FIRST EDITION WINTER 2019 INSIDE THE A MINI MAGAZINE OF FUN FOR BIG MAGIC TREE HOUSE FANS! HOW MANY DINOSCIRCLE THEM! CAN YOU FIND? Answer on the back cover. VIEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD MARY’S TREE HOUSE WITH JACK AND ANNIE! Mary Pope Osborne, Author of the THE ARCTIC n Polar Bears Past Bedtime, Jack and Annie are Magic Tree House and I Merlin Missions whisked away to the frozen Arctic where they meet a seal hunter, Siberian huskies, and a giant polar bear! When they meet their new seal hunter friend, they learn that he Q: When did you first start writing the Magic Tree “wears sealskin clothing to protect him from icy winds” (13). House series, and how many books are there today? Seal hunters often live in igloos, which “means ‘house’ in the A: I began the series 26 years ago, and today there are over 100 Magic Tree House books, counting language of the native Arctic people. The house is built with . all the fiction and the nonfiction Fact Trackers books. dry snow [which] is good wall material because it keeps in the Q: Do you have a favorite book, and if so, which heat. The temperature inside an igloo can be 65 degrees warmer one is it? than the temperature outside” (26). A: My World War II book meant the most to me: World at War, 1944. It’s the longest and most Can you imagine living in an igloo? You would have to cook, advanced book in the series, and to me, the most exciting. sleep, and play all in one small room with the rest of your Q: How did you choose the topic for your new family. And forget having a TV! Kids in the Arctic would have book, Warriors in Winter? fun by playing games like Kneel Jump, where they kneel on A: I’ve always wanted to write about an ancient the floor, then jump forward on their knees. Try that with your Roman warrior camp. Roman warriors were considered some of the bravest, friends! If you were in the Arctic, you would also be able to strongest, and best-trained see the Northern Lights. “The swirl of light is caused by warriors of all time. electrically charged particles from the sun striking atoms and molecules in the earth’s atmosphere” (50). What Natalie Pope Boyce, Author of the colors do you see in this Northern Lights picture? Magic Tree House Fact Trackers Alina Reynbakh Photo/ Shutterstock Igloo By Africa Studio, Northern Light Photo © By Q: Which Fact Tracker did you find most interesting to research? A: I think the most interesting research may have been for an upcoming book on Benjamin Franklin. I thought I knew a lot about him, but there was so HOMETOWN HEROES much I didn’t know—all the years he spent in Paris and London, the languages he taught himself, his inventions! I was in complete awe of this brilliant man. Kinley Elrod is the winner of our first-ever Hometown Hero Q: Have you ever traveled to do research for a Fact contest. Kinley is from Corydon, Indiana, and was nominated Tracker, and if so, where was the most exciting place by her mom, Danielle Barley. Kinley is dedicated to making you traveled? patients’ days brighter at Norton Children’s Hospital by A: I haven’t traveled a lot just to do research, but having lived in many places has helped my writing. running toy drives, gifting homemade pillows and bears, Writing Leprechauns and Irish Folklore was easier because I lived in Ireland. My firsthand knowledge and starting the organization Kinley’s Helping Hands. of the Revolutionary War came from having lived near the Yorktown battleground. When I wrote about What makes Kinley a hometown hero? She inspires others tsunamis I remembered that they tested the tsunami with the mountains she moves. At a very young age she has accomplished so warning sirens when we lived on the beach in Hawaii. much. Her actions show that no matter where the road has led you, the obstacles Q: What is your favorite winter activity? that come your way, your age, or even a disability—you can make a difference! A: I love to hear our old house creak and groan in a snowstorm. A good fire in the fireplace, people you can laugh with on a cold winter night, a lovely Submit your hometown heroes for a chance to be featured on the website, on stew, and reading a great book are my idea of heaven social platforms, and in Inside the Tree House! HometownHeroStories.com during long winters in the Berkshire Hills. BackGround snowflake photo © by Aleksander Skakun Photo/ Shutterstock BackGround snowflake photo © by GAMES AND GAMES AND PUZZLES! PUZZLES! Winter Maze Winter Scramble Unscramble the weather words. wnos ___ ___ ___ ___ lhia ___ ___ ___ ___ docl ___ ___ ___ ___ doucl ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ tesel ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ eci ___ ___ ___ storf ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ DID YOU KNOW THESE FACTS? MALE POLAR BEARS often weigh over one thousand pounds and can grow to eleven feet tall. Polar bears photo © by Florida Stock Photo/ Shutterstock PENGUINS have heavy bones, and the extra weight helps them SAINT BERNARDS stay underwater. photo © by vladsilver Stock Photo/ Shutterstock Penguin were trained to help find lost travelers in the Swiss Alps; they would use their big paws as shovels to dig a stranded person out of the snow! St. Bernard dog photo © by Fedor Selivanov Stock Photo/ Shutterstock Track more facts in these books! MERLIN’S WIZARD ZONE JOIN TODAY Can you crack the code? ADVENTURE Merlin wants to know if you can solve the code below. Solve the puzzle and discover the hidden message. AWAITS What do penguins, polar bears, and huskies think of winter? They think winter is IS FOR KIDS JUST LIKE YOU • Collect Passport Stamps and Medallions • Join Challenges • Play Games and Win Prizes, Earn Reading Rewards, and More! Ask your parent to help you A B C D E F G H I sign up at MTHKidsAdventureClub.com J K L M N O P Q R MORE FROM MARY! Wizard © By Deb Clark Photo/ Shutterstock Would you like to visit with our 3 dogs? S T U V W X Y Z Check out my new Instagram account and meet Joey, Bezo, and Little Bear! BOOK OF THE MONTH Become a ReadingWARRIOR! Travel back in time with Jack and Annie. This winter, they’ll meet the greatest warriors Do your pets love to read, too? of all. Available now as a book, ebook, or Post a picture and tag me, and audiobook! I might repost! Mary_Pope_Osborne EDUCATORS! ANSWERS Sign up for free, downloadable classroom materials at: magictreehouse.com/teachers. WINTER SCRAMBLE Snow, Hail, Cold, Cloud, Sleet, Ice, Frost Perform a MTH musical with a free mini musical download from Music Theatre International: mtishows.com/magic-treehouse. MERLIN’S WIZARD ZONE FRONT COVER snow problem Mary’s Classroom Adventures Program is Mary’s Gift of Time to teachers, providing WINTER MAZE free resources to use MTH fiction and nonfiction books across the curriculum. Learn more at: MTHClassroomAdventures.org. © 2019 Mary Pope Osborne. Magic Tree House is a registered trademark of Mary Pope Osborne; used under license. Illustrations © 2019 by Sal Murdocca. House is a registered trademark of Mary Osborne; used under license. Pope Tree Magic © 2019 Mary Osborne. Pope SECOND EDITION SPRING/SUMMER 2019 INSIDE THE A MINI MAGAZINE OF FUN FOR BIG MAGIC TREE HOUSE FANS! HOW MANYCIRCLE FISH THEM!CAN YOU FIND? Answer on the back cover VIEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD THE TREE HOUSE WITH JACK AND ANNIE! Mary Pope Osborne THE OCEAN In Dolphins at Daybreak, Jack and Annie travel to a coral reef in the middle of the ocean! They learn that coral reefs are made up of skeletons of dead corals—tiny sea animals. Jack and Annie explore the ocean in a small diving vessel called a submersible and swim next to starfish, pink Natalie Pope Boyce jellyfish, a blue sea horse, a giant clam, and many more We recently caught up with Mary colorful ocean creatures! When Jack and Annie find Pope Osborne, author of Magic Tree themselves next to an octopus, they learn that they are House and Merlin Missions, and gentle, shy creatures with huge strength, and it is nearly Natalie Pope Boyce, author of the impossible to free an object from the grasp of their Magic Tree House Fact Trackers, and tentacles! Have you ever seen an octopus? asked them a few questions! Can you imagine being an oceanographer, What are some of your favorite things to do when the weather warms up? which is what we call scientists who study the ocean? Sometimes they dive Mary: I love to walk early in the morning and late in the afternoon. I love watching super deep in their submersibles to leaves and flowers return. I love rolling gather information about the ocean floor. down all my car windows and riding on Oceanographers are able to look at and country roads with my dogs sticking their heads out the windows. I just love spring study so many beautiful sea and summer! creatures like fish, dolphins, and oysters but also have to How do you cope with spring fever? be careful and respect these Natalie: In New England where Mary and I live there isn’t much of a spring until animals. Just remember, if the end of May. To be honest, I don’t cope you see a shark in the water, very well with spring fever and sometimes, don’t splash! believe it or not, I get very cranky that Tunatura, Diver Photo © by Alina Reynbakh Octopus Photo © by Tunatura and Ocean Photo © by Photo/ Shutterstock summer hasn’t appeared yet.