Magic Tree House books: all opinions wanted.

[Lovedtodeath]

Do they belong in a Classical Curriculum? Why? Why not? Are they twaddle? Are they just for fun? Good for motivation but otherwise not? Do children really learn about history from them? What reading level are they? So would you read aloud or use them as readers? At what age for each (if any)?

 

Thanks!

[patchfire]

I found the writing to not be the sort I wanted my child to read and model - a lot of sentence fragments. Dd was ready for longer read-alouds at night when she was four, and they made a great choice for that.

[2_girls_mommy]

Are they twaddle?? Maybe a little. But we love them here. Yes, they really teach about history, IMO. There are also non fiction research guides for each one that are good for history help too. My dd6 will write down history recomendations from them that she wants to get at the library. Reading level? We started reading them aloud to my Ker, and by the end of K she was reading them to herself.. (thank goodness, I was tired of them by that point.) Now she reads them in one day, so we just pick up one a week and then more challenging books also, so she is not just reading these.

 

She just finished the one about Shakespeare. She is able to pick up info and carry it over into other things. She also read some Shakespeare plays in comics form (can't remember the name of the book) and an American Girl book that talks about Shakespeare. She gets really excited when all of her books tie in together like that. So I am all for them. I also like that she is getting introduced to things that we are not to in history yet. It is like a little sample of things to come, and she will tell me, "I remember that from Magic Treehouse," when we get to it.

[Annie Laurie]

They're twaddle-ish, but we read them anyway. They are not the main part of our reading and never will be, but as an occasional read I think they're fun and harmless and do spark my kids' interests in the topics they read about. I just choose not to make it a bigger issue than it is.

 

ETA: I am not a strictly classical homeschooler anyway, so I'm sure that influences my view. I follow SL's Beechick model of giving a child a lot of easier books, with some challenging books mixed in, to build fluency and confidence. My kids all love reading and being read to, and I credit this philosophy with a lot of that.

Edited June 11, 2009 by Annie Laurie

[OneRoomSchoolHouse]

I was having trouble getting my dd(7) to read at all. She was not interested in anything and hated to read. I picked up the Magic Treehouse Books on CD along with the books. I had her listen to the first few at night in bed, then had her read along with the CDs during the day. She loved them and began reading them all by herself. It was our "gateway" to reading.

[Lovedtodeath]

I was having trouble getting my dd(7) to read at all. She was not interested in anything and hated to read. I picked up the Magic Treehouse Books on CD along with the books. I had her listen to the first few at night in bed, then had her read along with the CDs during the day. She loved them and began reading them all by herself. It was our "gateway" to reading.

I hadn't thought of that! I might give that one a try. I used to love to read along with books on tape.

[RootAnn]

I would say they probably fit the "twaddle" definition. However, I would agree that my kids like how they are presented and they can be great jump-offs or easy supplements for history / science / geography. I added several to our read-out-loud list for earth science (tornados, earthquakes, rainforest, arctic, etc) last year. We just read the most recent one on Mozart and then the kids were asking to listen to our music CD on Mozart. :)

 

Reading Level? Definitely above K. We were doing them as read alouds last summer with a pre-K non-reader & going-into-second grade not-a-strong-reader. This site (http://home.comcast.net/~ngiansante/OPauthor.html) seems to think they are late second grade level (2.75). I would say that is about right as my going-into-third-grade child can now read them in a single sitting with no issue. (Of course, all kids have different reading ability at different ages. I am saying that I agree with the "standard" level mentioned on the Leveled Reading Site list.)

 

One other note - as a Christian, I don't like the emphasis on "magic." But the kids know these books are pretend, so it isn't a huge deal.

[gsesce]

The non-fiction guides are really well-done and not at all twaddle. Several of them are used in the Illuminations (Bright Ideas Press) as read-alones for the younger (and even older!) kids.

