Magic Tree House #1

Magic Tree House #1

Dinosaurs Before Dark

By Mary Pope Osborne

Scholastic

Copyright 1992

pp. 68

Dinosaurs Before Dark

Fantasy

     This is a fantastic book for the younger elementary school student or an older student at a lower reading level. I believe this would make a great read aloud for students because of the author’s use of imagery. I felt like I was spinning in the tree house along with Jack and Annie. Students could shut their eyes and picture Annie befriending a Pteranodon and Jack nervously writing in his notebook. The illustrations are well drawn and arrive at important parts of the story.

     Besides the fantasy there is a mystery to hook the reader as well. The author ended each chapter with a bit of suspense, so I could not wait to find out what was going to happen next. At the conclusion of the book, many questions still lingered in my mind.  How did Jack and Annie arrive in this time period? What is the meaning of the gold medallion? Where did the tree house come from? All of these questions definitely help to entice the reader into reading the rest of the series. I can certainly see why this is such a popular series with elementary school students.