"Magic Tree House"-ese ("Please respond in kind!" Said Annie.)

[nmoira]

"Magic Tree House books are delightful."

 

Said Jack.

 

"When your child is reading them."

 

Said Annie.

 

"Aloud."

 

Said Jack.

 

"To you."

 

Said Annie.

 

"With feeling."

 

Said Jack.

[Critterfixer]

"How stilted!"

Said I.

With disgust.

[EKS]

If. You put. The "sentences" together. So they are a normal length. The reading level goes up. By about two grade levels.

[Aurelia]

Why? Are they put? Together like that? It seems. Painful to read.

[lexi]

Oh. My. Goodness! lol I have never read these but think I will have to avoid them like the plague! That would drive me crazy!

[HootyTooty]

Oh. My. Goodness! lol I have never read these but think I will have to avoid them like the plague! That would drive me crazy!

"That would be a good idea", said HootyTooty.

 

"I much prefer the study guides", said HootyTooty's son.

[TracyP]

Oh. My. Goodness! lol I have never read these but think I will have to avoid them like the plague! That would drive me crazy!

 

But the kids!

 

They love them.

 

And they learn.

 

A lot! (eh, maybe not "a lot", but the kids do like them.)

[abbeyej]

My children are too old.

 

But once they were little.

 

And then the stories were perfect. Just right for beginning readers.

 

Jack and Annie were kind to each other.

 

So many adventures!

 

And now my kids read other books. They were not stunted. Magic Tree House books make great stepping stones.

[lexi]

Then they will have to read it to themselves. I don't think I could make it through a whole book. When my kids are old enough to read on their own, they can read these-silently! :001_smile:

[onaclairadeluna]

"I'm glad" said I

"That your daughter." said Jack.

"Prefers." I said.

"The boxcar children." Said Jack.

"Instead." said I.

 

"Did you know that she reads boxcar children everyday?" Said Benny.

"It's no E.B. White" Cried Jessie.

"But I could listen all day" Remarked Henry

[Rivka]

"We have a book club," said Annie. "The book club reads Magic Tree House books."

 

"Wow!" said Jack. "Let me write that down in my notebook: The book club reads Magic Tree House Books."

 

"It drives me crazy. Every two weeks. We read another Magic Tree House book," said their mother. It drove their mother crazy.

 

"I'll tell you what," said Annie. "Two different kids in our club read their first independent chapter book because of Magic Tree House book club."

 

"Let me write that down in my notebook," said Jack. "Two kids started reading books on their own."

 

"I can't argue with that," their mother said. Gritting her teeth.

 

The book club whirled around. Then everything was still. Absolutely still.

[zenjenn]

Hilarious!

 

I love Magic Treehouse, and that these books engage kids in a variety of interesting topics/genres at their level.

 

I also could not stand reading them to my children out loud. And we do read-alouds constantly in this house. But Magic Treehouse, after five or six of them, I couldn't take it.

 

My kids have read almost all of them. Independently. :D

 

They serve a valuable niche by providing ample reading for that window of reading proficiency between early reader and "real" reader, but they quickly become passe, even to kids, in my experience. My kids still do enjoy the field guides, though.

[nmoira]

My children are too old.

 

But once they were little.

 

And then the stories were perfect. Just right for beginning readers.

 

Jack and Annie were kind to each other.

 

So many adventures!

 

And now my kids read other books. They were not stunted. Magic Tree House books make great stepping stones.

 

"I agree." Said Moira.

[Farrar]

One time we listened to the books in the car. They were at the library on Audio CDs. We were on a trip. The car went far. Very far.

 

After awhile, I got bored. I started making up a drinking game. I knew it would be wrong to drink. I was driving. But every time Annie ran away I thought, "Take a drink!" Every time Jack missed something because he was writing in his notebook, I thought, "Take a drink!" Every time they wondered, "Is this the right time to use the magic?" Yes, I would think, "Take a drink!" I made up more things to take drinks about. I was very bored.

 

This game would have made me drunk fast.

 

That's why I made a no Jack and Annie on car trips rule.

[Maus]

1-28 have short sentences.

 

Mom combines the sentences when she reads.

 

Dd6 reads them on her own.

 

The second group, from 29 through the present 45, are written at a higher reading level.

 

Yes, I read them ALL aloud to my older two.

[nmoira]

Why? Are they put? Together like that? It seems. Painful to read.

 

Lots of white space and short sentences/fragments help new readers. They gain confidence to read. At speed. Automatically. They want to read. For the story. It's a reward. For hard work. They give a feeling of accomplishment.

[nmoira]

One time we listened to the books in the car. They were at the library on Audio CDs. We were on a trip. The car went far. Very far.

 

After awhile, I got bored. I started making up a drinking game. I knew it would be wrong to drink. I was driving. But every time Annie ran away I thought, "Take a drink!" Every time Jack missed something because he was writing in his notebook, I thought, "Take a drink!" Every time they wondered, "Is this the right time to use the magic?" Yes, I would think, "Take a drink!" I made up more things to take drinks about. I was very bored.

 

This game would have made me drunk fast.

 

That's why I made a no Jack and Annie on car trips rule.

 

:lol: Said Moira.

[boscopup]

I read two out loud.

 

I will never read one again.

 

They can read them themselves.

[Maverick_Mom]

Not only do Jack and Annie "say" everything (could we maybe buy them a thesaurus? PLEASE?!) but they "say" everything regardless of whatever peril they are in:

 

"Annie!!! Run!!! Run for your life before the fire-breathing dragon, the fierce sabertooth tiger, the warlike Vikings, AND the spewing volcano kill you!!!" ... SAID Jack. :lol:

 

Apparently they are very mellow children. I'd be mellow, too, if I knew everything was going to work out just fine in ten short chapters. :D

 

(I used to treat the MTH books with great disdain. Then I had a child who read them and learned a lot about not only history but about the joy of reading. And I've gotten kind of fond of them myself. ;))

Edited August 18, 2011 by Maverick_Mom

[SilverMoon]

I read two out loud.

 

I will never read one again.

 

They can read them themselves.

 

Moon agrees with Boscopup. They're a great first step into chapter books. I cannot s.t.a.n.d. to read them aloud. Or hear the audiobooks. Nerve grating. *twitch*

[Alice]

One time we listened to the books in the car. They were at the library on Audio CDs. We were on a trip. The car went far. Very far.

 

After awhile, I got bored. I started making up a drinking game. I knew it would be wrong to drink. I was driving. But every time Annie ran away I thought, "Take a drink!" Every time Jack missed something because he was writing in his notebook, I thought, "Take a drink!" Every time they wondered, "Is this the right time to use the magic?" Yes, I would think, "Take a drink!" I made up more things to take drinks about. I was very bored.

 

This game would have made me drunk fast.

 

That's why I made a no Jack and Annie on car trips rule.

 

:lol:

[Farrar]

"This thread sure is funny!" said Jack.

 

"Do you think this thread will be here tomorrow?" said Annie.

[Guest submarines]

Not only do Jack and Annie "say" everything (could we maybe buy them a thesaurus? PLEASE?!) but they "say" everything regardless of whatever peril they are in:

 

"Annie!!! Run!!! Run for your life before the fire-breathing dragon, the fierce sabertooth tiger, the warlike Vikings, AND the spewing volcano kill you!!!" ... SAID Jack. :lol:

 

Apparently they are very mellow children. I'd be mellow, too, if I knew everything was going to work out just fine in ten short chapters. :D

 

(I used to treat the MTH books with great disdain. Then I had a child who read them and learned a lot about not only history but about the joy of reading. And I've gotten kind of fond of them myself. ;))

 

That's actually a convention, that has been around for a while. The books are designed for independent reading, and the dialogue tags are supposed to be as simple and unnoticeable as possible. The 'feeling' has to come from the actual spoken lines. Using synonyms for dialogue tags, such as exclaimed, yelled, whispered, and so on, is considered to be amateurish, unless used very sparingly.

