot lose all happiness. Later Merlin gives Anne and Philipp their orders. At the end of the thirty-fourth volume, he hands Anne and Philipp the Dianthus wand.
Teddy
Teddy is an apprentice to Morgan. Anne and Philipp first met him after he accidentally bewitched himself as a dog. They took him on three trips, as Morgan wanted to teach him an apprenticeship before she turned him back. In later volumes he sometimes helps Anne and Philipp. Teddy accidentally petrifies Merlin's penguin Penny, which he can redeem with the help of Anne, Philipp and Kathrein.
Kathrein
Kathrein, (in English Kathleen) is a so-called Selkie , which means that she travels in the water as a seal and on land as a person. Selkies have seal skins, which fall off when they dry. Selkies have powerful magical powers. Her spells are in the language of the seals. Her hair is black and curly, and she has sea-blue eyes.
Illustrations
The books from the series The Magic Tree House were illustrated by Jutta Knipping and Petra Theissen .
Jutta Knipping was born in 1968. After graduating from school, she first completed an apprenticeship as a print template maker. She then studied visual communication in Münster and illustrated books during her studies. She works as a freelance illustrator.
Petra Theisen, born in 1969, studied graphic design , also in Münster, and works as a freelance advertising and children's illustrator.
Individual evidence
- ↑ https://www.familien-welt.de/spiele-und-lesen/kinderbuecher/2674-das-magische-baumhaus-in-deutschland
- ↑ http://www.ablebnishoeren.de/historie-das-magische-baumhaus/
- ↑ Before In the Eye of the Cyclone came two more volumes in English (“Civil War on Sunday” and “Revolutionary War on Wednesday”), which were not translated into German.
- ↑ https://www.loewe-verlag.de/reihe-0-0/das_magische_baumhaus_forscherhandbuecher-40/
- ↑ https://www.mthclassroomadventures.org/gift-time/our-mth-family
- ↑ https://www.mthclassroomadventures.org/gift-time/our-mth-family
- ↑ https://www.loewe-verlag.de/titel-652-652/das_magische_baumhaus_junior_ablebnis_bei_den_dinosauriern-7502/
- ↑ http://www.ablebnishoeren.de/charaktere-das-magische-baumhaus/
- ↑ http://jutta-knipping.de/ueber-mich/
- ↑ https://www.loewe-verlag.de/person-0-0/petra_theissen-1029/druckansicht/1029.pdf