This book is really generic. I feel like it could have been an article on Medium or a Hallmark gift book instead of a coffee table-style book. I wish there was more background information about Mary as she was writing the series.

I grew up reading the Magic Tree House books. These were the first books that made me fall in love with reading and the only books that I continue to read and collect as soon as they release. As soon as I heard that Mary Pop Osborne was doing something for the 30th anniversary of Jack and Annie, I knew I needed to be a part of it. I enjoyed every aspect of this book. The life lessons and recollections that are included are well written and feel like an important part of the story. Absolutely worth the buy and the read if you are or ever have been a fan of the Magic Treehouse books.

Memories and Life Lessons from the Magic Tree House is a beautifully written and well presented memoir with recollections and ruminations by Mary Pope Osborne, drawn from her lifelong love of travel and exploration and her experiences writing The Magic Tree House. Released 6th Sept 2022 by Random House, it's 144 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.

The book is written in thematic chapters which each provide an important philosophical lesson on gratefulness, compassion, bravery (but not foolhardiness), finding helpers along the way, finding & sharing your gifts with the world, and more. They're drawn both from Ms. Osborne's own experiences as well as the 30 years of life lessons that characters Jack and Annie lived in the episodes of the Magic Tree House.

Four stars. Accessibly and gently written, its readable and positive focus will give readers a boost. The book is also beautifully illustrated by Sal Murdocca throughout. This would be a good choice for public or school library acquisition, home library, and gift-giving. Lots of very well thought out and kindly presented ideas here.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

As awesome as the Magic Tree House books are, and as seminal as they've been to several generations of readers, this book left a lot to be desired. I enjoyed the back stories that accompanied each section, but I felt like the "advice" was really just quotes from the books. Had there been more of the stories from Obsorne's childhood that inspired the stories in the book, I would have been much more engaged.

Wow! The Magic Tree House series is celebrating 30 years! If you’ve ever read the stories you can understand why these adventurous tales are still popular with kids today. I recently started reading the series with my son and he can’t get enough of them. Nothing makes me happier than him asking me to read “just one more chapter” before bed each night.

Memories and Life Lessons from The Magic Tree House is everything you want in a book about life lessons. It is sentimental, heart warming and relatable. This book is written in a format that connects Mary Pope Osborne’s individual childhood memories to excerpts from books in the series. The advice she gives is genuine and sincere. What a rare gift it is to get this deep of an author’s perspective sharing what inspired such a timeless work of art. Osborne writes this in such a way that it will appeal to audiences of all ages. Even young elementary kids will understand the morals she shares and the advice she gives is applicable for older kids and adults alike.

Included in the book are childhood pictures of Mary Pope Osborne and her family. What a treat it is to see photos of the places she grew up, where the memories were formed that ultimately inspired this incredible series. This is truly a must read for all fans of The Magic Tree House series.

When I was a child, I loved the Magic Treehouse series. I read so many of the books in this series. It was my favorite thing to read. I would devour Pope Osborne’s books.
When I saw this book, I felt incredibly excited. I was hoping to learn about the author’s life and career. This book however is not an autobiography. I could have learned more about the author by reading her Wiki page. Yet, in this book, I did get snippets of the author’s life. This book reveals to readers childhood memories that later inspired aspects of the author’s book series. Despite not learning a ton about Mary Pope Osborne,

I really enjoyed this sweet, easy read. It felt like it could be enjoyed by children and adults alike.

I adored The Magic Treehouse as a child and I've slowly collected each my my boys. This did not disappoint, at all

When I originally heard about this book, I believed it was to be a memoir by the author of a beloved children's series, going through things like topic selection, research for the books, and conception for how the series came to be.

This was not the case. Instead, this book was a collection of snippets and short stories tying in the author's personal experiences to the stories she had written. This book did feel a bit like it was a cross between a self help book and a memoir at times, but I believe that was to engage the reader and have them think critically about the life lessons presented. Because of how reflective the writing is, I believe it is meant to be read slowly so the reader has time to truly proves and think about each topic the author mentions.

Overall, this was a thought provoking read, but not entirely what I believe the title and description advertised. This is something I believe you should be aware of before picking up this book, but it does not make it a bad book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and the illustrations are absolutely delightful - capturing a sense of nostalgia I didn't know I needed. This book is a good read, perfect for those who want to recapture that feeling of childhood or remind themselves of the beauty, humaniry, and kindness our world too often forgets.

Thank you to Random House Children's and Netgalley for the advanced review copy.

I love the Magic Tree House series and have read all of them. They give a great insight into different historical time periods and places. In this new book by Mary Pope Osborne, we not only get these insights from the series but also from Mary Pope Osborne's life as well! It was really interesting learning more about her life and childhood.

Ohhhhh, this just warmed my heart. 100% joyful. A wonderful trip to my reading past and to the author's past along with gorgeous illustrations from the books that have shaped so many lives.

I first found these books when I was a Nanny and the children I took care of loved them and over the course of many years I have read and reread them for all the children who have passed through my life. It was such a complete joy to revisit them in this memoir.

Such an absolute delight, I cannot imagine anyone who would not love this book, especially if they loved The Magic Tree House as a child. I am so glad I had the opportunity to read this; it was just what I needed today. Perfection.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mary Pope Osborne, Sal Murdocca - Illustrator, and Random House Children's/Random House Books for Young Readers for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This books was such a fun peek into the life and memories of Mary Pope Osborne. My children have loved her books for years, she is truly a household name. What an interesting path she has walked as she learned and wrote adventures for children the world over! This was an enjoyable read and parents and teachers alike will enjoy learning more about her.

Two thumbs up from my 9 year old! We have enjoyed reading almost all of the Magic Tree House books, so it was very cool to see this one and be able to read it too!

The Magic Tree House Series is one of my all time favorite book series I read as a kid. I was always a lover of history and lover of books so these books were perfect for me. Jack and Annie became best friends to me as a kid and I loved reading about the different adventures they went on through out history and learning new things along the way. I can not believe that it has been 30 years since the first book came out. I still remember going to the library and picking out the books. I think memories and life lessons is such a different approach to a memoir or biography. Both young and old readers and learn more about the author Mary Pope Osborne and her childhood and her family. I love the little life lesson we all can take from the series.

As an adult fan who remembers reading Magic Tree House fondly, I think I am squarely in the target audience for this book. A collection of Mary Pope Osborne's life lessons with quotes from the series, it would make a great gift for an adult or young adult. Kids could read it but probably will find it a little too different from a regular Magic Tree house book. Osborne makes a nostalgic book and I appreciate the photos included from her childhood. Recommended as a gift for graduation or for someone who remembers their days of reading about Jack and Annie.

This book is a lovely homage for fans of the Magic Tree House series. Blurbs from the original books combine with illustrations and reflections from the author on her own life for a whole lot of nostalgia.

Divided into ten sections, each focused on a life lesson from the iconic books, these stories offer an unique peek behind the scenes. My kindergartener loved the original series, but I think it will be a few more years before this book can resonate with her. This book would be perfect for fans of the Magic Tree House who are a few years (or decades!) older.

Thank you to Random House Children’s and NetGalley for an advance reader copy!

Wonderful! Quotes from the magic tree house books, life lessons from Mary Pope Osborne’s real life, and illustrations to go with them all. I’ve read all of the magic tree house books to my kids and I imagine giving them something like this to celebrate a milestone like graduation and help them remember the time we shared reading as well as what’s really important in life. This book is such a gem!

Growing up reading Magic Tree I absolutely adored this book as it had lots of life lessons that are important. It was also nice to read about Mary Pope Osborne's childhood.

This book has excerpts from the books, with life morals, an explanation and anectdote from the author's life. The kids who read this book probably won't care about it, but as an adult it was somewhat interesting.