[Maverick_Mom]

That's actually a convention, that has been around for a while. The books are designed for independent reading, and the dialogue tags are supposed to be as simple and unnoticeable as possible. The 'feeling' has to come from the actual spoken lines. Using synonyms for dialogue tags, such as exclaimed, yelled, whispered, and so on, is considered to be amateurish, unless used very sparingly.

 

Quick, someone tell the folks at IEW and WriteShop about this. I'm pretty sure that using the word "said" would get you an automatic F. :D

[Karen in CO]

My children are too old.

 

But once they were little.

 

And then the stories were perfect. Just right for beginning readers.

 

Jack and Annie were kind to each other.

 

So many adventures!

 

And now my kids read other books. They were not stunted. Magic Tree House books make great stepping stones.

 

"Exactly." said Karen.

I saved the books. So the younger sister. Can read them too.

These are only read silently. Or they are read to dh. Since he can listen to this. With out going crazy.

[stripe]

I have never read them.

 

But my son has read two.

 

All by himself!

 

One was a gift from my aunt. She is a retired school teacher.

 

The other was from the library. He read it at the same time we read books on Egypt. The ancient sort. He finished it. He tends to not want to reach the enf of books he is enjoying.

 

Does that mean something?

[Just Robyn]

Magic Tree House books make great stepping stones.

 

:iagree: I find incomplete sentences in a lot of books at that reading level, not just MTH.

[Wheres Toto]

I'll admit it. I change the sentences when I read them aloud. I cannot read them exactly as written. DS isn't quite ready to read them on his own.

[Lori D.]

I read this thread to my husband. Out loud. The whole thread! We laughed. We laughed hard. Those homeschool moms are so funny!

 

Then my husband said, "Maybe those moms need an antedote. An antedote for all those short sentences."

 

"Maybe for each Magic Tree House book, each mom could read something grown-up. A grown-up book with longer sentences. Longer than six words," I said.

 

"Maybe they could read William Faulkner. Or Henry James," he said.

 

We laughed again. We laughed hard.

 

 

(And remembering our own Magic School Days. When it was a delight to see our young sons excited to know how to read. And gaining confidence. And learning things! Just like Abbey and Fawn's Funny Farm said. And now the older son has graduated! From home school high school! And starts college next week! With a partial scholarship! It looks like Magic Tree House didn't stunt them. At all.) :)

Edited August 19, 2011 by Lori D.

[Julie Smith]

I once read a book to my boys. A Magic tree house book. I read half way. They did not like.

 

"We don't like it" said C.

 

"Not one bit" said S.

 

Then I read a box car book. They liked it. So I read another. Then another. Then another.

 

My son will read the first paragraph of each chapter.

 

I have read 24 box car kids books. I am done with box car kids. I think my boys are also done. Time to change my avatar. We are reading Oz books again.

[Maverick_Mom]

I once read a book to my boys. A Magic tree house book. I read half way. They did not like.

 

"We don't like it" said C.

 

"Not one bit" said S.

 

Then I read a box car book. They liked it. So I read another. Then another. Then another.

 

My son will read the first paragraph of each chapter.

 

I have read 24 box car kids books. I am done with box car kids. I think my boys are also done. Time to change my avatar. We are reading Oz books again.

 

I am done with the Box Car Children, too. We are tired of perfect children. They exist in Box Car Land. They exist in Bobbsey Twins Land. They exist in Happy Hollisters Land. They do not exist at our house. We cannot relate. This is why we like Ramona. :D

[Farrar]

Maybe they could read William Faulkner.

 

Jack opened the big book with the word Yoknapatawpha County on the front. He read:

 

William Faulkner was an American writer. He was born in Oxford, Mississippi. He is one of the most important writers from the south.

 

Jack took out his notebook to make notes.

