Botelle Young Authors Take a Magic Tree House Adventure

By Lauren Valentino

This fall, Botelle’s third- and fourth-grade students completed an extraordinary writing project that brought the magic of literature to life. As part of their first English Language Arts unit, students studied Mary Pope Osborne’s beloved “Magic Tree House” series—with close attention to the very first book, “Dinosaurs at Dark.” After reading that book as a class, they were hooked. Students devoured as many books in the series as they could, learning about the cherished characters Jack and Annie, examining their character traits, the structure of a typical “Magic Tree House” plot and the way Osborne blends adventure, history and imagination.

Building on this learning, students set out to write Magic Tree House–style chapter books of their own. They researched the time period and location where their story would take place, with adventures ranging from ancient Egypt to the Civil War, from the deck of the Titanic to the depths of the ocean, where Jack and Annie swam with sea turtles and dolphins. Their creativity knew no bounds!

Julianna Brown, a fourth grader, said she most enjoyed “using my imagination to write about Jack and Annie and creating two characters to go on the adventure with them.” Julianna’s book was titled, “Lunch on the Oregon Trail.”

This exciting unit culminated in an Author’s Tea on Friday, Nov. 21, where families, friends, students and staff gathered to hear our young writers read a chapter from their books. Their stories were filled with rich dialogue, vivid description, thoughtful character development, action and beautifully structured story arcs—many sounding as though Mary Pope Osborne herself had written them.

“I’m so proud of how our students took ownership of this project from start to finish,” beamed Mrs. Nicole Partyka, their teacher. “They didn’t just write because they had to. They fell in love with the project. They researched, built characters and turned their ideas into published books. The most exciting part was seeing their faces light up as they shared their work during Author’s Tea. Watching them speak with such confidence and pride is why I love teaching. Hopefully at a future Author’s Tea we can convince Mary Pope Osbourne to come and surprise these aspiring authors!”

Our third and fourth graders put hard work into every chapter. Third grader Calleigh Partyka thought the hardest part was planning the story out. When it came time to write, Charlie Crawford, fourth grader, said “Honestly, it was just fun. I love writing and doing the work. Especially revising my writing. It made my book better.”

Lauren Valentino is principal of Botelle Elementary School in Norfolk.