Mary Pope Osborne
, b. 1949
Mary Pope Osborne lives in Connecticut. She has written over 100 books for children and young adults: mysteries, novels, retellings of myths (including a six part series retelling of the Odyssey), biographies, picture books, a book of American Tall Tales, and a book for young readers about the major world religions. She is best known for her best-selling Magic Tree House series (the first volume of which was published in 1992).
More than 135 million copies of the Magic Tree House series have sold worldwide. The series has been translated into more than 30 languages. Osborne has also co-authored a companion series to the Magic Tree House books, together with her husband Will Osborne and her sister Natalie Pope Boyce and in 2012, Osborne created a Magic Tree House Classroom Adventures Program at here (online resources for teachers to promote literacy, accessed: October 1, 2018).
The Magic Tree House series was a #1 New York Times best seller. In 2006, the popularity of the series outdid that of Harry Potter as #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list (according to Cynthia Haven, Stanford University, see here, accessed: October 1, 2018). The series has received awards from the National Council of Teachers of English and the American Booksellers Association.
Moreover, Osborne’s awards for her works include: Ludington Memorial Award from the Educational Paperback Association, Lifetime Achievement Award from the Random House Sales Force, Heidelberger Leander Award (Germany, 2010), Minion Academy Global Literature Award (Japan, 2011), Books-Ago-Go Literacy Award (2015), Jupiter Award for Science Education (2015); Best Books of the Year Lists of School Library Journal, Parents’ Magazine, Publishers Weekly, the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, and Bank Street College; awards from the Parents Choice Foundation, the Children’s Book Council, and the International Reading Association, the Boston Public Library, the Atlanta Public Library, the Carolina Alumni Association, the Virginia Library Association, and the Delaware Library Association; Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2013).
Osborne is a passionate advocate of literacy and access to theatre for children. Several Magic Tree House books have been adapted for children’s theatre productions, including musicals.
Other Classics related books by the author:
- The Deadly Power of Medusa (Scholastic, 1988), Will and Mary Pope Osborne, illustrated by Steve Sullivan,
- Jason and the Argonauts (Scholastic, 1988), Will and Mary Pope Osborne, ill. Steve Sullivan,
- Favorite Greek Myths (Scholastic, 1989), retold by Osborne, ill.. Troy Howell,
- Tales from the Odyssey (Hyperion Books, 2002 to 2005), ill. Troy Howell — six children's novels adapted from Odyssey[3],
- Tales from the Odyssey (Hyperion, 2010), a two-volume edition.
Source:
Website of the series (accessed: October 1, 2018)
Bio prepared by Babette Puetz, Victoria University of Wellington, babette.puetz@vuw.ac.nz
Records in database:
