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Mary Pope Osborne

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Author

The Resume

    (May 20, 1949- )
    Born in Fort Sill, Oklahoma
    Birth name was Mary Pope
    Children's book author
    Best-known for the Magic Tree House series

Why she might be annoying:

    She is a children's book author with no children of her own. (Her explanation: 'I got too busy.')
    She spent nearly a year thinking of ways to send her characters traveling through time before coming up with the magic tree house concept.
    For publicity purposes, the covers of the Magic Tree House books are often designed well before the story is finished, so 'There have been a few times where I had to explain in the story something that was on the cover, but it really didn't make a whole lot of sense in the story.'
    Her name appears as co-author of the non-fiction 'Fact Tracker' books associated with the Magic Tree House series, but they are actually written by either her husband or her sister.

Why she might not be annoying:

    She was inspired to start the Magic Tree House series while working in a shelter for homeless teens.
    Her 'clear, lively, well-paced prose' was inspired by Ernest Hemingway.
    Her Magic Tree House series has sold over 130 million books.
    She partnered with the First Book organization to donate 1.5 million books to underserved schools.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying