A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time cover – Magic Tree House Books in Order

Magic Tree House Books in Order: The Complete Reading Guide

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Updated September 2026

Magic Tree House Books in Order: The Short Answer

To read the Magic Tree House books in order, start with Dinosaurs Before Dark (#1, 1992) and work through Mary Pope Osborne's 40-book main series, which currently ends with Sea Otter Sunrise (#40, 2025). Alongside it are 27 longer Merlin Missions, one Super Edition and more than 40 nonfiction Fact Trackers. A new full-color spin-off, History's Heroes, is scheduled to begin in January 2027.

The confusing part is the numbering. In 2017, for the series' 25th anniversary, Random House pulled the longer "Merlin Missions" books (formerly #29–55) out into their own series numbered 1–27. New books then picked up the main numbering again at #29. So if your old copy of Christmas in Camelot says "#29" and a new copy of A Big Day for Baseball also says "#29," neither is wrong. This guide uses the current numbering, with the old numbers shown for the Merlin Missions.

In this guide:

Main Series Reading Order, Books 1–40

Books 1–28: The original adventures (1992–2003)

# Title Year # Title Year
1 Dinosaurs Before Dark 1992 15 Viking Ships at Sunrise 1998
2 The Knight at Dawn 1993 16 Hour of the Olympics 1998
3 Mummies in the Morning 1993 17 Tonight on the Titanic 1999
4 Pirates Past Noon 1994 18 Buffalo Before Breakfast 1999
5 Night of the Ninjas 1995 19 Tigers at Twilight 1999
6 Afternoon on the Amazon 1995 20 Dingoes at Dinnertime 2000
7 Sunset of the Sabertooth 1996 21 Civil War on Sunday 2000
8 Midnight on the Moon 1996 22 Revolutionary War on Wednesday 2000
9 Dolphins at Daybreak 1997 23 Twister on Tuesday 2001
10 Ghost Town at Sundown 1997 24 Earthquake in the Early Morning 2001
11 Lions at Lunchtime 1998 25 Stage Fright on a Summer Night 2002
12 Polar Bears Past Bedtime 1998 26 Good Morning, Gorillas 2002
13 Vacation Under the Volcano 1998 27 Thanksgiving on Thursday 2002
14 Day of the Dragon King 1998 28 High Tide in Hawaii 2003

These come in four-book arcs. In Books 1–4, Jack and Annie discover the tree house in the woods of Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, and learn who owns it. From Book 5 on, the librarian-enchantress Morgan le Fay sends them on missions, usually four at a time, each set tied together by a riddle or a quest. Reading within each four-book set in order matters more than anywhere else in the series.

Books 29–40: The newer main series (2017–2025)

# Title Year
29 A Big Day for Baseball 2017
30 Hurricane Heroes in Texas 2018
31 Warriors in Winter 2019
32 To the Future, Ben Franklin! 2019
33 Narwhal on a Sunny Night 2020
34 Late Lunch with Llamas 2020
35 Camp Time in California 2021
36 Sunlight on the Snow Leopard 2022
37 Rhinos at Recess 2023
38 Time of the Turtle King 2023
39 Windy Night with Wild Horses 2024
40 Sea Otter Sunrise 2025

Books 29–32 have Jack and Annie meeting real heroes (Jackie Robinson's era of baseball, Ben Franklin), and from Book 33 on the stories focus on animal rescues. These are the same length and reading level as Books 1–28, so they suit the same readers, and animal lovers who like the rescue stories will find more in our books for 7-year-olds who love animal adventures. Since 2016 the series has been illustrated by AG Ford, taking over from original illustrator Sal Murdocca.

Merlin Missions in Order, Books 1–27

These are the "big kid" Magic Tree House books: roughly twice as long as the originals, with more complex plots, and Merlin rather than Morgan sending the kids out. They were originally numbered 29–55 in the main series.

Merlin # Old # Title Year
1 29 Christmas in Camelot 2001
2 30 Haunted Castle on Hallows Eve 2003
3 31 Summer of the Sea Serpent 2004
4 32 Winter of the Ice Wizard 2004
5 33 Carnival at Candlelight 2005
6 34 Season of the Sandstorms 2005
7 35 Night of the New Magicians 2006
8 36 Blizzard of the Blue Moon 2006
9 37 Dragon of the Red Dawn 2007
10 38 Monday with a Mad Genius 2007
11 39 Dark Day in the Deep Sea 2008
12 40 Eve of the Emperor Penguin 2008
13 41 Moonlight on the Magic Flute 2009
14 42 A Good Night for Ghosts 2009
15 43 Leprechaun in Late Winter 2010
16 44 A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time 2010
17 45 A Crazy Day with Cobras 2011
18 46 Dogs in the Dead of Night 2011
19 47 Abe Lincoln at Last! 2011
20 48 A Perfect Time for Pandas 2012
21 49 Stallion by Starlight 2013
22 50 Hurry Up, Houdini! 2013
23 51 High Time for Heroes 2014
24 52 Soccer on Sunday 2014
25 53 Shadow of the Shark 2015
26 54 Balto of the Blue Dawn 2016
27 55 Night of the Ninth Dragon 2016

Like the originals, they mostly run in sets of four with a linking quest. Night of the Ninth Dragon works as a finale that brings back characters from earlier missions.

