Monday, April 13, 2015

The Magic Tree House Survival Guide by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce –ADVISABLE

Osborne, Mary Pope and Boyce, Natalie Pope The Magic Tree House Survival Guide 144 pages, Random House Books for Young Readers, 2014. $12.99
This book is a survival guide from the point of view of Annie and Jack. Each chapter starts off with a reference to a book in the series, such as in the siblings facing off against pirates, then real-life (mostly) tips are given to survive in a similar situation. Examples are stampedes, shark encounter, zero gravity, train a horse, and tiger encounter.
Students will be drawn to the real working compass on the cover of the hardcover edition (Please note: it can’t be removed without damaging the cover). It’s a great way to tie fiction to non-fiction. There are tons of bright color illustrations, notecards, photographs, and interesting fun to look at pages. For the most part the information is pretty realistic, though I don’t think a student could train a horse after reading the tips. I love the subtle way the authors broached the subject of a dinosaur attack, citing that a T-rex can eat 500 pounds in one gulp, but never stating that this amount would encompass a students entire weight. A great accompaniment to the series.
EL(K-3), EL –ADVISABLE Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.

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