[Starr]

They were fun first grade books at our house. The kids continued to keep up with them for fun according to the history we were studying. My dd even won a backpack for a story contest she entered in the back of the book when she was 7. I told her so many people were entering not to even think she would get anything...:D So much for her listening to me.

[abbeyej]

Curriculum? No. But fun as first chapter books, and may spark an interest in various other topics (history and otherwise).

 

They are technically written at roughly a mid-2nd grade level... My kids were younger than that when reading them, and it's hard for me to picture a child much older than that putting up with the formulaic nature of the stories...

 

These filled a need for my kids between beginning readers and more complex chapter books. Neither appeared to be stunted by having read some (or twenty) or these, and as I said, they even sparked further exploration into some topics.

[Mesa]

My son wasnt having anything to do with phonics lessons in first grade.(he would do the worksheets though, weird.) He hated the readers in our core, and the Abeka readers. I turned to MTH out of desperation. It took 2 nights for my son to get hooked on these books, and WANT to read. He's now a voracious reader. I credit this to MTH for making reading fun and entertaining for him. It was just what he needed.

[Sara in WA]

If memory serves me correctly, I think a Magic Tree House book was listed in the AG for SOTW 3.

[Lovedtodeath]

and it's hard for me to picture a child much older than that putting up with the formulaic nature of the stories...

You are saying this to someone who still gets out her old Nancy Drews and reads them for fun. I also read all of the Jedi Apprentice and Seventh Tower books as an adult.:tongue_smilie:

[Lovedtodeath]

If memory serves me correctly, I think a Magic Tree House book was listed in the AG for SOTW 3.

LOL! After I got a curriculum? no. I'll need to confirm that!

 

DD wasn't very interested when I tried to start her with them. So far, for fiction, she likes the Cleopatra Royal Princess book (yeah the one for middle schoolers) Pinnochio, and Disney Fairies. She loves non-fiction books, but I suspect that has something to do with more pictures.

[dandelion18]

Of course, they do not compare to classic novels, but my kids do love them. They fall under the "reading for fun" category.

[Veritaserum]

My kids like them and I don't mind them. They were among the first chapter books that my oldest really enjoyed reading. They do have some bits of history thrown in that makes them more interesting. I think they have their place. Should they replace classic literature? No, they shouldn't, but I don't think they are garbage. :)

[StephanieF]

I don't see what all the fuss is about! I have them on cd and both ds's love them. Ds6 loves to read the books too and the non fiction guides are good too. At this age it is hardly going to ruin them if everything they read isn't top notch! It also has helped ds read more fluently and notice punctuation marks more.

Stephanie

[Testimony]

My older son read them when he was five year old. They are very easy to read. My son became interested in history and geography due to these books. I liked the non-fiction companions that went along with the books.

 

However, I did not like that Morgan Le Fay is used as a good character when she is a bad character in the King Arthur tales. I found that to be confusing. I did not feel it was necessary to do that. On the other hand, they were great chapter books to start my son on the road to reading chapter books.

 

We had a great time with them because they did get my son interested in history and reading chapter books. There were things that I did not like, but he became a good reader. He went on to reading the Magic School Bus chapter readers and then Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little. Now, he is reading the King Arthur stories.

 

So, it was positive experience with my older son.

 

My younger son hated them. He did not want to have anything to do with them. He got into the A-Z mysteries and Capital Mysteries which is great because he chose to memorize all the presidents because of those books. So, now at nine year old, he reads the Hardy boys. LOL!:lol:

 

Overall, one loved the books and got into history and geography because those books. The other one tossed it after reading one or two, but picked up another series book instead. Both are reading classics now. So, they were good for the time we needed them to be.

[DawnM]

Well, my son WILL read them.....and that is HUGE! He has Asperger's and struggles with reading to the point of sheer frustration in this house, where his mom is a former high school English teacher! ;)

 

He loves them.....and because he is an Aspie, he HAS to read them in correct order (drives me CRAZY because I can't get him to skip one and go on to the next if the library is out of the exact one he wants!) but it is working and he is reading!

