Osborne, Mary Pope (1949-…), is a popular American author of children’s books. Osborne has written for age groups ranging from preschool through young adults. She is best known for her “Magic Tree House” series for young children.
The “Magic Tree House” books are fantasies that center on young Jack and Annie, a brother and sister who have adventures when they enter an enchanted tree house. Using the magical books they find there, the children travel through time, visiting periods from the prehistoric era to the future. The stories have been praised for mixing exciting plots with historical and scientific information. The series began with Dinosaurs Before Dark (1992).
With her husband, Will Osborne, Mary Pope Osborne has also created a “Magic Tree House Research Guide.” This series of information books accompanies many of the books in the main series. Jack and Annie also appear in the “Merlin Missions” series. These books take the brother and sister on time travel adventures guided by Merlin, the magician in the King Arthur legends. The first book in the series was Christmas in Camelot (2001).
In addition to the fantasies, Osborne has written picture books, historical fiction, realistic fiction, and nonfiction. She has also retold existing stories and edited collections of poetry, songs, and stories.
Mary Pope was born on May 20, 1949, in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. She earned a B.A. degree from the University of North Carolina in 1971. In 1976, she married Will Osborne, an actor and writer. Her first book was the young adult novel Run, Run as Fast as You Can (1982).