The Super Edition

Danger in the Darkest Hour (2015) sends Jack and Annie to Normandy during World War II. It was later reissued as World at War, 1944. It's longer and more serious than any other book in the series, so we'd hold it for older readers, ideally after the Merlin Missions. If it sparks an interest in the war, our list of World War II books for students picks up from there.

When to Move from the Originals to Merlin Missions

Here's the practical order we suggest to families:

  1. Main series #1–28 for new readers, ages roughly 6 to 9. Around 70 pages each, short chapters, gentle peril.
  2. Main series #29–40 any time after that. They're the same level, so there's no need to wait.
  3. Merlin Missions #1–27 once a child reads the originals comfortably, usually around ages 7 to 10. At over 100 pages with bigger vocabulary, they're a real step up.
  4. The Super Edition last.

You don't need to finish all 40 main books before starting Merlin Missions. Many kids read the first 28 and then go straight to Merlin, since the Merlin books were written to follow Book 28.

Magic Tree House often follows the Junie B. Jones books on a young reader's shelf, since the two sit at the same length and level. For other series that work at this stage, see our chapter books for second graders.

Fact Trackers: The Nonfiction Companions

This is the part homeschool families love most. Each Magic Tree House Fact Tracker is a short nonfiction book paired with one of the stories, written by Mary Pope Osborne with her husband Will Osborne or her sister Natalie Pope Boyce. They were first published as "Research Guides" and renamed later. More than 40 have been published, from Dinosaurs (2000) onward.

A few well-matched pairs:

  • Dinosaurs Before Dark + Dinosaurs
  • The Knight at Dawn + Knights and Castles
  • Mummies in the Morning + Mummies and Pyramids
  • Tonight on the Titanic + Titanic
  • Revolutionary War on Wednesday + American Revolution
  • Thanksgiving on Thursday + Pilgrims
  • Abe Lincoln at Last! + Abraham Lincoln

A simple unit study: read the story aloud, let your child read the Fact Tracker on their own, then have them narrate back or draw one thing they learned. It works from kindergarten through about third grade, and it's why these show up on so many homeschool history lists, including our historical fiction books for third grade. The free Magic Tree House Classroom Adventures program, launched in 2012, offers lesson ideas as well.

Graphic Novels, History's Heroes and the Movie

Graphic novels: Random House has been adapting the early books into full-color graphic novels in order, starting with Dinosaurs Before Dark. They're good for reluctant readers, but they retell the same stories.

History's Heroes: A new full-color series, Magic Tree House History's Heroes, begins with The Greatest Fossil Finder, scheduled for January 5, 2027, co-written with Dagmar Smith.

On screen: The only film so far is a Japanese animated Magic Tree House movie released in Japan in January 2012. There's no American film or TV series to point you to yet.

Building a Magic Tree House Shelf

Magic Tree House is ideal to buy used: the paperbacks are cheap to print, sturdy, and have been passed down through classrooms for thirty years. Check which Magic Tree House books are in stock, look for Merlin Missions, or browse our kids' books and early readers. Shipping is free on orders over $15, so a few books plus their matching Fact Trackers usually qualifies.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Magic Tree House books are there?

There are 40 main-series books, 27 Merlin Missions and one Super Edition, for 68 fiction titles, plus more than 40 nonfiction Fact Trackers.

What is the newest Magic Tree House book?

Sea Otter Sunrise, main series #40, published in 2025. A new spin-off, History's Heroes, begins with The Greatest Fossil Finder in January 2027.

Why are there two Magic Tree House book #29s?

In 2017 the Merlin Missions (formerly #29–55) were renumbered 1–27 as their own series. New main-series books then continued from #29, starting with A Big Day for Baseball.

Do Magic Tree House books have to be read in order?

Mostly no, but each book belongs to a set of four linked by a quest, so reading within those sets in order helps. Books 1–4 are the best place to start.

What reading level is Magic Tree House?

The main series suits ages 6 to 9, roughly first through third grade. The Merlin Missions are longer and suit ages 7 to 10.

What are Magic Tree House Fact Trackers?

Nonfiction companion books, each paired with a story, covering the real history or science behind it. They were originally called Research Guides.

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