 

"I don't understand this!" said Annie.

 

Jack looked at the book Annie found. The sentence he saw went on. It went on and on. He was confused.

 

"Maybe run on sentences are better than fragments," said Jack.

 

"We need to ask Merlin about this," said Annie.

[woolybear]

The kids. Love them. When they are learning. To read. It is. Still painful for Mom. Maybe more so. Soon the room began to spin. It spun faster and faster. Then. Everything was still. Absolutely still. And Mom didn't have to listen. To MTH ever again.

 

"Oh brother." or is it "Oh mother."

[redsquirrel]

"I will only read eight," said Mom.

"I will only read eight out loud," said Mom.

 

"She will only read the first eight" said the children

"Oh brother! Why only the first eight out loud?" said the children.

 

"Because you children need to learn," said Mom.

"You need to learn to read," said Mom.

"You need to learn to read a whole book," said Mom.

 

"But we cannot!" said the children.

"You know we cannot read a book," said the children.

 

"We can take turns," said Mom

"We can take turns reading out loud," said Mom.

 

"We can take turns reading out loud," said the children

 

They took turns. They learned to read. They learned to read a whole book.

 

Soon the mother can give away all the stupid MTH books...and the Droon..and the Dragon Slayers Academy... and the Time Warp Trio.. and the Moonsilver series....and the Pick Your Own Adventure Indian Jones... and the Star Wars books...and Bruce Coville...and Artemis Fowl..and Septimus Heap...and Rick Riordan..and...

 

Then all will be still in the house. Absolutely still.

 

And the mom will be sad.

[boscopup]

"Maybe they could read William Faulkner.

 

 

I'd rather read MTH. :glare:

[nmoira]

 

I'd rather read MTH. :glare:

MTH is good preparation. For Hemingway.

[leeannpal]

DD liks the regular MTH books, but she loves the non-fiction MTH books that give more information about the time period. Those books are not written with short, choppy sentences.

[Farrar]

"Oh brother," said Farrar. "I don't like hearing all this Faulkner hating."

[TKDmom]

I cannot stop. Laughing.

Said Bonnie.

 

I do not think this thread. Is as funny as you do.

Said Bonnie's dh.

 

Have you ever. Had to read these books?

Said Bonnie

 

I listened to. Two chapters of MTH.

Said Bonnie.

 

Then I walked out. Of the room. And hoped that dd. Would finish learning to read. On her own. And she did.

[nmoira]

"Oh brother," said Farrar. "I don't like heari

ng all this Faulkner hating."

It's a slow progression in sentence length and complexity:

 

MTH -> Hemingway -> USA Today -> ... -> Faulkner

 

:tongue_smilie:

[Maverick_Mom]

MTH is good preparation. For Hemingway.

 

Oh, I think the MTH books are a good lead-in to Faulkner.

 

Witness this, from As I Lay Dying: "My mother is a fish."

 

I could totally see Jack or Annie saying that. :lol:

[mom31257]

My dd loved them when she was little. My ds has read the first 25, but lost interest after that. I don't see what's wrong with giving your kids as many books as they are willing to read. My dd really enjoys reading. She has read many great classics on her Kindle this year. She just finished Farenheit 451 and is finishing Sherlock Holmes now. She LOVES the Hunger Games trilogy and is currently writing a fan fiction novel about Johanna Mason. I don't think allowing her to read them ruined her life by any means! :001_smile:

[Researcher]

It's a slow progression in sentence length and complexity:

 

MTH -> Hemingway -> USA Today -> ... -> Faulkner

 

:tongue_smilie:

 

:lol::lol:

[JessReplanted]

We love magic treehouse books! I agree with those who said they make great stepping stones. And this past year my son really enjoyed the research guides.

[angela in ohio]

"Maybe run on sentences are better than fragments," said Jack.

