KidCrunch

Earlier this week, my daughter and I embarked on a trip around the world (and back in time) with Jack and his sister Annie from Mary Pope Osborne’s book series The Magic Tree House.  This is one of the best book series for kids who are just starting to read chapter books.

In The Magic Tree House series, eight year old Jack and seven year old Annie discover a book-filled tree house near their home in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania.  By pointing to a book and making a wish, Jack and Annie are magically transported by the tree house to the setting of the book.

Young readers pick up tidbits of knowledge with each adventure - as they cross the Delaware with George Washington, help a baby kangaroo escape an Australian wildfire or watch the Olympic Games with Plato.  In addition, there are Research Guides that provide background information on many of the adventures.

The true value of the series is not the knowledge gained from each book.  Instead, it is the love of reading that many kids first experience when introduced to The Magic Tree House books.  Like so many young readers, my kids read one Magic Tree House book after another until they finished the series. 

To help your kids on this journey, the books in this popular series are listed in order below.

1. Dinosaurs Before Dark
2. The Knight at Dawn
3. Mummies in the Morning
4. Pirates Past Noon
5. Night of the Ninjas
6. Afternoon on the Amazon
7. Sunset of the Sabertooth
8. Midnight on the Moon
9. Dolphins at Daybreak
10. Ghost Town at Sundown
11. Lions at Lunchtime
12. Polar Bears Past Bedtime
13. Vacation Under the Volcano
14. Day of the Dragon King
15. Viking Ships at Sunrise
16. Hour of the Olympics
17. Tonight on the Titanic
18. Buffalo Before Breakfast
19. Tigers at Twilight
20. Dingoes at Dinnertime
21. Civil War on Sunday
22. Revolutionary War on Wednesday
23. Twister on Tuesday
24. Earthquake in the Early Morning
25. Stage Fright on a Summer Night
26. Good Morning, Gorillas
27. Thanksgiving on Thursday
28. High Tide in Hawaii
29. Christmas in Camelot
30. Haunted Castle on Hallow’s Eve
31. Summer of the Sea Serpent
32. Winter of the Ice Wizard
33. Carnival at Candlelight
34. Season of the Sandstorms
35. Night of the New Magicians
36. Blizzard of the Blue Moon
37. Dragon of the Red Dawn
38. Monday with a Mad Genius
39. Dark Day in the Deep Sea
40. Eve of the Emperor Penguin
41. Moonlight on the Magic Flute

The challenge for parents will come when their kids finish The Magic Tree House series.  My oldest son had a hard time finding books that he enjoyed as much (until he found The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner.)  He is ten now, but I suspect he still sneaks a copy of the latest Magic Tree House books from his little sister for a quick, familiar read.

Shop for The Magic Tree House books and other popular kids book series at the KidCrunch Store.

Kids who like science will love The Magic School Bus, a series that follows the adventures of Ms. Frizzle, a fearless science teacher who takes her students on amazing field trips aboard her incredible bus.  The Magic School Bus changes form and moves across time to bring Ms. Frizzle and her class to outer space, inside the human body and on other fantastic journeys through the world of science.

Magic School Bus Classic Books are cartoon-like, detail-packed books written by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Bruce Degen.  The series was turned into an educational TV show - with Lily Tomlin as the voice of Ms. Frizzle - that is available as Magic School Bus DVDs.  Later, a variety of authors contributed to additional books in the classic format, plus a series of Magic School Bus Chapter Books which continue the adventures of Ms. Frizzle and her class in chapter book form.

The Magic School Bus series is valuable because it conveys detailed scientific information in a format that is both understandable and entertaining to kids.

Shop for Magic School Bus books and DVDs at the KidCrunch Store.

Junie B. Jones books by Barbara Park follow the adventures of fun-loving Junie B. Jones through a full year of kindergarten, from her first day to her graduation.  The series includes the following books:

1. Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus
2. Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business
3. Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth
4. Junie B. Jones and Some Sneaky Peeky Spying
5. Junie B. Jones and the Yucky Blucky Fruitcake
6. Junie B. Jones and That Meanie Jim’s Birthday
7. Junie B. Jones Loves Handsome Warren
8. Junie B. Jones Has a Monster Under Her Bed
9. Junie B. Jones Is Not a Crook
10. Junie B. Jones Is a Party Animal
11. Junie B. Jones Is a Beauty Shop Guy
12. Junie B. Jones Smells Something Fishy
13. Junie B. Jones Is (almost) a Flower Girl
14. Junie B. Jones and the Mushy Gushy Valentime
15. Junie B. Jones Has a Peep in Her Pocket
16. Junie B. Jones Is Captain Field Day
17. Junie B. Jones Is a Graduation Girl

The adventures continue in Barbara Parks’ subsequent series Junie B., First Grader.

I started reading Junie B. Jones books to my daughter when she entered kindergarten and soon became a big fan.  The books are written in such a way that the reader–even an adult reader–is anxious to find out what happens in the next chapter.  This makes the transition to chapter books an easy and natural one.

Also, when we read Junie B. Jones books together, my daughter constantly interrupts our reading to tell me about something similar in her school experience.  That’s what I love most about them and why I recommend them highly.

Shop for Junie B. Jones books at the KidCrunch Store.