This is an excellent series to interest struggling readers in beginning chapter books. The series also has an educator's activity guide that is helpful.

The Magic Tree House series is a great stepping stone between picture books and chapter books. Most books written for a pre-k listening level take place in a realistic setting, like school. Not so with the magic tree house, it takes Jack and Anne throughout time and space: from the time of the dinosaurs to the future when men have colonized the moon. The books are exciting to read: Jack and Anne are often in real danger, though you know they will always make it back home. These books are also available in an audio format. I recommend reading at least the first four books. If you, the adult reader, gets bored, try playing the audio versions.

I also think this box set makes a great birthday present for 4 and 5 year olds. At first the child can be read aloud to, and when they start reading, they can use it as an early reader.

The audio version of these books (read aloud by the author) is also worthwhile.

I have mixed feelings about this series. My children (boys 5 & 3) love the books. They are easy enough for the younger one to follow, but exciting enough that the older one isn't bored. My biggest problem with them is the grammar. I would never let my children read these books themselves because I would never want them to think that the writing is correct. Luckily, by reading them aloud I can correct the mistakes without them even realizing it. Seriously though, the grammar is so poor that had not all the books been that way I would have assumed it was just something wrong with the printing machine. The author literally does not know what constitutes a sentence and she has no concept of the comma. Here are just a few examples (all found a single page no less!!):
1. "Let's leave the scroll on floor. And go," he said.

2. They walked together. Across the room. To the glowing gold box.

3. They stopped in front of the box. And they peered inside.

In all those cases she created fragment sentences instead of one regular sentence. She does this all the time. I think it was either in the first book or the second that I couldn't find a single page that didn't have a grammatical error. Both the author and the publisher should be ashamed of themselves.

My four year old son LOVES the "Magic Treehouse" series. He begs me to read it to him daily. The adventures Jack and Annie go on are both fun and educational.

I bought the set as a gift for my nephew, whom is in second grade. Hoping to spark his interest in reading. The Magic Tree House books were the first books that grabbed my own sons interested when he began reading. He would devour a book in a couple of days and couldn't wait to began a new one. His imagination would grow as he traveled along with Jack and Annie on one fictional adventure after another. I like that there is also research guides for a few of the books. They go into detail about some of the actual settings of the books.

I bought these books with bedtime stories in mind. My grandkids are early 4yr. and alomst 6yr. I was a little leary introducting 'chapt. books' that have minimal pictures. But, the boys ate up the excellent writing and want more every evening. This is a great series with just enough excitement not to be scary, but interesting.

My eight year old son hates reading! In an attempt to interest him in reading, I bought these books. He loves for me to read them to him. This is a definite step in the right direction and a first for him. He has even borrowed some of the other books in the serious from classmate and checked out six of them at the library the other day. You may think it is having me read to him, but I have offered before and always been turned down. Now he is asking!

These books, which come as sets, have been loved for years. For the younger ones, someone must read it aloud but the adventure is always terrific and a relevent geography lesson at the same time. Don't hesitate to get these little books..which may well be in your child's classroom now (or certainly should be).

My son was introduced to these books in kindergarten (he was 5) by his teacher. In the beginning, he loved these books and wanted to get the whole set. But, as time went on, he realized - rather quickly - that the stories in each of the books was the same, the writing style is the same, the plot devices are the same, and the dialogues are the same. By the middle of his first grade year, he was done. He flat out told me that it's not worth reading the new ones, "because I already know what's going to happen, Mama."

I would also say that I was a bit frustrated by the repetitiveness and also by the lack of imagination in the writing. I feel the authors do not challenge the children enough to make them want to keep coming back and they don't make it interesting enough for an adult and child to have a conversation about the books.

The vocabulary is very bland and predictable. When the two main characters talk to each other, the dialogue is flat and unimaginative. The authors don't use any descriptive words to show the reader how the children feel when they are talking. (For example, it will almost always be: `Jack said.' or `Annie said.' without any adverbs or anything.) Since these books are being used to introduce children to the wonderful world of fiction and literature, I'd like for the authors to broaden the kids' horizons a bit. Let the child get into character and feel what Jack and Annie are feeling.... Also, bring in words like "replied" or "answered" or "responded". There are other words for "said" - get the authors a thesaurus.