 

Dawn

[chpiper]

These books are definitely what got my oldest 2 children into reading...They would be so involved in them they couldn't put them down. I definitely think of them as read for pleasure books, but with the added bonus of having some background information on things we will cover later...Gives them a great familiarity to start with. We haven't used their study guides, but I am thinking of getting them for my 2 younger ones. My son is 13 and he still gets excited when there is a new one, and wants to read it right away...my daughter is 8 and she has read and reread them all, and now is reading them to her 5 year old sister during *their* story time! They have been a great 'springboard' for my kids love of reading...

[Haiku]

Do they belong in a Classical Curriculum? Why? Why not?

 

Sure, because I don't think that a classical curriculum has to mean children may only read high-minded literature at all times.

 

Are they twaddle?

 

No. They aren't great literature, but they aren't The Babysitters Club either.

 

Are they just for fun?

 

Possibly. Maybe not.

 

Good for motivation but otherwise not?

 

No, I think they are motivating, fun, and interesting for kids.

 

Do children really learn about history from them?

 

Mine did. I credit MTH, in part, for getting them really pumped about history. I am sure that my enthusiasm helped, but MTH did help them see history as a series of stories about interesting times, places, and people.

 

What reading level are they?

 

1st-4thish

 

So would you read aloud or use them as readers?

 

Both.

 

 

At what age for each (if any)?

 

I started reading them to my kids when they were three and four. My seven year old is now reading them to herself.

 

The research books are pretty good. Full of information and easy for a child to read alone.

 

Tara

[brownie]

Our public school district leveled them as where they would like the kids to be reading as they exited 1st grade/entering into 2nd. They were leveled as an O on the alphabet system if I remember correctly? M or O anyhow.

 

Brownie

[Elizabeth Conley]

They are on the 1st-4th grade reading level, depending on the individual title. They're good clean fun, and they do help kids learn to read. They also teach some History. More importantly, they help kids like to read and enjoy History. They're readily available.

 

I don't see a down side to this.

[Jen in PA]

The non-fiction guides are really well-done and not at all twaddle. Several of them are used in the Illuminations (Bright Ideas Press) as read-alones for the younger (and even older!) kids.

 

The research guides are also written at a slightly higher reading level.

[tadbhoward]

If memory serves me correctly, I think a Magic Tree House book was listed in the AG for SOTW 3.

 

I do not know about SOTW 3, but there is one listed in the AG for SOTW 1. We are starting it today.

[Jami]

We've enjoyed them here, in moderation. The audiobooks read by Mary Pope Osborne as well.

 

One thing I don't think has been mentioned that I've really appreciated about this series is the relationship between the brother and sister. I have a son and daughter, close in age, and they often play "Jack and Annie" after reading or listening to a story. And Jack and Annie are kind and helpful to one another, they depend on each other, they ENJOY each others company! Those things make it easier for me to overlook the formulaic, simplistic writing for this season. The fact that my kids will also read Redwall or The Secret Garden for pleasure makes it easy to let them enjoy a snack book on occasion. ;)

[Haiku]

I have a son and daughter, close in age, and they often play "Jack and Annie" after reading or listening to a story. And Jack and Annie are kind and helpful to one another, they depend on each

 

Yep. My kids used to play Jack and Annie all the time. They even went through a time when they would introduce themselves to people as Jack and Annie. They loved it when people would say, "That's like those books ..." My dh made them wooden Master Librarian cards for Christmas one year.

 

The kids still really enjoy the MTH books, but I kinda miss the days when it was all Jack and Annie, all the time. The kids were so sweet.

 

Tara

[nmoira]

Just a little twist -- DD the Elder read them all ages ago, and is now working through the series a second time in Spanish.

[kelouis75]

The non-fiction guides are really well-done and not at all twaddle. Several of them are used in the Illuminations (Bright Ideas Press) as read-alones for the younger (and even older!) kids.

 

I read the guide on the American Revolution and loved it! My daughter? Not so much... So we'll save it for later, when we get to that point in history.

 

I like the research guides to solidify ideas that we learn in our other subjects. She did like the Ancient Greece one... our library did not have Egypt availible at the time...

 

She goes through the regular MTH books for fun reading, but I don't incorporate them into the structured curriculum. We use them during her free reading time... And she's usually finished reading them in an hour or two. My guess is that they are on a mid to late 2nd grade reading level.

[Jayne J]

Just to add my little bit here...

When I was younger I read a series of historical fiction for younger kids (maybe 12 ish?). They were hugely formulaic romance novels named after the main character (Cassie, Vicki, Norah etc.) I loved them, but great fiction they were not. However, I can honestly say that many of my "hooks" came from them--those little mental hooks we use to organize history, to place new info. into context, and create a "feel" for a time and place.

So if MTH does that for kids I say read away and don't worry about the literary quality. (and I'm a fairly ardent Charlotte Mason fan, so you know that is difficult to say!)

Edited June 11, 2009 by urpedonmommy
umm.. yeah, I can spell....

[Lovedtodeath]

Just to add my little bit here...

When I was younger I read a series of historical fiction for youger kids (maybe 12 ish?). They were hugely formulaic romance novels named after the main character (Cassie, Vicki, Norah etc.) I loved them, but great fiction they were not. However, I can honestly say that many of my "hooks" came from them--those little mental hooks we use to organize history, to place new info. into context, and create a "feel" for a time and place.

So if MTH does that for kids I say read away and don't worry about the literary quality. (and I'm a fairly ardent Charlotte Mason fan, so you know that is difficult to say!)

Perfect! I'll take this one. :D Thanks everybody!

[Leighton Academy]

We have a ton of MTH books. I stopped reading them aloud after about book 3. I personally cannot stand the way they are written. It was not a pleasant read-aloud. I told my oldest son that he would have to read them on his own because the "said Jack" and "Annie said" were driving me absolutely nuts!

 

That being said, I have not read any of the later books to see if maybe the style of writing is different.

 

I may be in the minority on this but I just couldn't read them anymore.

:tongue_smilie:

 

ETA: I don't consider them great literature but not "twaddle" either. Obviously I buy them for my kids but I will not do them as read-alouds anymore. My older can read them well on his own but my 5 year old hasn't quite gotten there yet.

Edited June 11, 2009 by Leighton Academy

[nmoira]

 

I may be in the minority on this but I just couldn't read them anymore.

With few exceptions (e.g. Frog and Toad, Mr. Putter & Tabby) I generally don't read beginning reader books aloud because of the simple language. The MTH books are good for what they are... beginning readers. :)

[Loupelou]

They are definitely "twaddle", but my girls really enjoy them. Each time a new one comes out they want to read it. After reading them they also like to look up the history behind the story. I think breaking away from the heavier assigned reading is a good thing.:001_smile:

[DebonLI]

They are about a 3rd grade read. The writing is very simple but there is some history. Mostly, I think they are fun. My girls both read them and liked them.

[sagira]

Just to add my little bit here...

When I was younger I read a series of historical fiction for younger kids (maybe 12 ish?). They were hugely formulaic romance novels named after the main character (Cassie, Vicki, Norah etc.) I loved them, but great fiction they were not. However, I can honestly say that many of my "hooks" came from them--those little mental hooks we use to organize history, to place new info. into context, and create a "feel" for a time and place.

So if MTH does that for kids I say read away and don't worry about the literary quality. (and I'm a fairly ardent Charlotte Mason fan, so you know that is difficult to say!)