 

My dd took a writing class with a horrible teacher. She thought that any sentence with more than one clause was a run-on. I taught my dd to write complex and compound sentences, and she reads classics; she writes beautifully. Every paper came back with every sentence longer than 5 or 6 words chopped up. We used it as a lesson in meeting inane requirements, a skill she will undoubtedly need in college.

 

Maybe the teacher had just read too many MTH books. :D

[Delighted3]

My children are too old.

 

But once they were little.

 

And then the stories were perfect. Just right for beginning readers.

 

Jack and Annie were kind to each other.

 

So many adventures!

 

And now my kids read other books. They were not stunted. Magic Tree House books make great stepping stones.

 

Very well said. :001_smile:

Joy

[Julie Smith]

I am done with the Box Car Children, too. We are tired of perfect children. They exist in Box Car Land. They exist in Bobbsey Twins Land. They exist in Happy Hollisters Land. They do not exist at our house. We cannot relate. This is why we like Ramona. :D

 

My eldest once said that, "are family is just like the Aldens. Well except that we don't solve mysteries, or go places." :confused:

 

My son does not like to read about kids who misbehave. When reading "on the banks of plum creek". He had to leave the room since Laura was disobeying her father. He can't stand hearing about people getting into trouble.

[Spy Car]

“Wake up Annie,” the boy said and put his hand on one of Annie's knees”

 

Annie opened her eyes and for a moment she was coming back from a long way away. Then she smiled.

 

“What have you got?” she asked.

 

“Supper,” said the Jack. “We’re going to have supper”

 

“I’m not very hungry”

 

“Come on and eat. You can’t fish and not eat.”

 

I have,” Annie said getting up and taking the newspaper and folding it. Then she started to fold the blanket.

 

“Keep the blanket around you,” Jack said. “You’ll not fish without eating while I’m alive.”

 

Then live a long time and take care of yourself,” Annie said. “What are we eating?”

 

“Black beans and rice, fried bananas, and some stew”

[nmoira]

“Wake up Annie,” the boy said and put his hand on one of Annie's knees”

 

Annie opened her eyes and for a moment she was coming back from a long way away. Then she smiled.

 

“What have you got?” she asked.

 

“Supper,” said the Jack. “We’re going to have supper”

 

“I’m not very hungry”

 

“Come on and eat. You can’t fish and not eat.”

 

I have,” Annie said getting up and taking the newspaper and folding it. Then she started to fold the blanket.

 

“Keep the blanket around you,” Jack said. “You’ll not fish without eating while I’m alive.”

 

Then live a long time and take care of yourself,” Annie said. “What are we eating?”

 

“Black beans and rice, fried bananas, and some stew”

:D

 

Now that made my evening. If only we could work Hemingway into the drinking game.

[tiredbuthappy]

"I want to read" said ds#1.

"I want to read a chapter book" he said.

"I want to read this MTH chapter book to you, Mom"

 

So Mom sat down to listen.

It went achingly slow.

So Mom had a plan.

She shared it with ds#1.

"You will read one page and I will read 2 pages" said Mom.

 

The one page was achingly slow to listen to. The two pages were painfully choppy to read.

 

After one MTH book, Mom said "Let's wait".

She said "Let's wait and read these in a couple of months".

She said "When it is easier for you to read them".

 

Ds#1 read the rest when he could read himself.

Then dd#1 wanted to read MTH like big brother.

Mom said "You can read them yourself. You are smart".

And she added "Or big brother can read them to you".

She said "I have to take care of baby brother (chuckle)".

 

ds#1 and dd#1 have read all the MTH books many many times.

ds#1 and dd#1 are proficient and confident readers.

ds#1 and dd#1 will eventually read MTH to ds#2 and ds#3.

 

Someday Mom will read 500 page books again. Until then, Mom will gladly listen to almost any book that ds's and dd want to read out loud. But Mom doesn't think she can stand to read MTH books again. Ever.

 

One last funny thing about Mom....MTH books are NOT the only children's books where Mom changes sentence structure when she reads. This becomes a problem when reading to kids that can read themselves. :tongue_smilie: