The highlight of my autumn was a two-week trip to Japan with my husband Will. We did many fun things, including walking down the “Green Carpet,” of the Tokyo International Film Festival for the premier of a Japanese “anime” of Magic Tree House.

We had a wonderful time meeting seven-year Mana Ashida, a leading child actress in Japan. Mana performs the voice of Annie in the anime.

The most unforgettable part of our journey, though, was traveling to the area of Sendai which was hit by the terrible earthquake and tsunami that destroyed 100 miles of the Japanese coastline on March 11, 2011. There we visited three elementary schools that had survived the devastation and met some of the bravest people we’ve ever met. Though the disaster had occurred only seven months earlier, all the students and teachers seemed to be trying very hard to “get back to normal.”

It’s time to have even more Fun with Facts !!

Every so often we share some Fun and/or Amazing facts compiled by Natalie Pope Boyce, author of the Magic Tree House Fact Tracker books.

Last time, it was Sea Monsters. This time…Space!     …

Space

1. Scientists think there are about 10 billion trillion stars.

2. Our part of space is called our solar system.

3. Our earth is a planet that travels around the sun.

4. The solar system is made up of the sun, moons, asteroids, comets, planets and meteoroids.

5. Some planets are solid and rocky like the earth; others are gigantic balls of swirling gasses and dust.

6. The moon is about 240,000 miles from earth.

My big news is that Dogs in the Dead of Night comes out this week! My research for this book involved spending a magical afternoon with several St. Bernard dogs (thanks to Cheryl Barber and her Brushy Creek Saints.) Cheryl’s dogs were so affectionate, beautiful and BIG! If you love dogs, then putting your arms around a really huge dog is heaven. Anyway, Annie in the Magic Tree House books feels just as I do. But she takes on a job that’s a little overwhelming, when she offers to train a very young and undisciplined “saint.”  I had so much fun writing this book. I hope you have as much fun reading it.

And don’t forget the non-fiction book comes out with the fiction book: Dog Heroes, co-written with my sister Natalie Pope Boyce. Natalie said this was her favorite book she’s ever written. A life-long dog lover, she was surprised to learn so many new facts about dogs. In fact, we are now calling our non-fiction books, Magic Tree House Fact Trackers. We want YOU to track the facts with Jack and Annie and learn lots about dogs, too. Maybe you’ll regard the dogs you know with even more wonder and respect.

My favorite dog quote:
“The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him, and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.” — Samuel Butler

It’s time to have some Fun with Facts !!

Every now and then we’ll be sharing some Fun and/or Amazing facts compiled by Natalie Pope Boyce, author of the Magic Tree House Fact Tracker books.

This week, it’s Sea Monsters.  Next time…you’ll have to stop back and see! Read More→

On April 20, my sister Natalie and I had a great teleconference with the kids of Mesa Elementary School on the Navaho Reservation in Red Mesa, Arizona. We were all celebrating the re-opening of the Mesa Elementary School library, which was destroyed in a fire last September. We talked to the students and answered their great questions and encouraged them to keep reading. We also announced the donation of a 500 copies of Magic Tree House books to the school. Read More→

On April 27, I had a great adventure with my husband Will and my sister Natalie — we went to the United Nations in New York City! We attended a conference on Health and the Environment where I gave a speech called A Bridge of Children’s Books. I include a copy of my talk below:

Natalie Pope Boyce, Will Osborne, and Mary Pope Osborne at the UN

Read More→

Today is St. Patrick’s Day! It’s the day that many Americans celebrate their Irish heritage. I have a new relationship with St. Patrick’s Day since I wrote Magic Tree House #43, Leprechauns in Late Winter and my sister Natalie wrote the non-fiction companion, Leprechauns and Irish Folklore. Did you know that Dullahans are scary Irish fairies who appear as headless horsemen when they gallop down dark country roads? And Grogochs are tiny old men fairies covered in leaves, twigs, and dirt? And merrows are beautiful Irish fairies who live in the sea? And guess how you can protect your house from fairies? You can wear your coat inside out, or put a sock under your bed, or draw a pig’s head on your door. Have a great St. Patrick’s Day! (And don’t forget to wear something green.)

Dear Fans:

To make it easy for you to see the current Tour Schedule for “Passport to Adventure” and to get schedule updates sent to you automatically, we’ve posted a Tour Calendar on Facebook, and established the “Magic Tree House: On Stage” Newsletter.

