Random House Books for Young Readers has announced that the Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne. The stories will be adapted by Jenny Laird and feature art by the twin sister art team of Kelly Matthews and Nicole Matthews, with the first book, Dinosaurs Before Dark, to be released on May 4th, 2021. The books will be part of the RH Graphic line.

Random House plans to release a new installment in the series at six-month intervals, with the second entry in the series of adaptations, The Knight at Dawn, slated for release in Autumn 2021.

Mary Pope Osborne

Osborne’s Magic Tree House prose series first debuted in 1992, becoming a New York Times #1 bestseller. It has since sold more than 140 million copies and been translated into 35 different languages. In the press release, which you can read in its entirety below, Osborne states that she is pleased that a graphic novel adaptation will help introduce new readers to her work, and she hopes the time-traveling adventures of Jack and Annie inspire them to learn more about history and kindle a lasting love for reading.

In addition to the upcoming graphic novel series, award-winning playwright Laird is also working on adapting the Magic Tree House into a television series.

The Magic Tree House is one of many kid’s prose books to be adapted into a graphic novel. In particular, Scholastic Graphix boasts several graphic novel adaptations in their offerings, including Pénélope Bagieu’s graphic novel adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches and Chris Grine’s graphic novel adaptation of the Animorphs books by “the entity known asK.A. Applegate. Will more graphic novel adaptations be on the way from Random House soon?

Will you be checking out the Magic Tree House graphic novels? How cool is a twin sister art team? Which kids’ books do you hope get the graphic novel adaptation treatment next? Let us know in the comment section!

 

MARY POPE OSBORNE’S #1 BESTSELLING MAGIC TREE HOUSE SERIES

TO BE ADAPTED INTO GRAPHIC NOVELS

The first title in the series, Dinosaurs Before Dark, to release May 4, 2021

New York, NY (October 27, 2020)—Mary Pope Osborne’s globally cherished Magic Tree House series will be transformed into graphic novels, to be published by Random House Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, it was announced today by Mallory Loehr, Executive Vice President, Publisher, Random House Books for Young Readers group. The new editions will be written by Mary Pope Osborne and Jenny Laird and will feature full-color illustrations from sisters and comic art team Kelly Matthews and Nichole Matthews. The first graphic novel installment, on sale May 4, 2021, will be an adaptation of the first title in the series, Magic Tree House #1: Dinosaurs Before Dark. A new installment will release every six months, with The Knight at Dawn graphic novel scheduled for Fall 2021.

Highly regarded among parents, teachers, and librarians for its power to instill a passion for reading, Osborne’s award-winning Magic Tree House series is an international phenomenon that has sold in excess of 143 million books worldwide since its debut in 1992. It has been translated into 35 languages in more than 30 international markets. The ongoing series spans over 100 titles across its four subseries and various expansions.

“I’m so excited for Jack and Annie’s time travel adventures to reach a new generation of readers who are drawn to the thrilling visual experience that graphic novels provide,” says Osborne. “As with all of my books, I hope these adaptations will inspire children to learn more about world history and instill in them a lifelong love of reading.”

“We are thrilled to offer a fresh take on the Magic Tree House series,” says Loehr. “These books have captivated young readers for almost thirty years, with early fans now sharing them with their own children. Through vibrant colors and active scenes, these graphic novels will allow longtime readers to engage with Jack and Annie in an entirely new way, while also enticing the next generation of readers to discover Mary’s stories.”

Mary Pope Osborne is the author of the New York Times #1 bestselling Magic Tree House series, as well as co-author of the Magic Tree House Fact Tracker series, along with her husband, Will, and her sister, Natalie Pope Boyce. For more information, visit the Magic Tree House® website at MagicTreeHouse.com.

Jenny Laird is an award-winning playwright. She collaborates with Will Osborne and Randy Courts on creating musical theater adaptations of the Magic Tree House® series for both national and international audiences. Their work also includes shows for young performers, available through Music Theatre International’s Broadway Junior® Collection. Currently the team is working on a Magic Tree House® animated television series.

Kelly Matthews and Nichole Matthews are twin sisters and a comic art team, living just north of the Emerald City under the watchful eyes of their cats and dog. They get to do their dream job every day, drawing comics for a living (when they’re not playing video games). They’ve worked for Boom! Studios, Archaia, the Jim Henson Company, Hiveworks Comics, and now Random House! Follow them on Instagram at @kickingsh0es and on Twitter at @kickingshoes.

Random House Children’s Books (rhcbooks.com) is the world’s largest English-language children’s trade book publisher. Creating books for toddlers through young adult readers, in all formats from board books to activity books to picture books, novels, and nonfiction, the imprints of Random House Children’s Books bring together award-winning authors and illustrators, world-famous franchise characters, and multimillion-copy series. Random House Children’s Books is a division of Penguin Random House LLC.