 

I totally agree. Well said. I grew up on Suske and Wiske (a historical comic in Dutch), and although I don't remember a lot of great historical fiction or history in school, I do remember the history in connection with the great stories and characters. Engaging is a must. As a result, I was looking for something similar for dc. I think Magic Treehouse is great, as is Asterix and Obelix. They're neat to fire a passion for history. That said, I don't read them aloud, but will have ds practice his reading skills with them. CM fan here too :)

[babysparkler]

my daughter is 8 and she has read and reread them all, and now is reading them to her 5 year old sister during *their* story time! They have been a great 'springboard' for my kids love of reading...

 

My ds9 and dd7 have been reading them together at bedtime lately and it just gives me warm fuzzies watching them enjoy a book snuggled up together :001_wub:

[mlbuchina]

If memory serves me correctly, I think a Magic Tree House book was listed in the AG for SOTW 3.

 

We are in SOTW 1, and MTH is listed in the AG. It's the one about the mummies.

 

I like the books, myself, and don't have a problem with my dc reading them. Although, I too, don't really like the "magic" aspect. I have not read any of the Merlin ones, and am not sure if they follow the same pattern as the regular MTH. Anyone read/use those?

[emmsmama]

Some of the writing leaves something to be desired, but my dd has learned soooo much history from the MTH books that I can't knock them. There have been so many times when we are reading about something in history and dd will say, "Oh, that was in one of my Magic Treehouse books! Let me go get it!"

[lovemykids]

Sure, because I don't think that a classical curriculum has to mean children may only read high-minded literature at all times.

 

 

 

No. They aren't great literature, but they aren't The Babysitters Club either.

 

 

 

Possibly. Maybe not.

 

 

 

No, I think they are motivating, fun, and interesting for kids.

 

 

 

Mine did. I credit MTH, in part, for getting them really pumped about history. I am sure that my enthusiasm helped, but MTH did help them see history as a series of stories about interesting times, places, and people.

 

 

 

1st-4thish

 

 

 

Both.

 

 

 

I started reading them to my kids when they were three and four. My seven year old is now reading them to herself.

 

The research books are pretty good. Full of information and easy for a child to read alone.

 

Tara

 

 

ITA with Tara!

[unsinkable]

I was having trouble getting my dd(7) to read at all. She was not interested in anything and hated to read. I picked up the Magic Treehouse Books on CD along with the books. I had her listen to the first few at night in bed, then had her read along with the CDs during the day. She loved them and began reading them all by herself. It was our "gateway" to reading.

 

I love reading stories like this. :grouphug:

 

Thanks for sharing!

[unsinkable]

My older son read them when he was five year old. They are very easy to read. My son became interested in history and geography due to these books. I liked the non-fiction companions that went along with the books.

 

However, I did not like that Morgan Le Fay is used as a good character when she is a bad character in the King Arthur tales. I found that to be confusing. I did not feel it was necessary to do that. On the other hand, they were great chapter books to start my son on the road to reading chapter books.

 

We had a great time with them because they did get my son interested in history and reading chapter books. There were things that I did not like, but he became a good reader. He went on to reading the Magic School Bus chapter readers and then Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little. Now, he is reading the King Arthur stories.

 

So, it was positive experience with my older son.

 

My younger son hated them. He did not want to have anything to do with them. He got into the A-Z mysteries and Capital Mysteries which is great because he chose to memorize all the presidents because of those books. So, now at nine year old, he reads the Hardy boys. LOL!:lol:

 

Overall, one loved the books and got into history and geography because those books. The other one tossed it after reading one or two, but picked up another series book instead. Both are reading classics now. So, they were good for the time we needed them to be.

 

This is so wonderful! Love, love love these kinds of stories from moms!

 

:grouphug:

 

Thanks for sharing!

[unsinkable]

Well, my son WILL read them.....and that is HUGE! He has Asperger's and struggles with reading to the point of sheer frustration in this house, where his mom is a former high school English teacher! ;)

 

He loves them.....and because he is an Aspie, he HAS to read them in correct order (drives me CRAZY because I can't get him to skip one and go on to the next if the library is out of the exact one he wants!) but it is working and he is reading!

