Mary Pope Osborne

1. Mary Pope Osborne

2. Childhood Facts • Born in Fort Mill, Oklahoma on May 20, 1949 • Before she was 15, she lived in Oklahoma, Austria, Florida, Virginia and North Carolina. • Dad retired to a small town in North Carolina. • She was afraid of a lot of different things like bugs, spiders, and the ocean. • She was a very adventurous child and liked to travel.

3. Family • Dad - William Pope: U.S. Army Colonel • Mom - Barnette nee Dickens: homemaker • Twin brother - Bill • Younger brother • Older sister - Natalie (helps write some of the books)

4. More Childhood Facts • She spent multiple hours at the community theatre (acting and working backstage). • The theatre was her escape. • “When I was five, we moved to Virginia and lived inside an old fort that was surrounded by a moat. So when I heard stories of American history, I felt as if those dramas were taking place right in my own backyard. Maybe those early environments explain why mythical and historical times and places seem more real to me than the modern world of shopping malls and freeways.” - Mary Pope Osborne

5. Mary Pope Osborne’s College Years • Mary studied drama at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill her first 2 years of college. • In her junior year, she switched to become a religion major • Mary loved to study about other cultures while she was in college. • She graduated from college in the early 1970’s

6. Young Adult Life • In the early 1970's - camped in cave on island of Crete (located south of Greece, above South Africa) • She rode in vans with young European’s travelling through Asian countries, including Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Nepal • She almost died in an earthquake in northern Afghanistan • In Kathmandu, she got blood poisoning and stayed in a hospital overlooking the Himalayas for months • After almost dying twice, she moved back to the United States where she worked as a window dresser, a medical assistant, and Russian travel consultant

7. Marriage • After spending some time traveling, Mary Pope Osborne settled in New York City and married Will Osborne in 1976 • Will Osborne is an actor, musician, playwright, and Mary’s occasional collaborator on her books • She first met Will when watching a play about Jesse James, which Will starred “From the balcony I fell in love…I loved his boots and his white cowboy hat; I loved how he sang and strummed the guitar. A year later, in New York City, we were married.”

8. Children/Pets • Mary Pope Osborne does not have any children, but she does have a dog named Bailey that she loves her very much • In an interview, she describes Bailey as “the most disobedient dog who ever lived”

9. Residence • After living in New York City for 26 years, Mary Pope Osborne and her husband moved to Northwest Connecticut • Today, they live in a house overlooking a lake

10. Books Written • Author History: • Magic Tree House Series (52 fiction & 27 non-fiction) • Young Adult Novels: • Haunted Waters • Adaline Falling Star • Run, Run as Fast as You Can • Best Wishes, Joe Brady • Love Always, Blue

11. More Books . Picture Books: • Moonhorse • New York’s Bravest • Pompeii: Lost and Found • Kate and the Beanstalk • Sleeping Bobby • Happy Birthday, America • The Brave Little Streamstress • Rocking Horse Christmas

12. Even More Books 4. Biographies 5. Mythology, Fairytales and Folklore 6. The Spider Kane Mysteries 7. Dear America Books

13. General Facts • She had been published for over ten years before writing the Magic Treehouse Series. • First book-1982 • First Magic Treehouse book- 1992 • She works with her husband (Will Osborne) and her sister (Natalie Pope). • From 1993-1997 she served as the 27th president of the Author’s Guild. • 2013 she received a Honorary Doctorate of letters from the University of NC at Chapel Hill

14. Awards • American Tall Tales:School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book, NCSS–CBC Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies and an ABC Children’s Booksellers’ Choice Award • Moonhorse: American Bookseller Pick of the Lists and A Parents Magazine Best Book of the Year • Spider Kane and the Mystery at Jumbo Nightcrawler’s: An Edgar Award Nominee for Best Juvenile Mystery • Spider Kane and the Mystery Under the May-Apple: Parents’ Choice Story Book Honor and A Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Book of the Year • One World, Many Religions:The Ways We Worship: An Orbis Pictus Honor Book, National Council of Teachers of English

15. Literacy Partnerships • JetBlue’s “Soar with Reading” Program partners with Mary Pope Osborne’s classroom adventures program. • Provides lesson plans that align Magic Tree House books to core curriculum standards free of charge • Provides a “Gift of Books” to selected Title 1 schools who submit a proposal of how the books will be used

16. Osborne has traveled to most of the places her books are written about. • One of her favorite books is A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

17. She always wanted a tree house, but never received one; her book series was a way of receiving it. • She does not want her books made into movies. “I want kids to have these adventures in their imaginations. This, I believe, is best accomplished by reading a book.”

18. References • http://www.barnesandnoble.com/writers/writerdetails.asp?cid=968075 • www.marypopeosborne.com • http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/contributor/mary-pope-osborne-0 • http://www.nypl.org/author-chat-mary-pope-osborne • http://www.angelfire.com/planet/bookreview/MPOfunfacts.html • http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/catalog/author.pperl?authorid=22894&view=sml_sptlght • http://www.jetblue.com/corporate-social-responsibility/ • http://mthclassroomadventures.org/index.php?r=site/about • http://803221696272338294.weebly.com/fun-facts.html • http://www.shelfari.com/authors/a99919/Mary-Pope-Osborne/ • Pope Osborne, M. (n.d.). Biography :: Mary Pope Osborne. Retrieved September 23, 2013, from http://marypopeosborne.com/biography/