These books are rather expensive when you start adding the total costs (particularly if you buy them in hardcover). So, I would say: save your money and only buy a couple for your kids. Then, if they want more, get it from a local library. Because they will outgrow these rather quickly and you'll wish you spent that money on classics that would actually be re-read in the future.

I am one year shy of recieving my teaching degree and have been buying books like crazy for when I have an actual classroom. During my internships I always ask students what type of books they enjoy, The Magic Tree House is always one of the first series to come out of their mouths. Students of all ages love these books, they are short, easy to read, and keep the reader entertained all the way to the end. I would recommend these books to any teacher or future teacher looking to increase their classroom library.

My subject pretty much says it all. We of course had to buy the next 2 boxed sets (5-8; 9-12) and now, our son has been bugging us to get the new boxed set but it's not available till May 2008.

I recommend this as a gift, and it's a good addition to your kid's "library".

[review by my 6-year-old son] This is my favorite set of books. I liked these books because I like Jack and Annie and how they get to travel to different times and places. Jack and Annie are smart and have to figure out symbols and riddles. I am reading all of the Magic Tree House books (I'm reading #15 right now). I especially like to go to the Magic Tree House website to answer questions about each book so I can print out a "Passport" stamp.

When I read to my daughter at night, she begs me to read "just one more chapter".

My son is just starting to read chapterbooks and Loves this Series!!! The books are good quality paperback.

I would highly recommend this set of books. Our grandsons are aged 3 and 5 and loved the adventures the 2 children get into. thrilling but not too scary for the 3 yr old that loved the mummies in book 2, so much so, that he played mummy every day for the 9 days we were with them over the Christmas holidays. the 5 yr old wanted all the books read at once, loving the continuity from book 1 though book 4. I will definitely buy more sets of these books.

I used to read this books when I was younger. My little sister is really hard to get interested in reading, so I suggested she borrow this series from the library. She did reluctantly, but when she read it, she loved it, so I bought her the first 4 books. Great deal, getting them all together for this price, compared to roughly 7 bucks per book in the store.

Finally, the first book! I don't think my son or I have ever read the fist book in this series, it has always been checked out at the library. Now we have it (and the other Magic Tree House books I purchased). We enjoy these books and look forward to reading them in order.

We have the first set as well and all of these stories are amazing. My 6 and 7 year olds LOVE them and want the entire series. They look forward to reading them everyday and will choose one of these books over any others.

Join Jack and Annie as they travel to exotic places while learning about history in a very fun and subtle way! The whole Magic Tree House series is wonderful! My son loves fact based information which is hard to come by in children's literature, but both this series and the Magic School Bus chapter books do a nice job of having fact based information in fiction books.

I had already purchased the first book of the series, read it to my kids, and loved it enough to buy this set from amazon (and the next set, too). This set of 4 said it included books volume 1-4, however in the shipment I received - VOLUME 1 WAS NOT INCLUDED. I received 2 copies of book #2 instead. Luckily we already had book #1 at home! The next series (books 5-8) was complete, so hopefully it was just an isolated error.

My son and I have really enjoyed these books. They are attention grabbing and keep my kindergartener interested to the end. In fact, I get tons of moaning and groaning if we can't finish an entire book in one sitting.

The look of pure rapture and intensity on my 6 year old son's face listening to these stories for the first (and 20th) time is priceless. M.P. Osborne has created a way to learn all about various times in history in such a captivatingly fun way. We all love to listen to the stories when they are read! My son now reads 2 Magic Tree House books a week! We are very glad M.P. Osborne has continued putting her creative writing into these series!

I was accidently sent another book in my mailing package. I sent that one back with a note that it was the wrong product. i have not yet received the Magic Tree House book set.

My daugther just could not put down these books after she had received them. She finished 12 books in less than a week! I am going to get the rest of this series for her soon.

