Magic Tree House Books?

[Tabrett]

I saw that SOTW AB has some of these books suggested. Do you think these are quality literature? My oldest dd loved these and I have about 10. She read them for fun. I never thought of using them in a learning situation. What do you think about these as "living books"?

[melissel]

I don't think I'd consider them living books, but for my DD5, they definitely sparked an interest in many of the topics that I was able to draw out with other materials. She went through a phase where she devoured them (the books and the audio CDs) and she'll still reference them when she hears or sees something that relates--tornadoes or ninjas or wildlife in the Amazon. As an added bonus, I was able to use them to sneak in grammar and punctuation lessons when we read them together, because in the early ones, the use of punctuation is atrocious! There were several instances where we'd discussed how the use or misuse of a punctuation mark confused me in my reading of the story.

 

I certainly wouldn't use them as my sole go-along for any topic, but they're fun and easy ways to get a kid interested, IMO.

[Hazelt"nut"]

My dd6 enjoys reading these as independent reads. I will schedule in the ones that relate to our history this year (American History) like I did for ancients last year. I plan to have a book basket that she has to read from for 20 minutes while I work with my ds on his phonics and I plan on putting the MTH books in there along with other types of books.

 

I'm not crazy about them beyond peaking an interest in some historical/cultural topics. The sentences seem rather choppy to me.

 

And these won't be the only books we have on historical topics.

 

Hope this helps.

Sheryl

[melmac]

but I wouldn't say they're terrible either. I think they can serve many purposes for many children. My ds10 loved them when he was younger I still catch him reading them every now and then and my ds 7 is currently reading them and loves them.I think they're great for "fun" reading.

[Plaid Dad]

:iagree: These books are by no means great literature, but they are at least vaguely educational. My dd discovered them when a well-meaning friend gave her one last Christmas. Since then she has gone on a couple of MTH "binges." Our deal is that for every MTH book she reads, she must read two papa-approved classics. The MTH books are way below her reading level, so usually after two or three she gets bored and goes back to more substantial books. Now if I could just get her away from those blasted Disney Fairies... :glare:

[nukeswife]

This has often puzzled me. Why must everything be "Great literature" or considered twaddle. Sometimes you just need a good read and all the better if it makes reference to something you've learned. We have all the ones in the original series and some in the Merlin Mysteries series. My kids loved them. We just finished reading "Buffalo Before Breakfast" while doing a little study I made up about Native Americans. My kids love reading SOTW as well but they also love things that are just a story with some facts that reference things we've learned.

[nmoira]

Do you think these are quality literature?

No, IMHO they are high interest serviceable books for new readers. I wouldn't use them for read alouds, but I also wouldn't hesitate to give a new reader the entire set.

 

How much great literature is written at a second grade level?

[Tabrett]

Thanks for your thought. I was a little shocked when I saw the suggestion in SOTW AB. I think they would be a great "fun" read, but not a "living book". I liked the book basket idea. I don't mind "twaddle", just not as a history book.

[chiguirre]

I'm planning on using MTH books as the readers to accompany Hideaways in History for ds. They're not great literature, but IMHO, neither are Frog and Toad, Henry and Mudge, and Dr. Seuss. They are great books for kids gaining fluency and they relate to the topics we'll be studying in history or science.

[Homeschooling6]

My 4th grade son (soon to be 5th grade) read at a low 2nd grade level (I had him tested)his phonics was mid 1st grade. This was 2 months ago. Since then he has been devouring the Boxcar Kids & has read some of the Magic Tree House. I had him tested again and now he is at or above grade level.

 

These books may not be great literature and considered twaddle reading, but they sure helped out my son improve his reading. Now for this upcoming year I can add in some History & Science readers to go along with his Boxcar & Magic Tree House books.

 

Blessings,

[Jen in PA]

They aren't great, but they are probably pretty harmless. I disliked them when my dd wanted them as read-alouds because I found the short sentences very annoying to read. Now that dd can read them on her own, I am liking them more and more.... the chapters are short enough to keep her from feeling overwhelmed, yet the subtle cliffhanger ending of most chapters makes her want to keep reading. The history is a bit light, but might be a nice way to capture a child's interest about a particular place or era.

[Homeschooling6]

They aren't great, but they are probably pretty harmless. I disliked them when my dd wanted them as read-alouds because I found the short sentences very annoying to read. Now that dd can read them on her own, I am liking them more and more.... the chapters are short enough to keep her from feeling overwhelmed, yet the subtle cliffhanger ending of most chapters makes her want to keep reading. The history is a bit light, but might be a nice way to capture a child's interest about a particular place or era.

:iagree: I am not into reading them for our read aloud time. I did read the first one and after that if they wanted more they had to read them on their own:lol:.

[Tweed]

I think they are very good books for new readers or reluctant readers. My two reluctant readers have read them all and it is nice that they were learning history at the same time. There are not many beginner books like that. There have been many times when my kids have said some historical fact and I've asked where they had heard of it and they said, "Magic Tree House!"

 

I would also recommend Pope's Adventures of Odysseus series.

[VaKim]

They are great "snacks" in between our "meals." :)

Mine read them all, and actually remember quite a bit of historical tidbits they picked up from them. I certainly wouldn't try to read them aloud though, as somebody else has said. It would drive me crazy, lol.

[FriedClams]

How much great literature is written at a second grade level?

:iagree:

:lol::lol::lol:

[nmoira]

How much great literature is written at a second grade level?

 

:iagree:

:lol::lol::lol:

Ah, it would have been funny if my mind worked faster than glacial and I'd said, "Aside from Hemingway, how much great literature is written at a second grade level.?"

[kalanamak]

her one last Christmas. Since then she has gone on a couple of MTH "binges." Our deal is that for every MTH book she reads, she must read two papa-approved classics.

 

I do this! MTH hasn't graced our shores yet, but Magic School Bus has.

[nmoira]

 

Now if I could just get her away from those blasted Disney Fairies... :glare:

We are mercifully [Disney Fairy] free, but DD will literally go through a stack of Berenstain Bear books in a shocking short time at the bookstore. Makes me shudder.

[orangearrow]

Magic Tree House books are what finally got my 7yo reluctant reader over the hump! They might not be "great literature" but they're no Babysitter's Club or Goosebumps either :p. And, they really sparked an interest in my kids for many subjects.

 

She's read many of the "Research Guides" and gone on from there to check out many nonfiction books relating to certain MTH topics. They get two thumbs waaaaay up in my book for these reasons alone! :thumbup:

[swellmomma]

My kids really like the MTH books. I also like giving them the reasearch guides that coorespond to the stories. I found it to be an easy reader with a gentle approach to early researching skills. They would read the story, then I would come up with questions for them to answer using the research guide. Now that they are bigger we use other books for research but it worked as a nice intro.

[Haiku]

Do you think these are quality literature?

 

Heck no! In no way are they quality literature!

 

However, they are a great deal of fun for kids to read, and my kids have learned a great deal about many different things from Jack and Annie. We also buy the research guides when we can and use those, too.

 

I vote for using them!

 

Tara

[Testimony]

I never thought of using them in a learning situation.

 

I never thought of using them in a learning situation either. My librarian suggested them to my son when he was in first grade. He was six years old at the time. He told me that the characters would lie to their parents in order to go to the treehouse. The children are helping a bad person from King Arthur's day, Morgan Le Fay. It is confusing because she is evil in the King Arthur books and Magic Treehouse has depicted her as a good person to help.

 

I tell you my son did learn a lot about history. These books got him hook on history. Then, Story of the World came along. When we were in a co-op, he knew a lot of the information. The teacher asked where he learned this stuff. I asked him and he said that it was from the Magic Treehouse NonFiction Companion books. I made him stop when it was getting into Merlin.

 

Sincerely,

Karen

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

[nmoira]

 

The children are helping a bad person from King Arthur's day, Morgan Le Fay. It is confusing because she is evil in the King Arthur books and Magic Treehouse has depicted her as a good person to help.

Her history is complicated and probably predates the Arthur myths. However, in at least some versions of the Arthur cycle (Malory's among them), after Morgan le Fay's and Arthur's fates are played out, she is no longer evil and takes her place with Nimue and is on the barge which takes Arthur to Avalon after the Battle of Camlann. In earlier versions (see Geoffrey of Monmouth), she is simply the chief of nine sisters in Avalon, where Arthur is sent to be healed after being wounded at Camlann.

[Haiku]

He told me that the characters would lie to their parents in order to go to the treehouse.

 

 

They don't lie to their parents. They just don't tell their parents that they have a magic treehouse that spins them through time. I mean, would you tell your parents that? Would your parents believe you if you did? ;)

 

Tara

[Testimony]

They don't lie to their parents. They just don't tell their parents that they have a magic treehouse that spins them through time. I mean, would you tell your parents that? Would your parents believe you if you did? ;)

 

Tara

 

Just to clarify, my son read this series when he was about 5 or 6 years old. He told me that somewhere Jack and Annie lied. It might have been his interpretation as a 5 or 6 year old. I never read the books. He would tell me all about them. My other son hated them and took no interest in them. He found the Capital Mysteries to be more interesting. He is now interested in American history.

 

I just want to clarify that my older son got hooked on history because of the Magic Treehouse books. As oppose to my younger son, he got hooked on American history after reading the Capital Mysteries.

 

Blessings to you,

Karen

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

[Lizzie in Ma]

:iagree: These books are by no means great literature, but they are at least vaguely educational. My dd discovered them when a well-meaning friend gave her one last Christmas. Since then she has gone on a couple of MTH "binges." Our deal is that for every MTH book she reads, she must read two papa-approved classics. The MTH books are way below her reading level, so usually after two or three she gets bored and goes back to more substantial books. Now if I could just get her away from those

blasted Disney Fairies... :glare:

 

Did you borrow my daughter? :D

 

My eldest loved them and loves them still, reading level seems to have very little to do with her enjoyment. I think now they are like old friends she just likes to revisit once in a while and I am certain she has her mothers bad habit of the pure enjoyment of seeing a collection lined up likes ducks in a row.

My little one, who reads at a much higher reading level also, is just getting into them. No harm no foul and like others have said, not a horrible starting point for topics. And we play "Editor in Chief" with them as well.

[NHMom]

My ds8 loves the MTH books and we recently started looking at the Teacher's guides and activities they have online at Teachers@Random. These are good starter books for reluctant chapter book readers as they are short and they don't feel overwhelmed. My ds6 has now started to gain an interest in them and I'm hoping these books will help turn him into the reader I know he can be. He is very reluctant and is constantly complaining that he can't read when we know he can, he just doesn't want to do it.

[AuntPol]

I agree with the opinion that they are not "great literature" but I don't quite classify them as "twaddle" either. They have a purpose of being high interest chapter books for early readers. At the very least, they learn a few tidbits of history and culture. I have a rising 3rd grader who read LOTR and then his next book was the new Magic Tree House. I keep a few on topics we are exploring in the book basket.

 

A similar series they enjoy and I like better is the Carole Marsh mysteries which are written at a bit higher grade level (4th-5th mostly) and don't have all the mysticism that is annoying, no time travel, and has adults (grandparents) that are involved in the kid's lives. I wouldn't put this as great literature either but I like to put them in the book basket.

[Lakeside]

:iagree: Our deal is that for every MTH book she reads, she must read two papa-approved classics.

 

I'd be interested in knowing more about the papa-approved classics!

 

Thanks.