 

Dawn

 

My dd did this with Nancy Drew books. She was adamant that she read them in order.

 

Thanks for sharing!

[unsinkable]

These books are definitely what got my oldest 2 children into reading...They would be so involved in them they couldn't put them down. I definitely think of them as read for pleasure books, but with the added bonus of having some background information on things we will cover later...Gives them a great familiarity to start with. We haven't used their study guides, but I am thinking of getting them for my 2 younger ones. My son is 13 and he still gets excited when there is a new one, and wants to read it right away...my daughter is 8 and she has read and reread them all, and now is reading them to her 5 year old sister during *their* story time! They have been a great 'springboard' for my kids love of reading...

 

So wonderful! :grouphug:

 

I think it is so important for kids to love reading.

 

ETA: That last sentence sounds so pedantic. :tongue_smilie: But sometimes not around here...out in RL...it seems that it is NOT the case. Many people I talk to want their kids to learn to read but then don't care/worry if they don't read or love to read. :confused:)

Edited June 16, 2009 by unsinkable

[unsinkable]

Just to add my little bit here...

When I was younger I read a series of historical fiction for younger kids (maybe 12 ish?). They were hugely formulaic romance novels named after the main character (Cassie, Vicki, Norah etc.) I loved them, but great fiction they were not. However, I can honestly say that many of my "hooks" came from them--those little mental hooks we use to organize history, to place new info. into context, and create a "feel" for a time and place.

So if MTH does that for kids I say read away and don't worry about the literary quality. (and I'm a fairly ardent Charlotte Mason fan, so you know that is difficult to say!)

 

Do you remember the names of these books? Thanks!

[EKS]

I wouldn't put them in the curriculum, but my son enjoys them in his free time. I don't think he's learned much history from them, though sometimes he'll recognize a topic as something he has read in one of them and then be more interested when I introduce the topic during lesson. Reading level is usually grade 2 with some very slightly higher. I would never read them aloud. As for age, whenever the child is interested and the ability to read them. For my older son, this was in 3rd grade and for my younger one, it was at the beginning of K.

[Jayne J]

Do you remember the names of these books? Thanks!

 

Errgh. I just knew someone was gonna ask...:D

 

I thing the publisher was Sunfire books, or something like that, and the titles I do remember were "Norah" "Victoria" "Cassie". They all had different authors I think. I will do some digging and see what I can find.

 

Ok, just got back form checking, and yes, they are listed on Amazon under Sunfire romances. But GAK! I really should have saved my old copies, 'cause they want an arm and a leg for them now!! Geesh. Maybe you can locate some somewhere else, if you know the titles you want.

Edited June 16, 2009 by urpedonmommy
adding update

[Mommy22alyns]

Well, they're recommended in the SOTW AG, so that's good enough for me. We started out reading them out loud, but DH and I were going nuts over the clunky dialogue. Luckily Becca's reading progressed to where she could read them on her own, so I assign the appropriate ones to her. They don't take her long to read. I really like the research guides.

 

They're not challenging or fantastic literature, but they're a fun and light way to add in a little extra knowledge of different geographical and historical places. :)

[skaterbabs]

According to the Accelerated Reader program, they're early third-grade.

 

http://www.arbookfind.com/bookdetail.aspx?q=20015&l=EN&slid=47332247

[gwendolyn]

My ds is too young for them. I can tell you that as a Special Education teacher, I loved them. Many of my students had behavior disorders and hated school. They enjoyed reading these. The books also sparked an interest in the subjects they were about. One of my students decided he wanted to be an Egyptologist when he grew up after reading those books. Before that he told me that he wanted to work at 711 so he could get free slurpees. I do think they have merrit. Are they the best form of literature? No. But, they do expose kids to areas of interest.