By: Crystal Gerald EDUC 630

She was born Mary Pope in 1949 in Fort Hill, Oklahoma to her parents William and Barnette Pope. Her father William Pope was a United States Army Colonel. Mother was a homemaker Twin brother Bill Older sister Natalie (she has collaborated with)

Oklahoma Austria Florida Virginia North Carolina “Moving was never traumatic for me, but staying in one place was.” Mary Pope Osborne

Mary Pope Osborne called various places home in just the first fifteen years of her life due to her father’s military career. She never had trouble adjusting due to the strong relationships she had with her parents, twin brother, and older sister. However, the traveling led to a desire for constant adventure. “I’m a creature of constant change...” Mary Pope Osborne

Osborne graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the early 1970’s. There she studied Drama and Religion Following graduation, she and a group of young Europeans and traveled to the East. “We traveled overland in a caravan of rickety vans through sixteen Asian countries, including Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Nepal.” They nearly lost their lives in an earthquake in northern Afghanistan, then in a riot in Kabul.

While in Katmandu Osborne became ill from blood poisoning and recovered in a missionary hospital. Two weeks later she returned home and worked as a window dresser, medical assistant, and a Russian travel consultant. During this time she met her husband Will Osborne who was currently playing the role of Jesse James. They married a year later in During the early part of their marriage she worked as a bartender, taught acting classes at a nursing home, an assistant and an editor of a children’s magazine

“As a child, I loved Frances Hodgson Burnett and Laura Ingalls Wilder. In my teen years: Thomas Wolfe, J. D. Salinger, Hermann Hesse, and Jack Kerouac. In my twenties: Tolstoy, Nabokov, E. B. White, and Colette. Since then I’ve had too many to list. The Little Princess, The Three Ugly Sisters, and Big Farmer Big were my favorite books.”

Began writing poetry in high school First published book “Run, Run, Fast as You Can” a story about an 11 year old girl in the south “Finally, I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up.” Mary Pope Osborne Tales from the Odyssey Spider Kane Mysteries Haunted Waters Pompeii: Lost and Found

Jackie and Annie were the first to come in the development of the series. Then Osborne dreamt of ways the kids could travel through time. Her ideas included a magical museum, an art studio and an enchanted cellar with magic whistles. Finally, while traveling her and her husband came across an old dilapidated tree house. The first Magic Tree House story was published in 1992 “Dinosaurs Before Dark” The Magic Tree House stories are known for the blending of exciting plots and scientific facts. The small cliffhanging chapter endings are what is most appealing to readers.

Dinosaurs Before Dark The Night at Dawn Pirates Past Noon Afternoon on the Amazon Midnight on the Moon Dolphins at Day Break Night of the Ninjas Vacation Under the Volcano Tonight on the Titanic Hour of the Olympics

The full-scale musical was created by her husband Will Osborne; Magic Tree House: The Musical which premiered in September Magic Tree House: Space Mission produced exclusively at the Morehead Planetarium in Chapel Hill, NC. Audio and Braille versions of the books are available.

Sal Murdoca (Magic Tree house Illustrator) Will Osborne (Magic Tree House non-fiction companion series; musical adaptation) Natalie Pope Boyce (Magic Tree house Research Guides launched in 2000)

served as the 27 th president of the Author’s Guild (oldest organization for writers) New York Times Best Seller List 2006 (The Magic Tree House Series) Honored by The National Council of Teachers of English American Book Sellers Association Ludington Memorial Award (Education Paperback Association) Lifetime Achievement Award ( Random House Sales Force

Picture Books Realistic Fiction Historical Fiction Young Adult Novels Non-fiction Retellings Edited Collections of Stories Poetry Songs Over 274 Works