Magic Tree House Series

All main characters are White. They interact with East Asian, Indigenous, and Black people on their adventures. Jack and Annie respect cultural differences and point out issues like segregation. But non-White groups are treated as something foreign to be learned about and are often portrayed as magical, spiritual, old-fashioned. Some girls have important roles: Annie almost always starts the adventure, and Morgan le Fay is a knowledgeable elder. But Jack and Annie mostly go on adventures with men, and women fall into traditional gender roles, busy doing jobs like sewing.

There's a suspenseful arc to each book. Jack and Annie are bound to be in danger at some point: chased by a T. rex, thrown into a dungeon, etc. But the fear factor is calibrated for 6- and 7-year-olds, especially once they've read a couple of the books and know that no one is ever seriously hurt. Pirates and cowboys are armed with guns and knives. Jack and Annie also visit disaster sites such as the Titanic and Mount Vesuvius.

Ableist terms include "crazy," "nuts," "loco," and "dummies."

Parents need to know that the Magic Tree House chapter book series, written by Mary Pope Osborne, revolves around siblings Jack and Annie, who discover that a tree house in the woods near their home can transport them to different places and historical periods. Morgan le Fay (from the King Arthur legends) sends the kids on missions to learn about real historical events and find important items. The children's curiosity inspires their adventures, and teamwork helps them achieve specific goals. Jack and Annie respectfully interact with different cultures, but non-White people are often portrayed as magical, spiritual, or old-fashioned. Each volume follows a suspenseful arc, so the kids end up in at least one precarious situation (chased by dinosaurs, threatened by cowboys with guns, etc.), but things always turn out well. Later books in a series called Magic Tree House Merlin Missions are intended for slightly older readers and have a little more sophisticated language and fantastical plots.