While the writing isn't great, the stories are certainly entertaining, and are great reading for 1st-3rd Graders. The stories follow two siblings, Jack and Annie, who are magically transported to various places, and the various settings set the stage for some very fascinating, to the young reader, tales they will come to treasure.

I've been reading to my son since he was two weeks old. He just had his fourth birthday, and I gave him this Magic Tree House box set. I thought he'd get bored pretty quick since there aren't illustrations on every page, but I was wrong. We read the first book in an afternoon, and he wanted to move straight on to the next one. We've since finished the first four and I've ordered the next box set, and while we wait we're re-reading the first four. Fantastic books!

Good books to help me and my grandchildren communicate. We started a book discussion club. Great quality time.

These books are great chapter books to introduce to a three or four year old. I started reading them to my son when he was four, and he's enjoyed every one. He will enjoy them again when he's older and can read them to himself. I've also given them to my son's friends as birthday gifts. They'll last longer than some plastic toy that a child will get bored with.

These are great for young readers to read to their parents or a younger sibling. They are informative and interesting.

I am so impressed with the writings of Mary Pope Osborne. My 4 1/2 year old cannot wait for each night to come to find out the next adventure Jack and Annie must take and the next clue or riddle they must solve. We read one book each night - and they hold her attention until the end.

These books are cleverly written - they both entertain and educate a child on historical events. I would say these books should be on all children's "must read" list.

If you do get them, please get them in order - the riddles are usually done in sets of four - so keep getting them that way. For example the first four in the series leaves clue to this Mysterious M person - (I'm not giving it away) and it is not until book 4 you find out who that is. The next four deal with solving a set of clues or riddles to solve a problem. So, it is best to read them in order and in get all four at one time.

We are now up to number 26 in the series, and my daughter has come up with quite a few stories of her own. She realizes the events happened, but she still has quite of an imagination and pretends she too is solving the problems. She has also impressed her pre-k teacher with what she knows about these subjects. She goes in and tells her all about them.

I cannot say enough about these books - great, must read for all children. I would give it 10 stars if the ratings went that high.

Great education and adventures in these books. Kids love them.

These books are a wonderful addition to any library. Not only are they entertaining and enjoyable to read, they teach about history as each story takes place in a different time and place. My kids have started reading these books as early as first grade and I even find my 6th grader re-reading them on occasion. You can't go wrong with these great stories about Jack and Annie and their adventures in the Magic Tree House!

This was a present to my 8 year old son. I was worried by the age range suggested since he reads at least a grade level above. But he loves these books! I wanted something to encourage reading for pleasure and that is exactly what this does! The stories are a little simple but with enough intriguing qualities to keep up the interest and the little ongoing mystery is enough to make him want to read the next one. Some times we read them for bedtime story and other times he reads for pleasure and sometimes at bedtime he reads it to me! Even though we haven't finished the set I gave him yet he has already asked for more.

I bought these for my nephew for christmas. He loves them and has been reading them for some time. Box sets are the best as you get them in order and more bang for your buck. The hardest part about this whole experience was figuring out which ones he does not have. Great books about various subjects. They have a book for every child.

MY SON IS IN THE 3RD GRADE AND BEFORE THE MAGIC TREE HOUSE I HAD TO FIGHT HIM TO READ NOT BECAUSE HE COULD'NT BUT BECAUSE HE DID'NT LIKE WHAT HE WAS READING. I NOW HAVE TO MAKE HIM PUT THE BOOKS DOWN.

I purchased these for my niece for Christmas and she immediately sat down and buried her nose in them. She is in first grade, and was able to read them all herself. She seemed to find them very interesting.

I got this box set and it was a great price and what looked like new condition.

I read the first of the series to my 4-year old grandson and his father has read the others in the first set to him... The little boy just loves them, and the fact that he seldom interrupts, and when he does it is to go back to previous pages, attests to this fact! I wish I had these to read to his father 40 years ago!

