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| Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House, No. 1) | 
 enlarge | Author: Mary Pope Osborne
Creator: Sal Murdocca
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Category: Book
List Price: $3.99
Buy New: $0.01
You Save: $3.98 (100%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (78 reviews)
Sales Rank: 14943
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 80
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5 x 0.3
ISBN: 0679824111
EAN: 9780679824114
ASIN: 0679824111
Publication Date: July 28, 1992
Release Date: July 28, 1992
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Illus. in black-and-white. "With an entertaining blend of fact, farce, and fantasy, Osborne tells the story of Jack and his sister, Annie, who take a trip in a magic tree house and land in a time 65 million years ago. They find dinosaurs and volcanoes and adventure. Veteran storyteller Osborne builds the power of reading into the story: it's the books in the tree house that give the kids the magic to travel and see far, far away."--Booklist.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 73 more reviews...
A good start for very young readers September 17, 2008
I enjoyed this story and would recommend the reading age from about 5 to 7. The one thing I really liked about the story was the factual content (i.e. Jack searching in the book to find out a little about each dinosaur). It helps kids learn a little about what they are reading and then they can pursue that knowledge if they wish. I think for the age range this book is intended for, it's a great series that will get kids excited about the adventures of Jack and Annie and want to continue on reading.
 Great books for reluctant readers! August 9, 2008
Yes, these books are very simply written, but if your child hates reading, as mine did, then this book series may be a godsend. My 10 year old son finds reading very difficult (dyslexia and ADD) and "good" writing is lost on him -- complicated sentence structures, convoluted plots, and general "wordiness" just confuse him rather than adding to the story. He reluctantly agreed to read Dinosaurs Before Dark because there was a dinosaur on the cover -- and then he couldn't put it down! Not only did he finish the book in a day and a half, he begged for more books in the series. He has now read every Magic Treehouse book at the local library, and I have bought him 6 more. He wants to complete all 37 of them -- and this is a boy who used to sob when he was assigned reading homework! There is a website for this series where you can print out stickers that look like passport stamps as you complete each book, as well as a "passport" to stick them in. It's an excellent incentive for kids who are not usually enthusiastic readers.
I don't care if these books aren't exactly War and Peace -- they taught my 10 year old (and millions of other children) that reading can be FUN and can take you to another place. In a few years he can move on to bigger and better things, but props to Mary Pope Osbourne for getting him started on that road.
Dinosaurs Before Dark June 16, 2008
My sister gave my five year old daughter the first four books of the Magic Tree House series. We read the first book "Dinosaurs Before Dark" last night together and loved it. While some of the reviews are written negatively, referring to the simplicity of the story and lack of depth of the characters and the plot, I feel the simplicity is what makes it popular with the target age group. My daughter has a vivd imagination and was not bored in the least by Ms. Pope Osborne's writing style. We sat in bed talking about each chapter. Not only did we discuss the story but my daughter began to ask questions about the structure of chapter books. I read "Charlotte's Web" to my daughter awhile back. While she did enjoy that particular book, she had no interest in having me read to her other chapter books. I think the Magic Tree House series is an excellent way to graduate children from illustrated books to chapter books without overwhelming them. Don't underestimate the power of simplicity. When used properly it can open ones mind to greater possibilities. I think Ms. Pope Osborne has mastered that skill wonderfully. I look forward to reading each and every book in the Magic Treehouse series.
Reviews From 4 of my Second Grade Students (What's better that reviews from the kids themselves!) May 25, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Several of my second graders read this book, then wrote and typed their own book reviews. Enjoy!
Sara---4 stars
I like Annie because she is always ready when danger is near. I like Jack
because he always has ideas. I like when Annie petted the Pteranodon and said it felt like Henry. I like that there is a lot of adventure. I liked the part when Jack told Annie "promise you won't kiss it, promise you won't hug it, promise you won't talk to it!"
It was short and I wish it was longer because it had a good ending and I want it to go on.
I think that 2nd graders to 4th graders would like it because it is too easy for 5th graders.
Daniel ---4 stars
I liked when the Tyrannosaurus was chasing Jack and Annie and I liked the
adventure in it. I liked the part when Jack said "Don't hug it, don't
kiss it, and don't pet it!"
It was to short because it only had 10 chapters. I wish Mary Pope Osborne added more parts when they where in the Cretaceous Period, like them meeting more dinosaurs.
Kids from 2-4 year olds should have this book read to them but not them reading it. People older than that should not read it by themselves but they can still listen to it. Older kids like 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders would like it because it is in between long and short.
Matthew---3 stars
I liked the part when the Tyrannosaurus Rex was standing in between Jack and the treehouse. My favorite part was when Jack rode the Pteranodon.
I think that the book should be longer because at the end they didn't write if they had breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I wish they met another dinosaur.
I recommend this book to kids from 2nd grade to 3rd grade. It should not be for 4th or 5th graders because it would be too easy. If you are learning about dinosaurs, you should read this book.
Nathan-4 stars
I liked that the author really put a lot of research into it. I also liked the adventure that she put into it. Example: When Jack and the T-Rex have a "chase!" I like it that Mary Pope Osborne could put some good "meat" in the book.
I didn't like that the book was short. They could have an "adventure" with dinosaur fossils. They could do many things that I could not think of in the book.
I think kids from 2nd grade to 6th grade would like this book. If people other than that are not in this range want to read it, they may.
Not a bad intro to chapter books. April 8, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I think these books are a pretty good intro to the chapter book concept. You CANNOT expect these books to be literary masterpieces. We are not dealing with Charlotte's Web or A Cricket in Times Square. In fact, we're not even quite dealing with Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys series. But ... when your child is getting a little too advanced for picture books and is ready to read a few chapters, this is a pretty decent place to start. The text is pretty easy to read; there are black and white pictures about every 4 pages, and the plot is at the kids' level. Note - the plot is NOT at the ADULT's Level. It is not sophisticated - but it is not bad -and there is some continuity between books which is nice. My only real complaint is sentence structure. The author loves to write in sentence fragments. Like this. And like this. And it is annoying. Especially for children. Because incomplete sentences goes against what they are taught in school. (Actually I think the sentence fragments are an attempt at a casual literary style that might mimick one's thoughts ... but it just isn't necessary and it gets annoying.)
Aside from the sentence fragments - just be aware that much of the text is in conversation form. That might annoy some parents - but it makes for fairly quick and easy reading. Generally speaking, the treehouse topics are fairly gender neutral - but may especially attract boys who sometimes need to be "won over" with "cool" topics like dinosaurs. Overall, I think the books are pretty enjoyable - just don't expect a masterpiece, and you might be surprised to see that your child likes the series. A final caveat - these books are not meant for an adult to read aloud to a child - there are much better books for that purpose. These are meant for the early reader to read all by him/herself
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