The current Tour Schedule for “Passport To Adventure” can be found on this Facebook Page.

To have schedule updates e-mailed to you, please subscribe to the Magic Tree House: On Stage Newsletter.

Today I met with a great group of Magic Tree House readers. They had all gathered at the Berkshire Theater Festival in Stockbridge, MA to see “Passport to Adventure”, our traveling Jack and Annie event. Kids and their parents saw Jack and Annie perform onstage, then the audience joined in to help sing a song called Read, Read, Read, written by Randy Courts.

When the show was over, Jack and Annie piled into a big bus decorated with Magic Tree House illustrations to head across the country and even to Canada. So if any of you see the Magic Tree House Express on the highway, ask your driver to honk and all of you wave. Jack and Annie are inside!

Mary Pope Osborne, with Songwriters Will Osborne (left) and Randy Courts (right)

We’re having such a wonderful time in St. Louis!

We visited the St. Louis County Library and were greeted by many, many Magic Tree House readers and fans (photo below).

We were also interviewed by Charlie Brennan of KMOX before a LIVE audience. The full interview can be heard on the KMOX web site.

Talking to Magic Tree House readers at St. Louis County Library

Natalie and I have had a great book tour so far.  Every time we land in a new place, we’ve fall into different scenery and different climates!

We saw a snowstorm fall over Central park in New York City, we felt beautiful breezes and sunshine on Miami Beach, and the damp misty air in the city of St. Louis!

But no matter how different each place has been, one thing has been totally the same everywhere: We’ve met great kids. We’ve had huge crowds and talked to thousands of readers.  The parents, teachers, and kids we’ve met have inspired us to go home tomorrow and get back to book writing! (I’m afraid, though, that in New England they’re having freezing rain and sleet today — so we just hope our plane will take off!)

New York the night after the signing on Long Island

This week, my sister Natalie and I are hitting the road.  From January 11th until the 20th, we’ll be in different cities, signing:

• Magic Tree House #45: A Crazy Day with Cobras
• Magic Tree House Research Guide: Snakes and Other Reptiles

We’d love to meet you if you live near these bookstores!
Check out our appearance schedule below:

Tuesday, January 11th  - Carle Place, NY
6:30PM at Barnes & Noble  - 91 Old Country Road

Wednesday, January 12 - Collegeville, PA
6:30 PM at Perkiomen Valley Middle School East – 100 Kagey Road, Collegeville, PA
Presented by Harleysville Books

Thursday, January 13 - Newark, Delaware
6 :00 PM at Borders Books - 101 Geoffrey Drive

Sunday, January 16 - Coral Gables, FL
2:00 PM at Temple Judea - 5500 Granada Blvd.
Presented by Books and Books

Monday, January 17th – St. Louis, MO
6:30 PM at St. Louis County Library Headquarters - 1640 S. Lindberg Blvd.
Presented by Pudd’nHead Books

Tuesday, January 18th - Chesterfield, MO
6:00 PM at Barnes and Noble - 1600 Clarkson Road

Happy New Year!

I’m sitting in my study overlooking a frozen lake covered with snow. This is my favorite thing to do in winter — sip a cup of tea and read and write in front of a fire, while our three dogs sleep all around me.

I’m working now on Magic Tree House #46, about rescue St. Bernard dogs in the Alps. So, although our own dogs are totally disobedient and self-centered, I love them even more than usual these days.

The big Magic Tree House news is that: # 45, A Crazy Day with Cobras, just came out! Jack and Annie have a wild adventure with a rogue elephant, a scary emperor, and deadly cobras. The companion book, Snakes and Other Reptiles, co-authored with my sister Natalie Pope Boyce, is also available. There’re some pretty cold-blooded facts in that book!

Other Magic Tree House news: There’s a great new website hosted by Random House that’s exclusively about the Magic Tree House Series. It has tons of information and fun games. Check it out:
MagicTreeHouse.com

And our musical based on Jack and Annie’s adventures in Camelot is gearing up for a new tour starting next fall. To learn more about Magic Tree House: The Musical, go to: MTHMusical.com.

I better sign off now. My real-life dogs just woke up. One just jumped into my lap. The other two are barking at crows out the window.

Well, enjoy your crows, your dogs, your books, your writing, and all your winter days!

Warmest regards,

Mary Pope Osborne