My son loved these books! He is 8 years old and I often found him reading longer than his 45 minute assignment! Anything to keep this kid reading! The story lines are great but they are also educational! perfect

My 1st grader hates to put them down, he would rather read Magic Tree House books, than play video games. He even reads them to his class and explains the story for show and tell. When he was in kindergarten, the teacher would also let him read the Magic Tree House books out loud, not given her a break, but to promote reading out loud. Great books!

My 7 year old loves these books, he borrows them from the teacher, or the library, He even wanted the books on his Christmas list instead of Toys! He doesn't read them in order, he read book #1 and went to #31 and jumps around. I didn't know why he liked these books, they weren't like anything he read before. I picked one up to read it and found myself hooked. Now I have an excuse to read to him and my 4 year old at the same time.

My daughter is in 2d grade this year and came home telling me all about these books. As is typical, I had no idea what she was talking about. After talking to her teacher, I put it all together. She has thrown her Judy Moody and Junie B Jones books on the shelf in favor of these and she can't seem to get enough.

I got this book set to read to my 6 year old son before going to bed because I thought he might be ready to move from just pisture books. They do keep his attention and the plots are very easy to follow especially since we spread the book to last about 3 nights. I also believe the text is no to difficult for when he is ready to read for himself.

We actually picked up a four of the Magic Tree House books to give chapter books a try with our 4 year old. He absolutely is enthralled with these. We have already returned to the book store twice for a total of 8 more and I'm sure we will be going back for more.

The writing is uncomplicated and easy for a 4 year old to comprehend. He is getting an introduction to many different historical times and places through the adventures of Jack and Annie. He is learning the concept of chapters and asking tons of questions along the way to augment the information in the stories. He flips through the books on his own and can't wait to go to bed, so he can "read" more about Jack and Annie. He even explains the books to his little brother and shows him the pictures. These books have really given him an incentive to learn to read and we look forward to the Tales from the Odyssey and Stepping Stone series for him to read to himself someday.

When he got the first boxed set for his birthday, he wasn't too enthused by it. Up to that point, him reading on his own was like trying to pull teeth. So I bribed him by saying for every book he read, I would give him a dollar.

He picked up Dinosaurs before Dark and after the first chapter was hooked. He read all four books in a week and wanted more. Thank you very much for writing a series that appeals to a ten year old boy. You have a father's appreciation.

This was a gift for my granddaughter. My daughter writes: "Suspenseful . . . interesting. Erin can't wait for each chapter. With other books she falls asleep while I read; with these books she asks me to stop so she doesn't miss anything. We are reading no. 5 'Night of the Ninjas' and recently saw a samari suit in the museum (where Andy Warhol is showing) and there are Samari in this book. As a parent I wish there was a little more history in each book, but I think they are age appropriate."

I ordered this series of books for my grandsons 7th birthday. He loves the books. They arrived very promptly in time for his special day! Thank you. Donna Partyka

I purchased the set as a goodie book (one book for each kid) for my son's bithday, to the children in his class and for the children who came to his birthday party. They love it and the parents appreaciate it as well.

The Magic Tree House Boxed Set is great for children of all ages! Your child will not be disappointed reading these books. The fun begins when Jack and Annie find a Magic Tree House in the woods. There are so many fun adventures in this book. If your child loves magic, then this set would make an excellent gift. They'll love these books!

Cynthia Marie Rizzo, children's author of "Angela and the Princess" and "Julie and the Unicorn"

I bought this set for my 5 year old, and she loves them. As I read them aloud, she hangs onto my every word...and that would be the problem. The grammar in these books is absolutely horrific. They are filled with incomplete sentences and poor phrasing. I constantly find my self correcting things as I read aloud. While I do like the story lines for young children, I can't in good conscience recommend these to any children who will actually be doing the reading themselves. I would be too afraid it would seriously hinder their writing abilities. I do, however, think they are great platforms to start discussions about dinosours, etc. The little tidbits of info are great though sparse, and I add a lot of elaboration about the subjects. In summary, these books are a mixed bag, and I would encourage anyone interested to read through them before purchasing them so you can decide how much it bothers you. I know I will not be buying any more of this series.